Boroko: St Joseph Parish in Boroko became the host Parish of the 28th World Day for Consecrated Life in the Archdiocese of Port Moresby on Saturday, February 3rd, 2024.
(Group Picture for 2024 for the 28th World Day for Consecrated Life celebrations in the Archdiocese of Port Moresby)
The celebration was attended by the religious from different congregations within the Archdiocese of Port Moresby.
The main celebrant was His Eminence Archbishop Sir John Cardinal Ribat MSC, assisted by St Joseph’s Parish Priest Fr John Curtis CP, Fr Federico Boni representing the Nunciature with other priests representing the different congregations within the Archdiocese.
Adding a special touch to the solemn Eucharist celebration was the St Cecilia Liturgical Choir Group with the lively animation of their angelic voices and colorful processions.
In his homily, His Eminence thanked all the consecrated men and women who gathered to celebrate the special occasion and encouraged them to be at all times like Simeon and the prophetess Anna, the daughter of Phanuel who served God fervently through prayer and fasting.
“May we bear the light of Christ to others in our personal lives and our religious lives and live a life of generosity and experience life in the glory of God.”
His Eminence concluded his homily by encouraging the consecrated men and women to remain committed to their pastoral ministry.
“We have a pastoral responsibility to look after our people, to journey and accompany them to be witnesses of Christ.”
Following the mass were sharing of testimonies by a few religious men and women on how they were called to the religious life.
Among those sharing their testimonies was Monsignor Federico Boni from the Nunciature.
“Consecration of the human life to God is a service to our brothers and sisters”
Monsignor Boni stressed that we are now more alone than ever because the society has become secularized and is also affecting the religious communities, thus, it is important to remain one with Christ and live with joy amidst the trials of life and thank the religious for their generous consecration.
The program ended with refreshments in the Parish Hall to commemorate the special occasion. The religious men and women also had the opportunity to share the joy of the occasion and mingle with others before going back to their communities to continue their respective pastoral activities in serving the people.
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