Greetings once again from Kimbe, WNB, PNG:
All is well with Karen and I. We are settled in to our
little two bed room. Did a little cleaning and added some shelving.
It is beginning of the dry season which means it rains every three days or so
instead of every day. It is very hot and humid. We usually take
cold showers in the evening to cool down and remove a layer of sweat and
dust.
The most pleasurable thing for me are the friendly and
helpful people. They are a bit curious as to who we are but after a
little more than a month most of the locals know us at least by sight if not by
name. English is spoken by many but the preferred language is Tok Pison.
We are learning it slowly but still not able to converse in it. Bishop
Bill encouraged Deacon-to-be, Boniface, to tutor us in tok pison.
Boniface completed his seminary studies a few months ago and
resides at the Diocese. The Bishop requires all graduating seminarians to
spend a full year at the Diocese so he can get to know them personally.
Boniface and two others, Chris and Joseph, will be ordained as deacons in
November and three Deacons who are working in parishes will be ordained the
following day. The Deacons to be teach in the local parish, Catechist
school and Cartas school. They also have liturgical duties at the
Cathedral. Karen and I are blessed to have Boniface helping us with tok
pision. He is an interesting young man who loves music and can be found
teaching music to the children and young adults. He always wears a smile
and laughs with regularity; a very happy person.
We have been blessed to get to know Fr. Yarak Wiesnewski, a
priest from Poland. The Bishop says when he offered to send Fr. Yarak to
the remote parish of Bariai, Fr. Yarak replied, no electricity, no running
water, no problem! He is charismatic and leads his flock to Jesus Christ
with passion. This parish was without a priest for 45 years prior to Fr.
Yarak's arrival.
He recently made the long journey to Kimbe for the annual
Priest retreat. He brought with him a large contingent of young adults
from Bariai and one evening at their gathering he invited Karen and I to
join. He asked that we tell them a bit about ourselves and why we are in
PNG. After a brief talk from us he asked for questions. A few asked
about where we are from and about our families and the work we are doing at
Kimbe Diocese. It was a joyous occasion and we thoroughly enjoyed our
brief time with them.
Here is a portion of a letter he wrote to his friends back home:
“Dear Friends
As you know after 45
years of “Kilenge Rule” our parish is independent again because we got own
priest!
Working in Bariai is
grate adventure and pleasure but always challenging things!
“Fatima Processio” in
November and December made overwhelming effect: 200 baptisms, 150 first
communions, 100 weddings in church and 20.0103 Kina donation. These money were
used to buy 2 engeens and now youths are cutting tree to produce huge boat and
use to send 100 youngsters on pilgrimage: “Bariai – Kimbe – Ulamuna –
Rabaul” and visit Blessed Peter Torot grave and so many historic places as
Vunapope Cathedral, Minor Seminary, MSC, FMI Sisters, Vunabosco, etc.
This pilgrimage and
other activities we do in 2018 are inspired by Pope Francis who proclaimed a
“Year of Youths and Vocation Discernment”. We already did two trips to
Kimbe with 60 and 88 youths consequently. Good people always support our
limited needs!
We were short in food
and petrol but happy with witnessing priestly ordinations in January and
Vocation Workshop in March! Average experience 3 or 4 drum petrol and 2 bells
of rice daily which makes 2000Kina for petrol and 2000Kina for rice (two weeks
program).
Some of youths will be
inspired to join seminary or monastery but most will be encouraged to go
forward getting education, make business and happy Christian families!
It is our goal and
intention!
As young boy I was
once in deep crises and some good priests in my native Poland were showing me
the way in the dark tunnel of communism!
There is no communism
in PNG but we do experience deep poverty which make people angry, drunked or
embraced by faight, drugs, adultery.
God Bless
Fr. Yarek – Parish
Priest Bariai”
His English is a
little rough but I think you can all get the grasp of what he is communicating.
I also want to introduce you to four men I work with on
construction projects, Victor, Karol, Israel and Johnny. These guys have
worked off and on for the dioceses the past four or five years. They had
not worked for several months until just recently. They are a pleasure to
work with. Victor and Karol are the most experienced and skilled in
carpentry and general building skills. Israel and Johnny are a bit
younger and learning the trades working with Victor and Karol.
Our first project together was redoing a kitchen in the
Priest house. Since then we have completed several smaller jobs including
a new roof for the radio Maria equipment building which is about a half mile
from parish grounds up a very steep hill. The picture above is the
completed roof with the “boys”. We are now building shelving in four
offices which are for the Catholic Health Services Administration and minor
clinical services. Five employees in total with a lot of visitors each
week. We are moving them from an office across the grounds which is in
need of repair. Their old office will be refurbished into living quarters
or another office; to be determined.
There are many projects at the diocese grounds and at every
parish as most buildings are quite old and maintenance has not been a
priority. I will keep you post on other jobs as we are able to work on
them. Funds are limited so we must prioritize and hope for funding.
My number one job as diocesan property manager is to visit
every parish (19) and document and prioritize their building and
maintenance. The first parish we visited in Kailia, a remote village
accessible only by boat, has an immediate need for a water pump to lift water
from the large rain barrel to a smaller roof top tank to provide gravity fed
water to the priest house. Currently carrying water by bucket and
facilities are not used. This house also needs a solar system to provide
basic electrical for lights, outlets and the water pump.
Our boss, Bishop Bill, is in Pittsburg for some very well
deserved rest and medical appointments. He will be away for two months
returning late July. He is already missed and gone only 6 days.
That’s all for now. You are all in our prayers that
God will be generous to each of you. Please pray for us and all the people
of Kimbe, West New Britain, PNG.
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