Kiunga: The celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Louis- Marie the Montfort was celebrated on the 20th, July 2022 at St. Gerard Cathedral Kiunga.
Prior to this celebration, spiritual preparations were done, especially by the DW sisters, friends of wisdom and the Montfortian Family.
On the actual day, the liturgy was beautifully celebrated with the participation of lay, religious and students, in singing and dances.
During the homily, Fr. Andrew Moses, a diocesan priest shared the word of God integrating his experience of the Montfort Missionaries in the diocese. He highlighted the importance of the basic services of education and health provided through work of the Montfort Missionaries. A slogan was shouted along with few processional dances to give meaning to the celebration. The highlight of the celebration witnessed a few lay people making their commitment to live the spirituality of Montfort as members of the Friends of Wisdom. The liturgy concluded with a blessing from Bishop Joseph Durero, SVD and a beautiful recessional dance led by student at St. Gabriel Technical Secondary School.
The second part of the feast day celebration was held outside the Church. During this time, a few congratulatory remarks and speeches were made by some leaders representing different groups. The speeches highlighted the daring spirit of Montfort in bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the Western Province. This was followed by the presentations of gifts by different groups of people to the Montfort Missionaries to express their deep gratitude for the Montfort missionaries in the diocese.
During the celebration all the people felt very happy and felt united as a family of Montfort. This celebration was a good way of remembering St. Montfort and keeping his missionary zeal alive. It made us remember all the Montfort missionaries past and alive. Today, all the services of health and education offered in the diocese is impact by the missionary zeal of Montfort, especially his service to the poor and needy. May the spirit of St. Montfort continue to be alive and move on.
Thank you all for your participation and may we keep the spirit of St. Montfort alive in our mission and our everyday life
*ST Louis-Marie de Montfort is the Founder of the Montfortian Family Congregation (SMM, SG, DW : known as Montfort Fathers, Brothers and Sisters). They are present in Port Moresby, Lae and the Western Province. St Montfort is the Patron Saint of Daru-Kiunga Diocese since 1959).
St Montfort: Pray for us.