From: "jbfox" <jbfox@is.com.fj>

To: <jbfox@is.com.fj>

Subject: 'austraLasia' #408

Date: Friday, 18 August 2000 10:00 PM

EAST TIMOR: TETUM NEW TESTAMENT A LABOUR OF LOVE

Julian Fox (for Rolando Fernandez sdb)

MANILA: 18th August -- A labour of love, spanning a dozen years, is now

almost complete.  Fr. Rolando Fernandez, a Filipino Salesian who has worked

many years in East Timor and who is presently back in the Philippines

undergoing some medical checks, began his task of translation in 1989. He

completed the translation in June of this year.  Presently Father Rolando is

seeking a publisher for his work which is dedicated to the courageous people

of Timor. "To the Timorese people who are now independent! Congratulations"

he says in his dedication of the work. " I offer this book to you all who

are now independent. The words in this book lead to true freedom. Jesus

said, 'The truth will make you free.'".  Fr. Rolando points out that "When I

started this work eleven years ago, I always tried to write faithfully what

the sacred scriptures said. Thus, I used books in different languages:

Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian, Indonesian and two Filipino

languages. Also, I tried to write in the Tetum that is spoken by ordinary

people of Baucau and Dili".

'austraLasia' has a full copy of the text on disk and certainly Fr. Rolando

is happy that it be available to any who can read it. "I know that this book

allows much room for improvement. Therefore, I will be very grateful to

those who will let me know in writing the mistakes they will find and and

the corrections in this book so that when I make the next edition, it will

be better still."