OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Popular Mission and preaching the Gospel in “Wutung”

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Vanimo (Agenzia Fides) – The "fire mission" in Wutung, seaside town of Papua New Guinea, in the province of Sandaun, on the border with Indonesian Papua, is being consumed. Wutung is the name of the village which took its name from the local language, a dialect spoken by some 500 indigenous villagers.
In this small portion of Papua, two courageous missionaries of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, Fr. Augustin and Fr. Emilio, have launched in recent weeks a large popular mission involving 60 people, including catechists and pastoral workers, in 4 surrounding villages where they speak other variations of the local dialects, inhabited by the Wutung peoples.
The aim, the missionaries told Fides, was "to awaken the community of Wutung and revive their faith and their Christian life," a little dormant in or marginalized from their everyday social and moral practices, not really in tune with Christian doctrine .
They were intense days of preaching, visiting families, meetings with youth and with couples. The missionaries devoted themselves to the pastoral mission with zeal and passion, encouraging, for example, the 46 cohabiting couples in the village to sanctify their union with the sacrament of marriage.
The fruits are in full bloom, the missionaries told Fides: "...so many confessions and first communions. There are even 9 couples wanted to be joined in Christian marriage, putting their family in the hands of Him who has the power to unite and sanctify the couple and the family.
The experience proved very useful for the 60 missionaries (married couples, catechists, youth, adolescents, and five sisters). All were happy with the mission performed and gave thanks to God for the gifts received. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 16/2/2010)


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