Blessed Sacrament Labuan

Our history begins here.

At midnight on 12 March 1857, with all the supplies loaded on the Martiri, the whole party comprising Monsignors Cuarteron and Reina, Frs Riva, Borgazzi, Raimondi, the catechist Tachinni, the neophyte Puarer from Woodlark, two small boy servants, and a crew of ten, set off from Manila Bay with the two tenders Refugium Peccatorum and Consolatrix Afflictorum, destined for Labuan. They seemed certain to celebrate Easter on 12 April in their new mission. Unfortunately, caught by a sudden and violent storm just off Mindoro, one of the vessels was damaged, and the flotilla was forced to call at Panay to do repairs on the vessel. Delayed further by poor winds, the party spent Easter at sea, and did not arrive at Port Victoria in Labuan until midday on 14 April 1857.

But arrived finally they did, at the base of their new mission, nearly two years after their appointment, after long and anxious planning, annoying delays and obstacles. Once in Labuan the hand of providence seemed more visible. Initial but important achievements followed one after another in quick succession.

On 15 April 1857, the newly arrived missionaries at Labuan presented themselves to the relevant authorities and were warmly received by Governor Edwardes who pledged his government’s help and protection. Translating good will into action, the British government granted land for the building of a church, a school, and some farming to upkeep scholars. Having obtained formal acceptance of the Mission by the British, Msgr Cuarteron officially established the Mission on the 16 April 1857.

On the first Sunday the 19th April, the first Mass was celebrated attended by a handful of very mixed residents – a Dutch woman who wanted her child baptised, a Filipina married to a British Protestant and her children, a Sepoy (Indian) soldier stationed in Labuan whose friend wanted to be a Catholic, and a number of Filipino slaves who had escaped from their lords.

The Milanese Missionaries left for good in 1860, leaving Msgr Cuarteron to toil alone in Labuan from 1861 to 1879. He left Labuan on 30 July 1879 for Rome where he resigned from his post as Prefect Apostolic, went home to Cadiz, and died there on 12 March 1880.

Rome entrusted the Mission to the Mill Hill Missionaries in 1880 with Msgr Thomas Jackson, Frs Edmund Dunn, Aloysius  Goossens and Daniel Kilty as the pioneers.  It was from these missionaries that the seed of the faith grew, developed and spread to other parts of Borneo, notably North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak.

The first church was built in 1932 by Fr Stotter.  It was extended by Fr Dassen in 1963/64.  The present church was built in 1970-1971 by Fr Aloysius Tung.  It was renovated by Fr Jan van der Salm in 1986.  The side chapel was built in 2001-2002.  The first rectory, built in the 1930s, was demolished in 1998.  The new rectory was completed in 2001 and blessed by Bp John Lee on 14 Apr 2002.

Labuan celebrated 150 years of Catholicism in 2007, with a rediscovery of the fundamental role played by Msgr Cuarteron in its history.  The present parish hall is named after him.