By Fr Ted Miller
Well known missionaries Michael and Patricia Whitely (nee Miller) have recently celebrated 60 years of marriage.
With several years of experience working in Church organisations, the two families hail from two long time, big West Australian families of Wandering and Fremantle
It was around 1960 and prior to meeting Michael, that Pat answered then Broome Bishop John Jobst’s appeal in The Record for a lay missionary, working for three months at St Joseph’s Pallotine hostel in Derby.
Fr Myles McKeon, then of Catholic Mission and before he became Bishop of Bunbury, sent Pat to St Francis Xavier Mission in Wandering, 120km south-east of Perth.
An ecclesiastic tussle ensued with Bishop Jobst visited the Pallotine Mission in Wandering and pleaded for Pat to go to La Grange Mission in the Kimberley.
“I realised the children at Wandering had become like family and decided that was my mission.” Pat said.
A local farming family, being the Whitely family, regularly came to the mission for Sunday Mass and friendships developed into particular romance.
When the relationship of Michael and Patricia became more serious, Pat realised she needed to earn some money.
For short-term employment, she chose the Morrissey family sheep station in the outback of Yalgoo, east of Geraldton.
Each morning, her wake up cup of tea was delivered on the verandah, the best place for a cooler night’s sleep, by a barefoot boy – who is the now Bishop Michael Morrissey of Geraldton.
Pallotine Fr John Lummen celebrated Michael and Patricia’s Nuptial Mass at St Patrick’s Basilica in Fremantle on 17 October 1964,
“A few years later, Fr Lummen alerted us to a manager’s position for Michael at Wandering Mission,” Pat recalled.
“We stayed for 10 years, until the mission closed. Our family had expanded.”
Also, Pat was so happy that her father’s faithful bread cart horse found a lush retirement paddock at Wandering.
For new employment suitable to Michael’s farming experience, they moved to the Christian Brothers’ Keaney Agricultural College, Bindoon for three years and then to New Norcia for six years.
Pat became Mass cantor for 35 years and helped at the museum and art gallery at New Norcia, where the children were schooled. Michael became a special minister of the Eucharist and 10 years later an acolyte.
Their seven children joined the celebration at Chittering, including two from interstate.
They also have 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
“We are extremely grateful for the support received from priests, sisters and parishioners in our work and ministries.” Michael and Patricia concluded.