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Quentin
Kirwan
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Sister spent seventeen years in Fatima, a small village in the Torrecelli Mountains. She worked in the mission school during the week and travelled between 28 mountain villages on foot at weekends to initiate bush schools in the more remote areas, teach rudimentary religious education programmes, take sewing classes with the village women and listen to the many stories which gave valuable insights into spirituality, culture and the problems of the daily lives of the people. There were no roads and no electricity so sister slept on the floor in simple huts made of bush materials provided by the grateful villagers. In some places she was the first white woman to visit.
In 1969 Sr M Quentin began visiting remote stations on the Sepik River, which meant travelling by light aircraft, along unsealed roads in all kinds of weather and in a dugout canoe with a small outboard motor through the crocodile infested waters.
In addition to the Sepik River patrols a further challenge was offered
to sister in 1980. Father Salvator Dougherty ofm invited her to join
him in the administration of Saint Martins’ Diocesan Training
Centre which offered pastoral training courses for parishioners with
leadership potential. The courses which Sr M Quentin helped to write
and teach were especially designed to prepare lay men and women for the
various ministries in the church and the community. Catechists, Prayer
Leaders, Liturgists, Court Magistrates, Ministers of Burial, Ministers
of the Sick, Ministers of the Eucharist and couples to teach Family Planning
received the skills needed to support their people in remote situations
where priests visited regularly but were not resident. “The laity
were extremely vibrant and enthusiastic … keen to be active members
of the Church,” sister says, “so that over the years we witnessed
the Church grow from virtually nothing to a strong community.”
Displaying a true spirit of mission she continues, “Once things were established
we took a back seat and were just there in a supportive role. The staff at St
Martin’s was gradually nationalized. This was very rewarding.” Sister’s
sincere appreciation of the people is evidenced in her often repeated statement, “The
Papua New Guineans are beautiful people – friendly, simple, always with
a smile or a laugh despite their harsh living conditions.”
Therefore after 34 years in Papua New Guinea Sr M Quentin returned to Australia where she carried out a pastoral ministry in the parishes of Rockonia in the city of Rockhampton and in Fitzroy Crossing in the Northern Territory. “Going to New Guinea was everything I had wanted. It was the most wonderful thing that could ever have happened, but by 1992 I was ready to return to Australia because I felt that physically I could no longer do what I felt needed to be done,” she said.
It is difficult to describe her joy when she was invited to return to Aitape to celebrate with the sisters there the 50 years of ministry by our sisters in Papua New Guinea. On her return, Sister wrote with appreciation and enthusiasm about the developments she had observed and was overjoyed at having the opportunity to be present at the Final Profession of one of our national sisters, Sister Lorna Kawa. The journey through remote villages for that occasion recalled so much of what had been part of her life before. She met old friends and found that village life had not changed all that much. The dancing, singing and the symbolic gift of a daughter of the clan to our religious family was all very moving and deeply reassuring that the mission of the sisters had, with God’s grace, truly borne fruit in the hearts of those people.
Still enthusiastic about her pastoral work Sr M Quentin says she is continually challenged and rewarded in her vocation and considers her life to have been truly blessed. There is no doubt at all that, given half the chance, she would gladly do it all again.
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