Christmas in the bush

A few days before Christmas I had a late night visitor, a catechist who traveled a long distance to come to Mendi.  He had a simple request.  He wanted me to send a priest to his remote community (named Imane) to celebrate Christmas mass.  In the course of our discussion he told me that there had not be a priest to celebrate any mass (not just Christmas mass) in this area for over three years.  My heart was moved with his passionate plea but also frustrated because I knew that there would be no priests free on Christmas day.  In fact, we still have several parishes in the diocese that do not have priests in them.  Then I got an idea (perhaps I should say an inspiration!).  I was to celebrated the Vigil Mass of Christmas on the 24th and then go to celebrate Christmas Day Mass in one of the outstations of the cathedral...  But, it just so happened that Father John Pfannenstiel, OFM Cap., the Mission Director of the Capuchin Province of Saint Augustine based in Pittsburgh, PA was visiting Mendi.  So, as it turned out, I asked him to celebrate the Mass that I was scheduled for and then I would be free to go to Imane to celebrate the first mass in three years.  (Fr John enthusiastically agreed to the proposal.  He celebrated much of the mass in Pidgin English and Brother Ray Ronan, OFM Cap., translated Fr John's homily given in English so that the people could understand it better.)

I set out very early Christmas morning.  My two guides Markson and Lukson were waiting for me on the road about an hour into the journey.  We drove for about another hour over very bad roads until we could not drive any further.  We left the car at a Health Aid Post run by the diocese and then began the rest of our journey on foot.

The natural beauty in Papua New Guinea is breathtaking and as we began our descent down the side of a rather steep mountain I was again not disappointed.  On the other side of the valley was a magnificent waterfall.  I wanted to just stand there and take it in... but my faithful guides knew that their community was waiting for us near the top of another mountain.

As we continued our descent Markson told me that we had to cross the river over a rope bridge.  When we turned one of the many scissor-back turns I saw what he was referring to.  While I was trying not to think about cross it - the two brothers told me that they have to carry all of their supplies and materials over this bridge; they also carry, 50 lb coffee bags, coffin boxes and live pigs.  Not only that, they have to carry women about to deliver their babies and other sick people to the closest Heath Aid Post.

I must confess that I was a bit frightened.  Markson went first and showed me how I should take the steps and how I needed to crouch down in the middle of the bridge because the hand-ropes were lower there.  Lukson walked behind to give me words of encouragement.  I found that I had to look straight ahead, because looking down at the rushing water gave the impression that the bridge was swaying and made me a bit dizzy.  In my younger days, I probably would have said that it was fun.  Suffice it to say that it was exciting!

When I got my legs to stop wobbling, we started our steep ascent on the bush track up the side of the mountain.  From their conversation, I could sense the anticipation growing in both of my young companions.  We finally got to the top of the mountain and then continued for about another 45 minutes.  As we drew closer, to the village I heard the familiar beat of the kundu drums and the traditional chanting.  Hundreds of people formed the joyful welcome march with several men dressed in traditional attire leading the group.  The Mama's Group was also part of the welcome festivities.  After a welcome song by the young people, we marched to the place where Mass was to be celebrated.  They had erected  a small grandstand and had decorated the area beautifully with flowers and plants.

Catholic people from four neighboring villages came together for this joyful celebration.  Even though the people had not celebrated mass for three years, they were well-prepared by the catechist.  The people were enthusiastic and reverent as they participated in the celebration of this Christmas Day Mass.

As I prayed the prayers of the Mass, I could sense the strong faith of these strong people and their deep love for the Church and Jesus in the Eucharist.

The long trek back to the car seemed to go much easier because I was accompanied by a large group of young people who carried peanuts, bananas and other garden food which the people gave to me in appreciation of my visit to them.  They were eager to share their stories and their hopes and dreams.  As I walked along, I was aware of my humble part in bringing the Lord to this remote community in the deep bush of Papua New Guinea --- however, in the experience of the faith and love of these good people, I gave thanks on this Christmas morning that God is indeed with us!

To all friends across the miles, I wish you a Blessed Christmas and much health, happiness and peace in the New Year.

Mother of the Good Shepherd

The Diocese of Mendi and the Cathedral of the Diocese (which recently celebrated its Silver Jubilee of dedication) is under the patronage of Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd. Below is a song that was written for the occasion of the Jubilee celebration:


Mother of the Good Shepherd

I’m lost in the darkness and cold is the night;
The wild dogs are howling, I shiver with fright.
I’m far from the sheepfold, my eyes full of tears;
My spirit is broken by sadness and fears.

 
Mother O Mother, this poor sheep is lost;
I’m hungry and lonely and beaten and bruised.
Pray to your Son Jesus, his mercy to lend;
He is the Good Shepherd, my Saviour and Friend. 

