Church of St. Paul, Bisuang

Churches & Chapels of St Augustine Parish Kinarut

CHURCH INFORMATION

Church of St. Paul, Bisuang

Date of Completion
2020
Location
Kg. Bisuang, Kaiduan
Area
334.5 m²
Population
120 People
Number of Catholics
118 people
Main Economic Activities
Fishing, Harvesting forest crop, Farming & cultivation, Animal & fish pond breeder

History of the Spread and Summary of the Development of the Catholic Religion in Kg. Bisuang

In 1957, Kg. Bisuang was visited by two (2) priests, the first priest being a Dutch citizen who was on duty in Limbahau named Rev. Fr. A. Putman and secondly, an English priest named Rev. Fr. A. G. Lampe who is on duty in Penampang. Fr. Putman arrived at Kg. Bisuang by walking through the downstream of Sungai Papar and accompanied by Kat. Komidis originated from Limbahau. After the visit of Fr. Putman, Kg. Bisuang was once again visited by a priest, Fr. A. G. Lampe. He was accompanied by Mr. John Manjakon from Kg. Labak. They walked
through the jungle trail, climb the hill and walk through the forest to arrive at Kg. Bisuang.

The visits from both priests were proved fruitful when some villagers were attracted by their missionary spirit and opened their hearts to accept the Catholic religion. However, at that time there was no Catechist or faith teacher that could guide them. But through one person, God’s will be done when Mr. Andrew Loinsang who resides in Kg. Labak embraced Catholicism. Praise the Lord! He is very diligent in visiting Kg. Bisuang to meet the villagers and persistently teach catechism to those who want to be baptized as Catholics. On April 20, 1958, a group of residents were baptized including the late Mr. Jasper Malating. He and his friends were the first people to embrace Catholicism in Kg. Bisuang.

After getting married, Mr. Jasper Malating often shuttles from Kg. Bisuang to Kg. Punson, his wife’s hometown. When he was at Kg. Punson, he took the opportunity to attend the Eucharistic Celebration at St. Augustine, Kinarut. However, back at Kg. Bisuang he felt sad and worried about the situation in the village because there was no place for spiritual activities to be carried out for newly baptized people. This situation encouraged him to look for ways to help Catholics in Kg. Bisuang to continue to grow in faith. With the guidance from the Holy Spirit, he wrote a letter to Rev. Fr. Lampe to ask for help to build a house of worship. His request was accepted and the Catholic community at Kg. Bisuang received donations in the form of building materials, consist of 20 pieces of zinc and nails to start construction work. They worked together to build a building and provide the equipment needed to carry out spiritual activities there.

Time has passed and the first building structure of St. Paul became obsolete. The late Jasper Mala ng made efforts to collect donations from benefactors to begin construction work. The building site was built on Bolukunon Hill, which is in the middle of the border between Bisuang and Barasanon.

This second church building was only used for a short me due to its un-ideal location, making it difficult for senior ci zens Catholics to get to the location of the church. Therefore, the position of the church was moved back to its original location and once again the Catholics of Kg. Bisuang collaborated to build a new church building.

In the 1980s, the growth of Catholics in Kg. Bisuang is increasing, and the church building that was used at that me could no longer accommodate the increased number of people. With that, once again Mr. Jasper Malating is looking for a new site for the fourth building. Around 1985, the newly built church building is located near to Sg. Papar. The building that was built this time is larger than the previous buildings, and this building can also be used for a longer time.

After more than 30 years of using the 4th church building, the church structure has become increasingly obsolete and has been repaired several times. Even so, the development of faith in Kg. Bisuang has never stop. Obviously spiritual activities in Kg. Bisuang is always progressing and it grows with the passage of me. To ensure Catholics in Kg. Bisuang can continue the evangelistic mission to guide other people and children who are beginning to know Christ, former Catechist Jasper Malating wishes to see a huge and stronger church building can be built so that the faithful can carry out spiritual activities more comfortably. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and without any qualms, he gave part of his land to be used as a new church site.

On the recommendation of Mr. Stephen Kuin and his wife, Mrs. Victoria Moinin, Bisuang C.C. ask for a donation of a new church building from a noble-hearted person, Datuk Victor Paul. The construction process went smoothly with all the hard work from Rev. Fr. Wilfred Atin as Rector of St. Michael, Penampang. In 2020, the new fifth building of St. Paul, Bisuang is completed.
There is no doubt that the role of the late Mr. Jasper Malating has been very large since the beginning of the spread of Catholicism in Kg. Bisuang which has started in the late 1950s. Although the late Mr. Jasper had gone before he could witness the blessing of the newly church building, his desire to see a huge and stronger church building had already become a reality, and his spirit of service as a true follower of Christ still lives among the people of Kg. Bisuang.