Camino de Borneo| St. Michael Ppang - Tenom| In the footsteps of Msgr. Wachter| 80th Anniversary|

Описание: Following the footsteps of Msgr. August Wachter - The Road of Martyrdom

This year, the Jubilee Year 2025, is also the 80th anniversary of the death of Msgr. August Wachter, the first Apostolic Prefect of North Borneo, and his companions.
We decided to make a pilgrimage to commemorate and follow the same route that Msgr. Wachter took — from Penampang to Tenom — the path that led to his martyrdom.

Day 1 - 7th November: Penampang – Papar – Limbahau – Kinuta

Our pilgrimage began at St. Michael’s Church, Penampang, the place where Msgr. Wachter was arrested. Then we drove to the Tanjung Aru Station to start our train journey. At 7:45 a.m., the train slowly departed south — along the same railway line that Msgr. once travelled.

Around 8:45 a.m., we reached Papar. After getting off, we visited St. Joseph’s Church, Papar.

After breakfast at a nearby coffee shop, we began our 4 km walk to Holy Rosary Church, Limbahau.
We reached Holy Rosary Church around 11:00 a.m., then continued walking 5 km toward St. Patrick’s Church, Kinuta.

Behind the Holy Rosary Church, we crossed a long suspension bridge over the Papar River — the same river where the missionaries once rowed upstream and discovered the hill of Kinuta. A short distance later, we passed a Sacred Heart Chapel. Although it was built after World War II, it stood right along our route and we visited the chapel.

In the distance, we finally saw St. Patrick’s Church standing beautifully on a hill beside the Papar River. We reached at the arch entrance, it written: “St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Kinuta (The Oldest Catholic Mission in North Borneo, Sabah 1881)”
The church still keeps a confession partition built in 1902 and has a small gallery displaying historical records.

Then we continued our final 9 km walk to our accommodation. For anyone planning to walk this pilgrimage route, taking a Grab or Maxim ride from Kinuta to the lodging is recommended.

Day 2 - 8th November: Papar – Beaufort – Tenom

The next morning, we took the 8:30 a.m. train from Papar to Beaufort.

As the train approached Membakut Station, we saw St. Patrick’s Church standing quietly beside the railway. Unfortunately, the train stopped only briefly, and we couldn’t get down to visit.

We arrived in Beaufort around 10:00 a.m. The next train to Tenom was scheduled for 1:30 p.m., so we walked to St. Valentine’s Church, where Msgr. Wachter once celebrated his last Mass before continuing his journey to Tenom.

Then we had lunch and waited for the afternoon train.
At 1:30 p.m., passengers began boarding and soon it was full. The train from Beaufort to Tenom had no air conditioning.

The train followed along the Padas River toward the upstream direction. Through the open windows, we saw the changing scenery — rushing rapids, calm waters, and dry riverbeds scattered with great boulders. We leaned out to feel the fresh wind and kept taking photos and videos from the moment the train started until we reached Tenom.

After checked in at our lodging, we walked about 1 km to St. Anthony’s Church for the Sunset Mass. This was the first parish in Sabah to set up a memorial for Msgr. Wachter.

Day 3: Tenom – Beaufort – Kota Kinabalu

On the third morning, at 6:00 a.m., we went to the Tenom Market food court for breakfast — famous Hakka stuffed tofu, spring rolls, and meatballs. After that, we took the 7:30 a.m. train back to Beaufort, and then transferred to the train bound for Kota Kinabalu.