Fr Bogdan Skupien: I always wanted to be a missionary

By Debra Vermeer

Fr Bogdan Skupien dreamed of being a missionary priest from when he was a young boy and, through the grace of God, his dream became reality, leading him first to assignments in Papua New Guinea and now, the Diocese of Broken Bay.

Born and raised in Poland, Fr Bogdan grew up in a country village and entered the seminary straight after school .

He was ordained to the priesthood in 2001 and served as assistant priest in Poland until 2004, when he asked his bishop if he could become a missionary. “As a priest, I wanted to be a missionary, ” he says. “And as a missionary, I wanted to go to PNG.” That desire had been sparked by an earlier encounter with a priest who had served in PNG.

“When I was a child, about 12 years old, I met a priest who worked in PNG. He made a big impact on me and after that, I had the dream to go to PNG.” His bishop agreed to send Fr Bogdan to PNG, but first he studied at a Mission Centre in Poland for a year, to prepare him, including one year of English language lessons. This was followed by six months of study in Washington DC.

He arrived in PNG on 9 February, 2006 and was assigned to Mendi in the Southern Highlands Province.

“In the beginning, I was in charge of three parishes, which incorporated 48 stations,” Fr Bogdan says.

“From one main station to another main station was three hours by car.” After being there for a while, Fr Bogdan decided to build a new parish at Kuare “to get closer to the people”.

He and the community worked together to build a parish house, a church, a primary school and a pre-school. And it was a hands-on kind of a job.

“My bishop supported me in what I was doing and gave me a sawmill to cut the timber that had been cut down in the bush,” he says.

“People gave the timber and their labour and we all worked together. I always say that you can do something for people or something with people. And if you do something with people, it is much easier and everyone feels a sense of ownership in the project.”

Fr Bogdan says that as a priest or missionary there are three main priorities.

“Every parish is different,” he says. “This parish is very multicultural and there are a lot of young people and children.

“The first is evangelisation, or pastoral work. That is our main work,” he says. “At the same time, you need to provide opportunities for education, because learning to read and write is a tool that the people can then use to take up a Bible and read it for themselves and deepen their faith and progress in life.

“And finally, health. The people are so poor in these areas of PNG. They had one nurse. So, assisting with their health needs is crucial.”

Transport was a challenge for Fr Bogdan, with a lack of local roads. “From my main station, I had to walk quite a distance to see people in out stations. The longest walk I had was four or five hours each way,” he says. “I would listen to confessions, celebrate Mass, talk to them about everything that was on their mind and then stay there overnight and move on the next morning.”

Being with the people like this was the highlight of Fr Bogdan’s experience in PNG. “To be with the people was what I loved the most,” he says. “The people are so open and friendly. They can teach you a lot. And their faith is really strong. They really trust, they breathe with God.” F

ollowing his time in the Highlands, Fr Bogdan was assigned to the parish on Kar Kar Island, a small piece of natural paradise off the mainland. “Anywhere you are on the island, the ocean is always no more than 12 or 15 metres away,” he says. “But the people are still poor and while I was there, we built a new church and a new hospital.” It was hard, but satisfying work, which Fr Bogdan says brought him much joy.

“You see the fruits of your work in that kind of situation,” he says. “You are priest, carpenter, school manager, and so on. You build a classroom and then you see hundreds of children who are happy. It really gives you joy.”

Needing to attend to visa requirements and feeling in need of a break, Fr Bogdan came to Australia and while he was here, he talked to the then Bishop of Broken Bay, Peter A Comensoli and Fr David Ranson about the possibility of serving in Broken Bay. Arriving in 2018, his first assignment was at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Terrigal, followed by a period at The Lakes Parish and now he is assistant priest at Epping and Carlingford.

He says life is certainly different here than in PNG, but again, it is the people who bring him joy.

“It’s different here,” he says. “Not worse, not better, just different.”

He enjoys meeting parishioners, whether it is at church or when he visits nursing homes, hospitals or schools.

“What I really love about Australia is that the people are so open and friendly. They are also helpful and generous.”

Fr Bogdan paid tribute to Fr Robert Borg and the people of The Lakes Parish who helped send medical equipment to Divine Word University in Madang and provide the means to build a double classroom for Primary School in Mendi Diocese.

Both in Terrigal and The Lakes, parishioners showed their generosity by helping Fr Bogdan provide assistance for the people back in PNG.

“People have been so generous. And what they have done really makes a difference to the people in PNG,” he said.

work. That is our main work,” he says. “At the same time, you need to provide opportunities for education, because learning to read and write is a tool that the people can then use to take up a Bible and read it for themselves and deepen their faith and progress in life.

“You see the fruits of your work in that kind of situation,” he says. “You are priest, carpenter, school manager, and so on. You build a classroom and then you see hundreds of children who are happy. It really gives you joy.”