East New Guinea, Apostolic Vicariate of

EAST NEW GUINEA, Apostolic Vicariate of. - Located in the north-western part of N. G., under Australian mandate and entrusted to the Society of the Divine Word.

The territory, detached from the apostolic vicariate of N. G. (erected on 10 May 1889), was in turn erected as an apostolic prefecture on 24 Feb. 1896; then, on 25 July 1913, it was divided for the erection of the new Apostolic Prefecture of Western Kaiser Wilhelm's Land (today Central N. G.) and given the name of Eastern Kaiser Wilhelm's Land; with its elevation to an apostolic vicariate (23 Nov. 1922) it also took its present name of Eastern N. G.; and it subsequently underwent further boundary changes (27 Apr. 1927; 15 Apr. 1931).

The first missionaries of the Society of the Divine Word, led by the apostolic prefect E. Limbroche, reached the territory of German N. G. on 13 Aug. 1896, founding a station on Tumleo Island (now in the apostolic vicariate of Central N. G.). But they had been preceded by the Protestants, now very numerous, especially in the Morobe district, where only recently have Catholics been able to open the stations of Gumbi and Lae, delaying the founding of Catholic stations.

The vicariate has an area of 493,333 sq. km., with about 200,000 inhabitants of the Melanesian race, of whom 35,147 are Catholics and 28,051 catechumens. Foreign priests 40, brothers 14, sisters 17, catechists 448. Primary stations 32, secondary 389, churches 75, chapels 1451. Elementary schools 236, secondary 1, dispensaries 8, hospitals 1.

Saverio Paventi