Sandakan : Sandra Tilley sfo, the newly elected National Minister of the Secular Franciscan Order National Fraternity of Oceania  paid a courtesy call on Bishop Julius Dusin Gitom this afternoon 24th January 2011at the latter’s office.

The Secular Franciscan Order National Fraternity of Oceania includes six Regional Fraternities in Australia, one emerging fraternity in Papua New Guinea and one Regional Fraternity of Singapore/Sabah.

Currently there are six canonically established local fraternities in Sabah. They are
  • Fraternity of Sacred Heart, Kota Kinabalu
  • Fraternity of St Joseph, Papar
  • Fraternity of the Holy Rosary, Limbahau
  • Fraternity of St Francis Xavier, Keningau
  • Fraternity of St Mary, Sandakan
  • Fraternity of Our Lady of Fatima, Beluran
These six fraternities are sufficient to constitute a Regional Fraternity of Sabah in the future, separate from the Regional Fraternity of Singapore, which is also ready to be constituted separately.

Sandra, from Victoria, Australia arrived Kota Kinabalu Friday 21st January 2011 and had met up with the the Fraternities of St Joseph Papar and Holy Rosary Limbahau. She will be meeting the Fraternities of St Mary Sandakan and Our Lady of Fatima Beluran this evening. She leaves Sandakan tomorrow morning to Keningau to meet the Fraternity of St Francis Xavier Keningau.

The purpose of the meetings with all the local fraternities of the 3 arch/dioceses would be to discuss the election of a new Steering Committee who would have the responsibility of directing Sabah towards becoming a Regional Fraternity.




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