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History of Catholicism Growth in the Parish of St. Augustine, Kinarut

THE SPREAD AND GROWTH OF CATHOLICISM IN KINARUT
FROM 1921 TO 1991

The spread of Catholicism in Kinarut began as early as the 1920s at Kg. Binulang, Tampasak. It began when a native Kadazan man from the village by the name Mr. Tobias Majalang converted into Catholicism. The late Mr. Tobias Majalang, who was the first to become a Catholic, was responsible for introducing and spreading the religion to the people of his village. He learned about Catholicism during his studying in St. Michael School in Penampang from 1917 to 1920. He saw how Catholicism had spread there and this had attracted and impressed him, to the point where he and some of his friends decided to convert into the religion themselves.

Through his baptism, he had become the first in his village to become a Catholic. After completing his studies in 1920 he returned to his village and was made Head of Village by the British North Borneo Government of the time. Through his position as a village leader, Mr. Tobias incorporated elements of religion into his leadership style upon his fellow villagers, who mostly still believed in ancient rites and rituals passed down from their ancestors. It was a challenge for Mr. Tobias during that time to spread the Word, as the Catholicisim was viewed as a “western religion’. It was through patience, perseverance and sincerity, and helped on by his friend Mr. Nicholas Ondu, that their efforts were rewarded as they were able to plant the seeds of the Catholic faith within the hearts of the villagers and as many as 21 people were received into the Catholic Church.

MY HOUSE, THE HOUSE OF THE HOLY FAITH

The first 21 Catholics in Mukim Kinarut were the first seeds that produced many more followers of Christ. With the spirit of service Mr. Tobias, he made his own house a place of worship due to the absence of a Catholic church in the Kinarut area. Priests like Monsignor Wachther and Rev. Fr. A. G. Campe often visited his residence to celebrate Holy Mass.

YEAR 1941 TO 1946

The early 1940s was a me of great change when World War II broke out. This situa on changed the pattern of human life and missionary activities were also disrupted. Many priests were arrested and driven out of Sabah. Newly planted seeds of faith began disappearing. There were also those who returned to their original beliefs.

YEARS 1946 TO 1947

At the end of the war Christian missionary activities were able to resume. The first priest who came to visit the Kinarut area during this me was a Mill Hill priest by the name of Rev. Fr. Lampe, who was accompanied by Mr. John Taylor from Penampang. Among the first houses visited was the residence of Mr. John Manjakon in Kg. Labak. They then moved to Pekan Kinarut and settled temporarily in Kg. Kinuta, Papar at the residence of Mr. Fred Sinidol. An effort was made to find land for the purpose of building a special residence for priests to facilitate visits everytime a priest came to visit the Kinarut area. Finally, a piece of land was obtained in Kg. Dompison and a small house was built for the priests to live in. Soon after, a building was built to house a missionary school and to celebrate Holy Mass on Sundays.

YEAR 1947 TO 1966

The spread Catholicism began again after the end of World War II. Students at the newly built mission school (which was named St. Augustine Kinarut) learned about the Catechism of the Catholic Church and received the Sacrament of Baptism. The number of Catholics in Kinarut increased as more and more people were baptized. The year 1955 was a year of renewal for the development of Catholicism in Kinarut. The Legion of Mary (LOM) prayer group was established under the patronage of Rev. Fr. Cowan and Mr. John Manjakon was elected as its Chairman. This group was responsible for continuing the mission of spreading and teaching the Catholic religion in the area around Kinarut. Mr. Andrew Loinsang was appointed as Catechist in 1964 and together with the LOM Group, they introduced the Catholic way of life to those who still held on to their ancestral beliefs. This effort paid off when the number of baptized people continued to increase. In 1966, the Legion of Mary was disbanded and replaced by the Parish Council (Majlis Paroki) the following year and continued the mission of spreading the Catholic religion.

YEAR 1967 TO 1991

In 1973, St. Augustine Kinarut was no longer able to continue its function as a school due to a lack of students. However, this school building is still useful and has since been modified into a Church. In 1970, Catechist Fredoline Norin was appointed fulltime Catechist and he taught the Catholic catechism to the people who wanted to be baptized and receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion. In 1990, there was a significant increase in the number of catechism students who wanted to become followers of Christ. In response, under the guidance of Kat. Fredoline Norin, the number of catechism teachers was also increased. During this time many were baptized, from children to adults. It was estimated that in that year almost as many as 1,000 people have embraced the Catholic faith.