This world can deceive us by glitter and fame,
And soon we may find ourselves broken by shame;
Mother of the Good Shepherd, I’m sad and alone;
Please ask your Son Jesus to come bring me home.

(I will try to find a way to upload the music  too!)

The devotion to Mary, as the Mother of Good Shepherd is common in Spain and in some Spanish-speaking countries.  Under this title, Mary has always been acclaimed at the Patroness of Capuchin Missions.  This title easily directs us to Mary's Son, the Good Shepherd of our souls.

(The picture above is one of the stained-glass windows in the chapel of Borromeo Seminary - the Seminary of the Diocese of Cleveland, where I had the privilege to serve on the faculty several  years ago.)

Mendi Cathedral Celebrates Silver Jubilee

The people of the Catholic Diocese of Mendi, in Papua New Guinea joined together for a three-day celebration to mark the Silver Jubilee of the dedication of the Cathedral Church. It was built and blessed on 8 December 1987 under the pastoral leadership of the late Bishop Firmin Schmidt, OFM Cap., the first bishop of Mendi.

"Singsing" groups from around the diocese came to join in the celebration - many dressed in their traditional attire and playing the traditional 'kundu' drum.

The youth of the diocese also participated in various ways.  Above, young people are interpreting a song dedicated to Our Lady, Mother of the Good Shepherd (the Patroness of the Diocese and the Cathedral) in creative dance.

In my homily, I talked a bit about the meaning of a cathedral in the a diocese as a symbol of the unity of faith and love - and a sign of Body of Christ and People of God being built up in a given place.  Further, I mentioned that a jubilee is a time to celebrate in the present; to give thanks for the blessings of the past and, to look forward in hope to the future and to the tasks that still lay ahead.

In this Year of Faith, the Silver Jubilee of our Mother of the Good Shepherd Cathedral, was a wonderful manner of strengthening our faith in Jesus, the Shepherd of our Souls.

Confirmation

When I got back from my recent travels I jumped back into my ministry here in the Diocese of Mendi.  On successive weekends I had the opportunity of celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation in two of our parishes.  The first weekend I went to Det.  It is about an hour and a half’s drive out of Mendi.  Currently, there is no parish priest there, but Sister Monika-Pia of the Swiss Franciscan Sisters has kept things going in a wonderful way.  The catechists too are to be commended for preparing the Confirmation class for their big day.

The following weekend I went to Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Tente.  The Tente Parish is just on the outskirts of Mendi town.  Fr John Wenambo is the parish priest in Tente.

Both celebrations were very joyful occasions for the whole community.  They are signs of life and hope.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of Initiation – together with Baptism and Holy Eucharist.  In Baptism we become children of God and are given a share in the mission of Jesus to announce the Good News.  In Confirmation we receive all the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we need to set out on that mission.  And in Holy Eucharist we receive the Food that strengthens us to be more like Jesus and to follow His example.

I really enjoy going to a parish to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with the young people of our various communities.  It gives me a great opportunity to tell them personally how important they are to the church and their parish communities and families.  Here in Papua New Guinea, as in other places, there are many distractions vying for the attention of our young people.  The church can help give them a way of finding meaning and true purpose in life.

"Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth!"

PNG: "One tribe, one kantri."

With the start of the recent national elections in Papua New Guinea, two new provinces were added to the country: the Hela Province and the Jiwaka Province. These two provinces were not formed by the addition of new territory to the country (as one perhaps could say about the addition of Alaska and Hawaii as States of the USA). They were formed by dividing two existing provinces: Hela was divided from the Southern Highlands and Jiwaka was divided from the Western Highlands. Since this is an accomplished fact, I don’t wish to evaluate the pro’s and con’s of what has already happened. Here in the Diocese of Mendi, we look forward to working closely with the leaders of the new Hela Province, and we share in the sense of hope and expectation of the people of Hela.

Papua New Guinea is a beautifully diverse country that is made up of hundreds of different cultures. Often it is said that there are almost 800 languages representing almost the same number of cultural groups of people. One of the greatest challenges over the past years since PNG won its independence in 1975 is the matter of how to form one country out of the multitude of tribes, clans and language groups.

One of the first major challenges to this vision was the terrible crisis in Bougainville. As a result of this bloody conflict, Bougainville is now an Autonomous Region which some believe may eventually end up as a country independent of PNG. Apart from such an extreme situation, one might ask the question, is it good for the country that each year, more and more provinces would be formed by division?

One could imagine many other groups in the country asking the question: If it is good for Jiwaka and Hela to become their own provinces, why not us? Where would such a division begin doing real harm to the country? In a country of over 700 language groups, (most admittedly too small to be politically independent), when would the national government have to draw the line and say, “No more divisions”?

