Pilgrimage Sites of Saint Peter To Rot
1. Shrine with the relics and cemetery
Rakunai
Rakunai Shrine
The shrine of Saint Peter To Rot also known as the Saint Peter To Rot Memorial Church (mistakenly called a “basilica”) is located in Rakunai, the village where St Peter To Rot was born, lived, and was buried. Without a doubt, this sanctuary is the main pilgrimage site because the mortal remains of the saint are found here.
Its history dates back to the original church of the village, built with branches and jungle materials around 1898. The land on which the sanctuary stands was donated to the missionaries by Angelo To Puia, father of Peter To Rot. Prior to the war, there was a smaller church that To Rot helped maintain.
The construction of the sanctuary began in 1993, when To Rot’s martyrdom was officially recognised, meaning that his forthcoming beatification was assured. It was officially consecrated and inaugurated by the then Archbishop of Rabaul, Karl Hesse, MSC, on July 7, 1995, the day on which the liturgical memorial of the martyr, beatified a few months earlier on January 17 of that same year, was celebrated for the first time.
The Memorial Chapel of the Remains
This small chapel is located behind the main church and houses the urn containing the saint’s mortal remains. The urn is a simple wooden box placed under the altar and protected by a glass, on a base of white and beige tiles with diamond patterns.
The Cemetery
The Rakunai cemetery was established by Father Carl Laufer, MSC, parish priest of Rakunai during the time of Peter To Rot. It is located less than three hundred meters from the sanctuary. The cemetery has an altar that the then parish priest ordered to be built beneath a large crucifix, indicating the place where he himself wished to be buried: next to the altar and under the cross. However, upon learning of To Rot’s death, the people of Rakunai decided that the remains of the martyr catechist should rest in that place of honour. At that moment, Father Carl was imprisoned and could not be consulted. Even so, knowing the good heart of their parish priest and the deep friendship and esteem he felt for To Rot, they judged that he would gladly accept giving up that privileged place to his friend.
2. Place of birth
Rakunai
This is the spot where, according to the tradition, Maria Ia Tumul gave birth to Peter To Rot. A recently built altar commemorates the site.
3. Place of martyrdom
Vunaiara
This is the place where Peter To Rot was imprisoned and where he died. Today, there is a monument in memory of him and the other prisoners.
There, a Japanese concentration camp or prison operated (known as Vunaiara Concentration Camp, Vunaiara Police Concentration Camp, or Vunaiara Japanese Police Station), which were actually caves and tunnels used as cells. You should not imagine the To Rot prison as a jail like the ones we know today, made of cement and with steel bars, but rather as a place in the middle of the jungle, where prisoners lived in tunnels, caves, or small rooms made with jungle materials.
4. Catechist Training College
Taliligap
Taliligap is the place where the St Paul’s Catechist Training College was located, the training college which Peter To Rot attended from 1930 to 1933.
This school was established in 1925 by the then archbishop of Rabaul, Gerhard Vesters, MSC.
Currently, there is practically nothing to see, everything was destroyed. The only thing that has remained are some cement foundations by the roadside, where the school is believed to have been located.
5. Place of arrival of the first missionaries (1882)
Matupit
Although it is not strictly related to St Peter To Rot, it is fair to mention the village of Matupit, which was the first to receive the Good News of the Gospel. It was here that on the 29 September 1882 the first three catholic missionaries MSC disembarked. It had taken them three months to arrive from Europe.
Although today on the 29 September we celebrate the feast day of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, we know that before the liturgical reform, this day was reserved for the Archangel Michael alone, while Gabriel had his feast in March and Raphael in October. And so it was that St Michael the Archangel became the patron of Papua New Guinea, and his feast is celebrated as a solemnity every 29 of September.
Currently in Matupit there is a church dedicated to St Michael the Archangel which can be visited throughout the year.
6. Co-Cathedral
Rabaul
In Rabaul, one will find the Co-Cathedral of St Francis Xavier. It is one of the most important churches in the province of East New Britain. It is located in the Kuragaga area, in Rabaul town, on Malaguna Road. Why is it called a “Co-Cathedral”? Because it was the cathedral of the archdiocese until 1994, when a volcanic eruption destroyed the city of Rabaul, and it was decided to move the cathedral to Vunapope, where it is currently located.
