Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam
Encyclopedia
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
and headed by an apostolic vicar, currently Bishop Cornelius Sim.
History
The present Catholic community in the country finds its roots in the ministry of the Missionary Society of St. Joseph (Mill Hill MissionariesMill Hill Missionaries
Mill Hill Missionaries is a society of Catholic missionaries founded in 1866.-External links:* * * http://www.vocationsireland.com/missionpriests/millhill.html...
). Throughout the years, the local Church was administered by various ecclesiastical jurisdictions centred in Labuan
Labuan
Labuan is a federal territory in East Malaysia. It is an island off the coast of the state of Sabah. Labuan's capital is Victoria and is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as being an offshore support...
, Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
), Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
and Miri
Miri
Miri is a city in northern Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It is the second largest city in Sarawak, with a population of about 300,000, and the government administrative centre of Miri District in Miri Division....
, cities in neighbouring Malaysia.
The separation of Bruneian territory formerly under the Diocese of Miri-Brunei (now simply known as the Diocese of Miri) created a distinct Bruneian Church. This separated territory was designated as an apostolic prefecture in November 1997, to be headed by then Msgr. Cornelius Sim (who was the Vicar General
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of Miri-Brunei, and a Bruneian priest) as its first apostolic prefect. On 22 February 1998, the Apostolic Prefecture of Brunei Darussalam came into being with the proclamation of the papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
to the faithful and the installation of the apostolic prefect. On 20 October 2004, less than seven years after it was formed, the apostolic prefecture was elevated to an apostolic vicariate
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
. Msgr. Sim was appointed the first apostolic vicar, carrying the dignity of a titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
: his episcopal ordination took place in January 2005.
Administration
The vicariate does not operate a distinct chanceryDiocesan chancery
A diocesan chancery is the branch of administration which handles all written documents used in the official government of a Roman Catholic or Anglican diocese....
, nor does it have a designated cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
. However, one of the parishes, the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, unofficially hosts both functions, as it is the residence and office of the bishop, and is the most populous parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the vicariate.
There is no official priests' council, although the clergy do hold meetings occasionally.
The vicariate is administered pastorally through commissions responsible for liturgy, catechetics, finance, education, the youth, evangelisation, family life, migrant welfare, the Bible apostolate and social communications. The commissions are directed by appointed clergy, and see representation from the parishes. The role of these commissions are to foster a more aligned vision and direction among the parishes in the various aspects of Church life.
Parishes
It is estimated that there are around 21,000 Roman Catholics in Brunei. The majority are expatriate Filipinos; others are Chinese, South Asian or indigenous people.The Vicariate consists of 3 parishes, all located in major towns. The parishes are:
- Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Bandar Seri BegawanBandar Seri BegawanBandar Seri Begawan, with an estimated population 140,000 , is the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Brunei...
- Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception in SeriaSeriaSeria is a town in the Belait District of Brunei Darussalam. Its full name is Pekan Seria in full . Seria was originally known as Padang Berawa which is Wild Pigeon's Field in Malay. The name "Seria" comes from the river located very near where oil was first discovered in the area in 1929...
- St. John's Church in Kuala BelaitKuala BelaitThis article refers to the town of Kuala Belait. For the mukim of the same name, please refer to Kuala Belait, Belait. For district, please see Belait district.Kuala Belait |Jawi]]: )is a town located in South-West of Brunei...
There is also a Roman Catholic community in the remote district of Temburong
Temburong District
Temburong is the eastern-most district in Brunei. It is an exclave, as it is separated from the rest of Brunei by Malaysia and Brunei Bay. Its capital is Bangar. The main town located in the district is Pekan Bangar.-Geography:...
, although there is as yet no parish established there. There are four diocesan priests, which includes the bishop, himself a parish priest.
Social Ministry
Part of its social ministry is Bethany House, a home for senior citizens which was built, paid for and operated by the vicariate.The Society of St Vincent de Paul is also active in 2 parishes of the vicariate, where they gather monetary and physical aid and distribute to those in need.
Education
There are 3 schools under the ownership and management of the vicariate, all providing elementary and high school education. All the schools are coeducational.- St. George's SchoolSt. George's School, BruneiSt George's School is a Catholic school in Brunei. It grew from classes held in rented house by Fr. Piet de Wit, a resident priest. The first building for the school was constructed in 1941, at Kumbang Pasang, on land donated by Mr. George Ah Foott. After World War II the school was named "St....
in Bandar Seri BegawanBandar Seri BegawanBandar Seri Begawan, with an estimated population 140,000 , is the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Brunei... - St. John's School in Kuala BelaitKuala BelaitThis article refers to the town of Kuala Belait. For the mukim of the same name, please refer to Kuala Belait, Belait. For district, please see Belait district.Kuala Belait |Jawi]]: )is a town located in South-West of Brunei...
- St. Angela's Convent School
The schools are not subsidised or aided by the government, and thus run on a full fee-paying basis.
As the government does not allow catechism lessons during school hours or within school premises, Sunday (and Friday) school is conducted for this purpose.