First Arrival and Establishment of the Roman Catholic Church on Banaba (Ocean Island)
- Banaban Voice
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When Albert Ellis first arrived on Banaba (Ocean Island) in 1900, the island’s religious landscape was already shaped by Protestant influence. Many Banabans had converted to the American Missionary Society (A.M.S.), later known as the London Missionary Society. Faith was closely intertwined with leadership and community authority. During the Banabans’ first negotiations with Ellis, the Elders made a clear request: Catholic missionaries were not to be allowed onto the island. At that time, Protestantism held firm ground within the indigenous Banaban community.
A Changing Demographic
As phosphate mining expanded, the social fabric of Banaba began to change. When Banabans refused to work extensively for the mining operations, hundreds of indentured labourers were recruited from the Gilbert Islands. The majority of these Gilbertese workers were devout Roman Catholics. Their presence gradually shifted the religious balance on the island, creating demand for Catholic pastoral care.
In Confidential correspondence - Item 11, between Resident Commissioner Captain Dickson and Ellis reveals the colonial authorities’ initial resistance to establishing a permanent Catholic mission. In notes from their meeting in Suva dated 9 December 1909, it was recorded:
“Roman Catholics at O.I. – Cpt Dickson believes they should not establish a permanent mission on O.I.”
Yet by 22 December 1910, the situation had changed. In Confidential Letter No. 57 to the company’s Melbourne office, Ellis confirmed:
“Father Quorier – now established on O.I. with Banabans leasing him ground for church and house. Banabans have largely left Mr Channon's church, blaming him for working against them.”
The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Mission on Ocean Island
By late 1910, the Sacred Heart Mission had secured a permanent presence on Ocean Island. Father Quorier, of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC), was appointed to minister to the growing Catholic community, leasing land from Banabans for both a church and his residence. His arrival marked a pivotal moment in Banaba’s religious and social history, establishing Catholicism alongside the existing Protestant influence. While the mission primarily served the Gilbertese Catholic labourers and European company staff, it increasingly became entwined in broader social and political matters, highlighting the complex intersections of faith, land, and corporate authority.
The first place of Catholic worship was a grotto constructed from the island’s limestone rocks, called Fatima, in honour of the Immaculate Mother Mary. The grotto served the spiritual needs of the community until the 1930s, when Father Pujabet (1), who followed Father Quorier, rallied the whole community to build a proper church at Tabwewa. The new church featured stained glass windows imported from France, sponsored by families on the island. Remarkably, the church withstood the Japanese bombing of Banaba during World War II and continues to stand today, remaining a vibrant part of the island community nearly one hundred years later.
"From memory, the Roman Catholic Church was finished in the late 1930s. I went to the Island in 1936, and it was still being built some time after that. I remember Father Pujabet making requests to George Bridges [the Island's Manager] for materials". Interview with William (Bill) Marston (3), 2 June 1993, conducted by Stacey M. King, Melbourne, Australia.
Land, Power and Religious Influence
As described in Te Rii ni Banaba: Backbone of Banaba, the Pacific Phosphate Company (2), and colonial authorities initially sought to leverage the influence of Protestant missionary Mr Channon to persuade Banabans to relocate their village, thereby facilitating company operations at Home Bay. This effort backfired, with Banabans resenting Channon’s involvement. Ellis recorded the episode:
“The difficulty between Mr Channon (American Missionary Board Pastor) and the Banabans is that Captain Dickson, Resident Commissioner for the Gilbert and Ellice Island Colony, apparently asked the former to use his influence on the Ooma [Uma] natives with a view to getting them to shift to Puakonikai [Bukonakai]. Mr Channon agreed with the wisdom of Captain Dickson’s reasons for the removal of the village and had one or two talks with the natives, which they greatly resented. They blame him now for working against them, and of course this is playing into Father Quorier’s hands (a Catholic priest from Sacred Heart order).” (Ellis as cited in PPC Confidential Correspondence, BPC Archive held Australia Archives [Melbourne] No. 63, 25 February 1911, p. 3)
This episode reveals how religious authority was entangled with land negotiations and corporate expansion. The company had initially established operations at Tabwewa but later recognised that Home Bay offered superior shelter and access for shipping phosphate. Securing land there became strategically important. The attempt to use missionary influence to encourage relocation ultimately strengthened the Catholic mission rather than the Protestant one.
A Defining Moment in Banaba’s History
The establishment of the Sacred Heart Mission was more than a spiritual milestone. It reflected the profound transformations underway on Banaba — industrial expansion, imported labour, shifting power structures, and contested land. What began as a firm request by Banaban Elders in 1900 evolved into a permanent Catholic mission by 1910, shaped by politics, corporate interests, and faith. In this way, the story of the church’s arrival becomes inseparable from the broader history of mining, land, and resistance on Banaba.
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Father Pujabet the man responsible for the building of the Catholic Church that survived the Japanese bombing on Banaba and is still there today. Sadly, he was murdered by the Japanese during WWII when he refused to be evacuated and remained behind with his congregation.
The Pacific Phosphate Company (PPC) managed the phosphate mining operations on Banaba until 1919, when control was transferred to the British Phosphate Commission (BPC). The British, Australian, and New Zealand governments formed the BPC to jointly take over operations and manage phosphate resources.
WIlliam Bill Marston OBE, British Phosphate Commission (BPC) Manager, Melbourne and Australian Commissioner for the BPC.
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Get the Books!
To learn more about Banaba's history:
Te Rii ni Banaba: backbone of Banaba, Raobeia Ken Sigrah and Stacey M. King (2001: 2019)
A Pattern of Islands, Arthur Grimble
Return to the Islands, Arthur Grimble
Banaban Study Series:
Australia Banaba Relations: the price of shaping a nation, Stacey M. King
Essentially Being Banaban in a Changing World, Raobeia Ken Sigrah and Stacey M. King
Banaban Cultural Identity, Raobeia Ken Sigrah and Stacey M. King
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For more information:
Come Meet the Banaban: https://www.banaban.com
Banaban Vision Publications: https://www.banabanvision.com
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