Politics is a part of the reality of human beings as social creatures. Perhaps we could generalize and say that politics is most-often motivated by self-interest. What makes politics good or bad from a human point of view is how broadly or narrowly the “self” is understood. Politics at its best seeks to serve the common good; that is, it understands “self” in terms of the entire community. Politics at its worst defines “self” in a very narrow way, so as to mean, my group, my friends, my interests or, even simply “me” the politician. It takes courageous leadership to help everyone in the political community (which includes all of us) to broaden the concept of “self” that we are interested in.  (Of course, we must always guard the dignity and unalienable rights of every individual and not just consider them as parts of some overarching collective.)

A country whose people cannot see beyond narrowly conceived self-interest to the promotion of the common good of all will never gain the strength and vision required to develop to its full potential. “A house divided against itself shall not stand” (cf. Mk 3: 25). It is not the place of leadership to impose a vision of the “self” but rather, in the lively discourse of pluralistic democracy, to help people freely grasp a wider, more inclusive view.

I believe the Church has an important role to play in this lively discourse. In its recent Pastoral Letter on Communion, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of PNG/SI proposes a movement toward communion as a response to many of the challenges faced by PNG society today. A commitment to communion can invite people beyond alienation experienced by so many people today – especially the young - to a real experience of belonging. The dynamism of the church, inspired by the example of Jesus and made possible by the Holy Spirit is toward “com-union”, that is, “being one with” others (and ultimately with God). This oneness, this solidarity is the foundation of any authentic community. This dynamism toward unity begins with individual persons but can extend to wider communities and even nations.

I was walking through a pharmacy in Boroko recently and picked up a rubber wristband like the ones which many young people are wearing these days. This one had the flag of Papua New Guinea on it and the words: “One tribe, one kantri”. The dream of the Founders of PNG was to form one, independent country. They strove to forge a real unity out of the wonderful diversity in language and culture. The strength of the people of Papua New Guinea in the future will very much depend on the unity that all are able to bring about within the wonderful diversity which exists. The beauty, strength, values of each language group and culture in PNG can enrich and strengthen the one people, the one tribe, the one nation that is developing into the one country of Papua New Guinea.

(An article I wrote which was published by The Catholic Reporter in September 2012 in honor of PNG Independence Day - with some minor changes.)

Bishops Celebrate Closing Mass at Saint Peter's

Saturday, 15 September 2012
Rome


Today, the bishops attending the Seminar for New Bishops from missionary countries celebrated their closing Mass of Thanksgiving under the awe-inspiring masterpiece known as Bernini's Glory behind the main papal altar of Saint Peter's Basilica.

The principal celebrant was His Eminence Cardinal Filioni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the sponsor of the seminar.  In his homily he spoke of the three major responsibilities of a bishop:  to teach, to shepherd and to santify the People of God.

These two weeks have been a time of prayer, learning and fraternity among the bishops from all over the world.  I will miss the new friends that I have made in this short time.  I have been inspired by their prayerfulness and encouraged by their pastoral zeal.  Listening to their stories I have come to see that we share many of the same challenges.  Knowing of our unity in faith and prayer will be a source of strength for me as I return to the diocese of Mendi.

There are many problems in our world today.  But I walk away from these two weeks in the Eternal City with a great sense of hope for the Church who continues the saving mission of Jesus in our world... a mission of announcing what we all need to hear:  Good News!

Please pray for these new bishops and know that you are in my prayer as well.

(There will be more coming... so stay tuned!)

Learning from the Poverello

11 September 2012

Rome

On Sunday, the Bishops attending the Seminar being sponsored by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples went on a pilgrimage to Assisi.  We had a brief tour of the Basilica of Saint Francis, a very solemn Mass in the Upper Basilica, an inspiring visit to the tomb of Saint Francis and then a festive lunch hosted most hospitably by the Conventual Friars in the grand refectory of the Sacro Convento.

I couldn't help but think that Saint Francis has much to teach those who are called to the ministry of bishop in the church.... even though he never wanted to be a priest (though tradition tells us that he was a deacon).

Francis was a man of intense prayer, he loved voluntary poverty and simplicity, he was passionately in love with the Lord whom he wanted to following in intimate closeness and he loved the Holy Father and the Church... In all these ways, Francis is a pattern for every Catholic and especially for bishops.

Back now in Rome, our program continues in full force for the rest of this week.  On Monday, Cardinal Grocholewsi spoke to us about Seminary Formation of priests and Cardinal Burke gave a wonderful presentation entitled: "The Bishop and the Administration of Justice".  Today, Cardinal Nicora addressed the group on the topic of "The Administrative and Financial Service of the Bishop" and Archbishop Mamberti of the Vatican Secretariate of State gave a presentation on the importance of relations between the Holy See and the State.

In the afternoon we had group discussions around the central topic of evangelization.

Thank you for your prayers for all the bishops.  You remain in my thoughts and prayers.