austraLasia #2173
News from Tetere SI
TETERE: 13th June 2008 -- Parish priest and Rector of Christ the King Parish community, Fr Dominic Kachira, writes recently of life in that extensive rural parish, characterised by difficult mountain terrain on the one hand and many villages on a flatter but extensive plain, largely given over to palm oil and root crop plantations. His 'report' covers the following items:
Rural Training Centre
This development is for young adults who have dropped out of school. It is already into its third year of development. The Centre offers a two year agriculture-based course. With 7 teachers and some 122 students, the course is obviously popular, though the dropout rate is also high. Fr Dominic speaks of one young teacher who has been able to go off to do a course in rice plantation thanks to a Rotary Club sponsorship from Melbourne (Australia).
Parish
The parish has an extensive number of sub-stations, villages or clusters of villages with a small chapel. The assistance from Salesian Missions New Rochelle, they are now building a decent chapel in Turarana village. The chapel will be dedicated to Mary Help of Christians and will be a centre for many of the villages in the hills. Back in the parish centre itself, with assistance from the Rector Major's Fund, the existing parish hall will be extended with an additional wing.
Good Samaritan Hospital
Before his ordination as Bishop of Gizo, Fr Luciano Capelli, with assistance from Italian volunteers from his town of origin was able to construct a hospital in the parish. It was finally blessed and opened on the Feast of Don Bosco this year. The project has been handed over to the provincial government to administer, though since 7th March this year the Pietà Sisters from the Philippines have arrived to assist the government in its administration. So now there is an additional convent in the parish with three Sisters, two from Peru and one from the Philippines.
Bush Villages
Pastoral work in the villages is challenging because people are on the move - the visiting priest is likely to find new people each time he arrives! Familes move out to plant a new garden of sweet potatoes and tapioca and can be away for months and even for years. Many come to work with the Oil Palm company as day labourers, or to work in the gold mines. SOmetimes after taking all the trouble to reach a village, more than half the village may be away for a funeral, and funeral mourning may take weeks or months depending on the status of the one who died. This kind of movement has obvious implications for educational stability.
Parish census
During the past year Fr Dominic has done his utmost to trace Catholics in the parish area, particularly those working on oil palms or in gold mines, both of which ventures have re-opened after being closed for years during less stable times. Hundreds have come in from other islands and from other parishes. With the kind of movement already alluded to, it is clearly difficult to establish any kind of real register. He has added 70 families and a further 130 individuals, amounting to something like 500 souls!
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_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2008 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2173
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces PNG-SI Tetere parish
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2173
News from Tetere SI
TETERE: 13th June 2008 -- Parish priest and Rector of Christ the King Parish community, Fr Dominic Kachira, writes recently of life in that extensive rural parish, characterised by difficult mountain terrain on the one hand and many villages on a flatter but extensive plain, largely given over to palm oil and root crop plantations. His 'report' covers the following items:
Rural Training Centre
This development is for young adults who have dropped out of school. It is already into its third year of development. The Centre offers a two year agriculture-based course. With 7 teachers and some 122 students, the course is obviously popular, though the dropout rate is also high. Fr Dominic speaks of one young teacher who has been able to go off to do a course in rice plantation thanks to a Rotary Club sponsorship from Melbourne (Australia).
Parish
The parish has an extensive number of sub-stations, villages or clusters of villages with a small chapel. The assistance from Salesian Missions New Rochelle, they are now building a decent chapel in Turarana village. The chapel will be dedicated to Mary Help of Christians and will be a centre for many of the villages in the hills. Back in the parish centre itself, with assistance from the Rector Major's Fund, the existing parish hall will be extended with an additional wing.
Good Samaritan Hospital
Before his ordination as Bishop of Gizo, Fr Luciano Capelli, with assistance from Italian volunteers from his town of origin was able to construct a hospital in the parish. It was finally blessed and opened on the Feast of Don Bosco this year. The project has been handed over to the provincial government to administer, though since 7th March this year the Pietà Sisters from the Philippines have arrived to assist the government in its administration. So now there is an additional convent in the parish with three Sisters, two from Peru and one from the Philippines.
Bush Villages
Pastoral work in the villages is challenging because people are on the move - the visiting priest is likely to find new people each time he arrives! Familes move out to plant a new garden of sweet potatoes and tapioca and can be away for months and even for years. Many come to work with the Oil Palm company as day labourers, or to work in the gold mines. SOmetimes after taking all the trouble to reach a village, more than half the village may be away for a funeral, and funeral mourning may take weeks or months depending on the status of the one who died. This kind of movement has obvious implications for educational stability.
Parish census
During the past year Fr Dominic has done his utmost to trace Catholics in the parish area, particularly those working on oil palms or in gold mines, both of which ventures have re-opened after being closed for years during less stable times. Hundreds have come in from other islands and from other parishes. With the kind of movement already alluded to, it is clearly difficult to establish any kind of real register. He has added 70 families and a further 130 individuals, amounting to something like 500 souls!
Click here to comment on this item. You will need to enter 20eao02 when asked for a password.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2008 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2173
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces PNG-SI Tetere parish
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2173
