CHURCH OF THE PROVINCE OF MELANESIA

'The Church of the Province of Melanesia', usually called the Church of Melanesia or COM, is the Anglican Province in the Melanesian countries of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. It was established by Bishop George Augustus Selwyn in 1849, and was initially headed by a bishop of Melanesia.
One of the important features of the province's life over many years has been the work of a mission vessel in various incarnations known as the ''Southern Cross''.
First based in New Zealand, the missionaries, mainly from Oxbridge and the public schools, established their base on Norfolk Island, bringing Melanesian scholars there to learn Christianity until the school was closed in 1918.
The many languages in Melanesia made evangelisation a challenge. The Melanesian Mission adopted the language of the island of Mota in the Banks group of islands as the lingua franca.
The Church of Melanesia is known for its pioneer martyrs, especially Bishop John Coleridge Patteson, murdered in 1871, Charles Godden, killed in 1906, among several others.
The Mothers' Union is quite active, as are the four religious communities active in the province, the Melanesian Brotherhood, the Society of Saint Francis, the Community of the Sisters of the Church, and the Community of the Sisters of Melanesia. The province has its own liturgical customs and a Calendar of saints (Church of the Province of Melanesia)

Contents

External links

External links

★ Official provincial website

★ A large group of documents on Anglican history in Oceania