PENTECOST SUNDAY - ST MICHAEL ON HIS WAY TO TUMLEO ISLAND

       Fr Michael’s (Spiritan Congregation - our Parish Priest) celebrated their feast                today. Here the Sisters are wishing him blessings on his feast day.

             National Religious who stayed with us on Friday and Saturday evening. Some had travelled from Port Moresby. Most of them have family here in Aitape.

           I am wearing the T-Shirt given to me by the St Clare Community

           These are the police who will escort the car carrying St Michael. They were             each getting someone to take a photo of themselves in front to St Michael.

           Sr Schol’s nephew was there for the action too. Fr Michael has his back to the camera. The little children always have a ready smile!

           St Michael is on his way at last to Tumleo Island! The installation will take place on the feast of St Michael on 29th September. Today there was a special mass and will be taken in procession around the Island and then placed in a temporary shrine. The permanent Shrine will be on the top of the hill on Tumleo. Now we return home to commence putting away chapel things that were used for the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening.

Arrival of St Michael, Archangel Statue to Aitape Diocese

The country of Papua New Guinea has as its patron, St Michael the Archangel. He was chosen by the Bishops since the people have a deep seated belief in spirits, including evil spirits. There was a rally for the 6 nights before the arrival of St Michael to prepare people. Thousands attended from all over Aitape Diocese and other Dioceses. The teaching was on basic catholic Christian beliefs and practices. The statue will be officially installed on Tumleo Island just across from our St Clare’s Convent, on 29^th September. It was on Tumleo that the first missionaries came to PNG from Germany in 1896.

View of Tumleo Island from our front lawn.  

           Thursday 21^st May - Preparation of the space in front of the Diocesan Offices for the Statue of St Michael to reside when not travelling to the various parishes. The trunks of tall palm trees have been used to get the height.

           Friday 22^nd May – The BIG day: The area is being decorated with flowers and drapes. Each post has been decorated with part of the banana tree and red Cholas. People worked throughout the night to get this done.

           Every street where the Statue will travel has been decorated. Sr Clara took me out in the car to see many areas where there were decorations. Each community decorated in front of their areas. Most again was done overnight so that it would be fresh for the much anticipated arrival.

          These 2 little girls are on their way to the bridge to welcome the statue. They had decorated palm leaves with frangipani flowers. They looked very pleased with themselves.

   This is the decorated entrance to the Raihu area.

Hundreds of banana trees must have been cut down to provide the base for many decorations. This family is being very creative.

Another overhead decoration all created with plant matter. 

Waiting near St Anna School with the Novice Sabastina, Postulant Joyce and Novice Lorna. We had our plants and flowers ready to wave.

A Diocesan worker and his little daughter also waiting beside us. Her father got her to raise her finger to say hello to us.

           Some of the people waiting with us. The students had been wait for about 3 hours. Things don’t always go to time!! However we were also entertained by porpoises frolicking in the water behind us.

           Here is the cause of all the excitement and preparation – St Michael on a car float, with his special carers who supported his wings on the bumpy journey. The carers were wearing red tops and long red gloves. They spent literally hours supporting his wings over the 3 days.

FAREWELL FROM AITAPE

The professed Sisters at St Clare’s Campus took me to lunch to the home of a family who

are friends of the Sisters. The children were helping to get their backyard area ready where

we had our meal on the river, overlooking the ocean.

The children belonging to the extended family. It was their grandmother who provided the meal.

Water view in the background with Rosie to my left and Clara to my right.

           Sitting enjoying my meal of freshly caught and cooked fish – three different species, cooked in three different ways. My glass is standing on a leaf that was provided for that purpose!

Beach view again with Schol and Rosie and the father (grandfather) of the family who owns the property that backs onto the river.

          THURSDAY FAREWELL FROM SISTERS, NOVICES AND POSTULANTS. This was the gift giving time after the meal and before the cake and ice cream. This is Clara giving me the St Clare Community gift of a T-Shirt. I wore it on Pentecost Sunday. You will see it in the next BLOG.

           Rayleen the Postulant gave a few words of thanks and a gift of a PNG T-Shirt which has “I Love PNG” in large print.