The Archdiocese of Rabaul, then, has two episcopal sees: the main cathedral is the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Vunapope, and the Co-Cathedral is St Francis Xavier.
It is located about thirty kilometres from Vunapope, and it takes just under an hour to get there by vehicle because the road is not in good condition. From Rakunai it is even closer: just about twelve kilometres, and approximately twenty or thirty minutes by vehicle.
The original church was built around 1927. During World War II, Rabaul was heavily bombed by the Allies, and the original cathedral was destroyed. The current one was rebuilt and dedicated in 1965. It is very easy to visit, as it is located in the city center, and near other tourist spots such as the market, Tavurvur volcano, and the Japanese tunnels.
The architecture is quite simple and functional, typical of many churches rebuilt in the Pacific after World War II. It is not a grandiose building, but rather, it meets the practical needs of the area: tropical climate, limited resources, and post-war reconstruction.
7. Cathedral and Archdiocese headquarters
Vunapope
Vunapope is the historical and spiritual heart of Catholicism in Papua New Guinea, especially in the New Britain region. It is a large Catholic missionary complex located near Kokopo, about thirty kilometres south of Rabaul. It is the main center of the Archdiocese of Rabaul and in much of the country it is considered the “cradle of evangelisation”.
A bit of history: the original name of the place was Mioko or Kininigunan. In 1895, Bishop Louis André Couppé, MSC, renamed it Vunapope (in Tolai: vuna = place or house; and Pope = Pope), as a tribute to Pope Leo XIII who supported the missions and entrusted the MSC with the evangelisation of the area.
Under Louis Couppé (apostolic vicar from 1889 to 1923), an ambitious plan was developed: to transform the Tolai into an autonomous Christian community, with education, agriculture, and the training of local leaders. And to achieve this, they built schools (elementary, vocational, and for catechists), trade workshops (carpentry, mechanics, etc.), model farms (for copra [dried coconut meat], coconuts, and self-sufficiency), homes for boys and girls, and a great etcetera. Vunapope was, literally, a self-sufficient city.
In the German colonial era (up to 1914), there were dozens of MSC priests, brothers, European and local sisters (including the native FMI sisters, founded by Couppé himself in Vunapope).
During World War II, the area was occupied by the Japanese and Vunapope served as a base, but it resisted and survived.
Here you will find the Sacred Heart Cathedral. The current building is modern because the previous one was destroyed by the Allies in one of the many bombings. The old building was truly majestic. The current one, on the other hand, has a tropical design: it is shaped like a sea snail, with a high ceiling for ventilation, a structure resistant to volcanoes and ash, and elements such as stained glass windows, a central altar, and spacious areas for Tolai liturgical dances.
Currently, Vunapope is a huge complex: it houses the cathedral, the archdiocesan offices, several convents, schools, a hospital, a house for priests, a cemetery, a bookshop, a radio station, sports fields, and a center for meetings of priests and laypeople.
If Rabaul is more of an urban and historical war center, Vunapope is the Tolai Catholic soul: this is where it all began. It is much more than a church. It is a complete mission city, with more than one hundred and thirty years of history.
8. Prison camp for priests and religious
Ramale
Ramale was the main Japanese detention camp for European and Western civilians during the Japanese occupation. During the war, about three hundred people from seventeen different nationalities were imprisoned.
The Japanese took them to this valley in June 1944. At first, they were imprisoned in Vunapope, but due to the bombings, the Japanese decided that it was best to send the foreigners to Ramale. There they were kept in a dense jungle valley under very harsh conditions: hunger, diseases like malaria or dysentery, forced labour, and isolation.
Without a doubt, it is worth dedicating two or three hours to visit the place. And when visiting it, it is necessary to keep in mind that fifty-eight missionaries died there: twenty-three priests, seventeen brothers, nine European sisters, and nine native sisters. Of the fifty-eight missionaries who lost their lives, twenty-one were murdered by the Japanese, while the rest died from tropical diseases or malnutrition.
It is therefore a place of prayer and reflection.