Posts Tagged ‘Martyrs of New Guinea’
Dying for Our Friend – Br. Jonathan Maury
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Br. Jonathan Maury
The Martyrs of New Guinea
Revelation 7:9-12
Psalm 126
Luke 12:4-12
On this day, the Church honors the Martyrs of New Guinea who gave witness to Christ by their deaths during the Japanese invasion and occupation of New Guinea in 1942 and 1943. 333 Papuans and clergy, teachers, and medical staff from a range of denominations, men and women, were killed by the invaders. These include nine Anglican missionaries and two Papuan martyrs who died while serving the material and spiritual needs of their friends in Christ.
When war in the Pacific began in 1941, civilian populations of European descent were evacuated from Australia’s island territories. Many Christians however voluntarily chose to continue in their ministries despite the danger. The Bishop of New Guinea exhorted his flock, writing, “If we all left, it would take years for the Church to recover from our betrayal of our trust. If we remain—and even if the worst came to the worst and we were all to perish in remaining—the Church would not perish, for there would have been no breach of trust in its walls, but its foundations and structure would have received added strength for the future building by our faithfulness unto death.”