           The Novices gave me a lovely piece of material, with PNG design, to make a skirt. 

          Therry, from the PNG Leadership Team giving me a gift from the Team. Therry is the Postulant Directress. I had her Postulants for 4 weeks, so she was very appreciative for the extra time that that gave her.

           My chance to say thanks and to acknowledge, that I received more back for each of them, than I actually gave.

          Time to cut the cake and enjoy the ice cream which is a real treat, more so since it is so expensive K24.50 for a small container -that is around $12.

          Needless to say I enjoyed my time very much in Aitape. Now I am in Wewak and catching up on my BLOGS. I have two more nearly ready to post.

Happenings in Aitape

Happenings in Aitape

This photo was taken of the front of St Joachim’s church on Mother’s Day. The other photo is the back entrance to the church. As you can see there are no side walls, which helps when the weather is really hot. The churches are always decorated with lots of flowers and special altar cloths for special days.

Back of Church

Last Sunday I visited the grave of Therese Magee mfic who died in PNG on 9^th June, 1991. 

These are the young women in formation at Aitape. L to R Anna, Sabastina and Joyce

This is a better view from this side – to the left of me: Lorna, Raylne, Vincentiana and First year professed, Gracelyn

In this group we have Raylne and two friars who are in formation, They were among the Inter-Congregation Group who did a 3 morning course on Non-Violence.

After a shared lunch the Inter Formation group played Volley Ball together. They had a very enjoyable time with lots of shouting and laughter.

After a 2 ½ hour Mass and prayers to St Michael on Saturday 16^th we set off for a 2 1/2hr hour walk from St Francis Church to the town centre. We sang all the way stopping 9 times for the St Michael Chaplet Prayers. There were several hundred people. There are celebrations every day this week in preparation of the arrival of a 3 metre statue of St Michael.

Another beautiful sun rise as we set off for mass at St Joachim’s Church for Mass.

Today I went with Clara to St Anna’s Church which is the Friars Church. It is at the top of a hill, so a bit of a climb as you can see. I was the only white skinned person. A woman whom we know well made the comment that I was the only coloured person in the church....Good to see things from their perspective.

This is the Elementary school for the preps to year 3. Not a substantial building as you can see. There are two rooms in this building of bush material so no solid walls to prevent teaching from one one from going into the other.

Elizabeth Hayes Feast Day Celebrations on Wednesday 6th May

Elizabeth Hayes Feast Day

I set up a display of memorabilia. Elizabeth’s travel bag; two Icon Paintings; her Diary and her Biography for the Sisters as well as the Associates

Decorations for the front of the altar.

St Clare’s Campus lunch in main dining room decorated for the occasion. There were 11 of us since 3 community members left that morning for Vanimo and Lumi.

Liturgy group for the Mass in the late afternoon. We had the Mass of a Religious as well as the readings for Religious.

These are the Associates on the left hand side of the chapel

Fr Michael, (a Spiritan Priest) our Parish Priest celebrated the mass for us. He had just returned from  Australia on Tuesday, after attending their Chapter of Elections.

Fr Michael and the 27 Associates and 7 of their children gathered around the altar after Mass. Other Associates, who were unable to be there for the mass joined us for the shared meal on the front lawn of St Clare’s Convent.

Sergeant Leonard George Siffleet Memorial Unvailing Ceremony of Plaque

New Memorial at Aitape Town Centre

This is the new Memorial that was built on the weekend prior to the ceremony on Tuesday 5^th May. Sgn. Leonard G. Siffleet, and Australian Soldier, was executed by the Japanese on 24^th October, 1943.

We MFIC had a special part in the ceremony as being an Australian I was asked to say something on behalf of the MFIC Sisters who arrived soon after the end of the war.

The Australian Flag was raised by the two young, Australians girls that you see walking back to their seats.

The unveiling to the plaque by the District Administrator and Daryl McCombe, last Australian Government Official at the time of Independence in 1975.

Pauline mfic, giving my speech re: 2 uncles who served here in PNG during the war; Deputy Premier, Jackie Trad, who was born in Aitape; coming of MFIC Sisters in 1949 soon after the end of the war.

Group of School Students from various schools in the area, Aitape School, St Ignatius High School, and AOG School.