austraLasia 1518
ITM's 'Santa Teresinha de Quelicai': Angola connection - and many others
DILI: 5th March 2006 -- The Parish of Laga is Baucau Diocese' largest parish - large in Catholic population and almost impossibly large in terms of getting around. It is divided into three sub-districts. One of those subdistricts, Quelicai, is an hour's drive from the Laga parish centre on the coast. Baguia, another sub-district, is two hours drive. They are all look to Bacau not only in ecclesiastical terms, but most others as well, since Bacau is East Timor's agricultural Centre. Salesian names like Fatumaca, Venilale, two name just two, are better known to our readers, but are also part of this general region.
News only trickles out slowly from East Timor, though recent correspondence from there promises that we have an actual 'correspondent' now who will send news once a month. The first item of news concerns the opening of the Lar de Santa Teresinha Orphanage in Quelicai on 18th March this year. The story has an interesting link to Angola!
Since East Timor's Independence in 2002, renewed ties with Portugal have brought some benefits to the nation. It so happened that a senior figure in Portugal's Ministry for Labour and Solidarity, a certain Mrs Lucilia Figueira, knew the Salesians and their approach well from her time in Angola. She brought her broad smile and her political clout to Quelicai, and in the space of a mere year, a half million dollar project on behalf of 60 orphans was realised.
18th March brought some major figures to Quelicai for the Opening: The Minister for Labour and Solidarity from Portugal and his East Timorese counterpart, the Portuguese Ambassador to East Timor, Bishop Basilio of Baucau, the Regional EAO superior, Fr Klement, the Provincial, Fr Calleja, and of course all of Quelicai. This included a well-loved and longstanding missionary in East Timor, Fr Joao de Deus who now has close pastoral connection with Quelicai. He had known the old orphanage there, built in 1979 and long since deteriorated to unusable state.
The new orphanage is actually six blocks to accomodate the orphans aged 10-13 years, a study hall, dining room, infirmary and recreation area. It is nowpossibly the best orphanage in the nation. The 'opening' involved a little more - later there was the blessing of a new residence and the laying of the foundation stone for the new Quelicai chapel, which they hope to finish building in 2007.
One small additional note - the opening of the Quelicai Santa Teresinha Orphanage featured as the first news item for the newly opened Bacau 'Fini Lorosae' Diocesan Radio.
__________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
ITM's 'Santa Teresinha de Quelicai': Angola connection - and many others
DILI: 5th March 2006 -- The Parish of Laga is Baucau Diocese' largest parish - large in Catholic population and almost impossibly large in terms of getting around. It is divided into three sub-districts. One of those subdistricts, Quelicai, is an hour's drive from the Laga parish centre on the coast. Baguia, another sub-district, is two hours drive. They are all look to Bacau not only in ecclesiastical terms, but most others as well, since Bacau is East Timor's agricultural Centre. Salesian names like Fatumaca, Venilale, two name just two, are better known to our readers, but are also part of this general region.
News only trickles out slowly from East Timor, though recent correspondence from there promises that we have an actual 'correspondent' now who will send news once a month. The first item of news concerns the opening of the Lar de Santa Teresinha Orphanage in Quelicai on 18th March this year. The story has an interesting link to Angola!
Since East Timor's Independence in 2002, renewed ties with Portugal have brought some benefits to the nation. It so happened that a senior figure in Portugal's Ministry for Labour and Solidarity, a certain Mrs Lucilia Figueira, knew the Salesians and their approach well from her time in Angola. She brought her broad smile and her political clout to Quelicai, and in the space of a mere year, a half million dollar project on behalf of 60 orphans was realised.
18th March brought some major figures to Quelicai for the Opening: The Minister for Labour and Solidarity from Portugal and his East Timorese counterpart, the Portuguese Ambassador to East Timor, Bishop Basilio of Baucau, the Regional EAO superior, Fr Klement, the Provincial, Fr Calleja, and of course all of Quelicai. This included a well-loved and longstanding missionary in East Timor, Fr Joao de Deus who now has close pastoral connection with Quelicai. He had known the old orphanage there, built in 1979 and long since deteriorated to unusable state.
The new orphanage is actually six blocks to accomodate the orphans aged 10-13 years, a study hall, dining room, infirmary and recreation area. It is nowpossibly the best orphanage in the nation. The 'opening' involved a little more - later there was the blessing of a new residence and the laying of the foundation stone for the new Quelicai chapel, which they hope to finish building in 2007.
One small additional note - the opening of the Quelicai Santa Teresinha Orphanage featured as the first news item for the newly opened Bacau 'Fini Lorosae' Diocesan Radio.
__________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
