Papua New Guinea celebrate the Mission Work of the MSP

Fr Eladio B. Oliver MSP Meeting with my family during the celebrations

By FIDELIS SUKINA

Sunday 18^th of October 2015 was a day of celebration for the parishioners of Mary Queen of the Pacific; the celebration was to mark the 50^th Anniversary of the Mission Society of the Philippines 

(MSP).

I  was baptized in this church and grew up as part of the church for the past 20 years as a parishioner and an Altar Boy to the MSP priests.  

Members of the Pilipino community in Port Moresby and members of the church had mass together and later on had food and entertainment.

The  celebrations  of the golden jubilee 50th  foundation anniversary of the MSP was held back in  April through to May in the Philippines, but for Papua New Guinea  it was on the 18th of  October on Mission Sunday on the catholic calendar.

The society itself was founded by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines in 1965 which saw the need to expand its mission work overseas and to neighboring countries.

The Mary Queen of the Pacific Parish located in North Waigani in Port Moresby is one of the parishes in Papua New Guinea that has been part of the MSP mission, and since the arrival of the MSP in 1981 they were spread across, Kerema, Daru, Kiunga, Vanimo, NCD and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, some of the parishes in these provinces no longer have the MSP and are with local priests.

The main celebrant was Fr Eladio B. Oliver MSP who was a priest in the parish from the years 1999 to 2001 and since then he has become the Father Moderator/Superior General of the MSP. 

Fr Eladio B. Oliver MSP during  his Homily 

He was in Papua New Guinea for 7 years before his departure to American Samoa where he started the mission work for the MSP.

“I was here in 1994 to 1999 at the Utai Catholic Mission in Vanimo and from 1999 to 2001 I was here at Mary Queen of the Pacific, after that I left to establish the church in American Samoa which I was there in 2002 to 2004, since than I held the title of Superior General for 10 years and Father Moderator for the second year now”.Fr Oliver said

“Mi no ting mi nap lo kambek but bikpela e givim me displa bikpla wok na me gat sans lo bungim yu ken”

“I thought I would not come back but God has given me this huge task and now I have the chance to meet you again”. Fr Oliver said during his homily on Sunday

His homily was about mission work and challenged the parishioners to carry on the mission of the church.

“Jesus is asking all of us his disciples, his counting on us to make us aware of the great responsibility we have as Christians that’s what mission Sunday is all about, that we should share the gift of faith to others”.

“Mission is obligatory not optional for the church that’s why in 1965 in the Philippines the Catholic Bishops conference of the Philippines decided that we  had grown in faith and it’s now time to share the gift of faith to others”.

The AD Sisters the Hand Maids  of the Lord
singing their tribute song to the MSP Missionaries

Fr Oliver said the MSP were here temporarily and challenged the parishioners to pray for more vocation (Gods call to do his work).

“Missioners will not stay forever in one place you should be praying that one day a local priest should be here in this church and dream more, to be sending local priests abroad doing mission that should be your dream, because it is our dream, because we are only here for a temporary period to support you grow in faith”.

“To do that you should pray to God, pray for more vocation, do not pray for the children of other people only but pray for your sons and daughters as well to become priests or sisters”.

He said it would be nice to see the mission work of Papua New Guinea grow and expand to other nations, and as well encouraged the congregation that it is the role of a baptized Christian to do mission work and not only a priest.

“It is my dream and the dream of others maybe someday we will see the  Mission Society of Papua  New Guinea it would be nice, mission is not only for the church but mine as well as a baptized Christian not  just as a priest”.

He also added that for most of the priests that came to Papua New Guinea they saw it as another seminary and for himself were his golden years of a missionary work.

Youths from the Police Chaplaincy performing their item

“It’s not easy to leave your family and be with others it is also my job to share to you that most of the priests who were assigned here to PNG see PNG as another seminary, I have to tell you that I will be 25 years as a priest next year and the years I have spent in PNG were the golden years of my missionary life”.

“On behalf of the MSP I would like to express my gratitude to all of you here gathered for all of you who have been partners in the mission by helping the parish priest supporting them you are doing mission this our celebration the celebration we should rejoice and give thanks to the lord”.  Fr Oliver said

The celebrations were marked by entertainment items presented by the eight Basic Christian Communities BCCs of the Mary Queen of the Pacific around North Waigani and the AD sister, the Hand Maids of the Lord, choirs and traditional contemporary dancers entertained the congregation and the MSP priests till the afternoon.

A delighted and cheerful Fr Oliver sat through all the items and gave the final blessings before going around and meeting the congregations sated around their tents.