Queensland’s five Catholic bishops visited Palm Island recently, spending time with parishioners, school students, staff and religious, while prayerfully acknowledging both the troubled history of the island for Indigenous peoples as well as the hope that is alive there today.

Parish Priest Fr Manh Le SVD said the visit was an occasion for what he has termed an “Indigenous conversion” of heart for the bishops.

“I’ve spoken before about us all being called to an Indigenous conversion in this country,” he said. “And I think our bishops really experienced that in a way during their visit here.”

Palm Island is located off the coast of Townsville in North Queensland and despite its natural beauty, has a difficult social history.

Its residents today are mostly descendants of people taken from their traditional lands to the Palm Island Aboriginal Settlement from 1914 up to 1971. Estimates vary, but the number of tribal groups represented by the descendants, known as the Bwgcolman people (meaning many tribes, one nation), is at least 43 and has been said to represent 57 different language groups. At least 5,000 people were forcibly removed to the reserve from all over Queensland, the Torres Strait and Melanesian islands. 

The community has been served by Catholic priests and religious sisters for more than 100 years.

Townsville Bishop Tim Harris led the visiting bishops’ group, which also included Brisbane Archbishop Shane Mackinlay, Toowoomba Bishop Ken Howell, Rockhampton Bishop Danny Meagher, and Cairns Bishop Joe Caddy.

The bishops were warmly welcomed at the Palm Island airport before celebrating Mass at St Anthony’s Church in St Anne’s Parish at which members of the community and students from St Michael’s Catholic School were present.

Following the liturgy, students from St Michael’s Catholic School performed cultural dances, joyfully sharing something of their heritage and community with the visitors.

“It was a day to remember,” Bishop Tim said in a Facebook post.

“The Parish and school leadership made us very welcome as did other members of the Palm Island community including representatives of the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council.

“It was a lovely celebration, and the Bishops were deeply moved by the experience.”

The bishops and a few others then travelled by three boats to Fantome Island, a place deeply connected with the history of Catholic mission in the region.

The now-uninhabited island once served as a government-run leprosarium and medical isolation facility for people suffering from Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) between 1939 and 1973.

At the government’s request, Catholic priests and religious sisters staffed the island, dedicating 50 years of service in spiritual and practical care.

“We acknowledged prayerfully in thanksgiving those religious and priests who served there and of course we prayed for the repose of the souls of those sufferers of Hansen’s Disease who died there . A cemetery remains on the Island,” said Bishop Tim

After returning to Palm Island, the bishops’ visit concluded with lunch at the Holy Spirit Sisters’ residence, as the school children shared in the barbecued sausages.

Archbishop Mackinlay said he was touched by the visit to Palm Island and Fantome Island.

“These places are steeped in the memory of much suffering, but are also a testament to the resilience of the local community and to the faithful commitment of those who have worked to provide spiritual and practical care to particularly isolated and vulnerable people,” he told The Catholic Leader newspaper.

SVD seminarian Felix Infant, who spent a week on Palm Island, said the visit of the bishops was a significant moment for the local community and a beautiful expression of the unity of the Church across Queensland.

“What made the occasion particularly striking was not simply the rarity of having all five bishops together, but the simplicity and humility they displayed throughout the visit,” he said.

“Their manner of engaging with the community, children, missionaries and one another reflected a spirit of genuine pastoral service.

“For me, the gathering was a reminder that leadership in the Church is most convincing when it is expressed through humility, closeness to people and a willingness to share in their lives.”

Fr Manh said that while he had been apprehensive about hosting five bishops for the day, considering the island’s limited resources, the visit ended up being a blessing for all.

“The highlight for me would be the liturgy,” he said. “It was so alive, and the topic was ‘Hope is Alive’, and we could see that with the kids there. And Bishop Tim talked from the heart to the kids and to the people and it was very, very emotional. Very touching.”

Fr Manh said he was also struck by the bishops’ simplicity of dress for the day and their willingness to meet the people where they are at.

“They arrived wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts, looking like any guy from Queensland,” he said. “Their simplicity was something that struck me.

“And I think the theme of their gathering, “Hope is Alive” really came alive for them on Palm Island, with the people. I think bishops, like all of us who work with Indigenous peoples, there are so many challenges, that sometimes you lose hope.

“The SVDs are called to be ‘Faithful and Creative’ and sometimes the faithfulness is there, but we’ve lost the creativity. But during their time here the bishops saw that in amongst all our challenges here, Hope really is Alive.

“Things are different here. We don’t get many people coming to church, but it is a ministry of presence. We are here, we are present, and we walk with and accompany one another. I think the bishops were very touched by seeing that first-hand and experiencing it.”

Fr Manh said he was touched by the bishops’ prayers for those who died on Fantome Island and Palm Island, including Sr Pauline FMM, who is recorded as having come to Fantome Island in around 1957 and died in 1994, being buried on Palm Island.

“She is the only Sister who is buried on Palm Island and as a SVD missionary I felt a connection straight away,” he said.

Aunty Dianne Foster, an elder on Palm Island, said she was thankful for the meeting with the Queensland bishops.

“(The visit) was a blessing in so many ways,” she said. “Especially the Mass, that touched my soul, the children dancing and the trip to Fantome Island.”

The Queensland Bishops’ gathering concluded the following day with a Spirit-filled Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Townsville which was packed to capacity with people from across the Diocese joining in worship with the bishops.

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: The Queensland Bishops and clergy celebrated Mass with the community on Palm Island.

MIDDLE LEFT: The Bishops cutting a celebratory cake with students from St Michael's School, Palm Island.

MIDDLE RIGHT: Praying for those who died on Fantome Island.

BOTTOM LEFT: The Bishops with members of the community on Palm Island.

Photos from Bishop Tim Harris Facebook and Fr Manh Le SVD.