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Fr Miguel de la Calle IVE

Holy Father visits Vanimo on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

Precisely on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (September 8) Vanimo dressed up to receive the Vicar of Christ, His Holiness, Pope Francis. 

(The Holy Father Pope Francis with the IVE and SSVM missionaries...Picture supplied)


Sunday morning dawned sunny and with a pleasant breeze. With the celebration of the holy mass, presided over by Francis Meli, Bishop of Vanimo, a historic day began, which would remain deeply engraved in the soul of little Vanimo. 


Nearly 20,000 people, including locals and visitors arriving from neighboring provinces and even from Jayapura, once the holy mass was over, were surprised with the pleasant news that Pope Francis would arrive earlier than expected, sacrificing his rest. This is a sign of his special affection for distant Vanimo.


Great joy was caused by seeing the papal plane fly over, the people exploded with joy and songs of praise. At the beginning of the event, Bishop Francis Meli addressed the Supreme Pontiff, and then it was the turn of a girl from the shelter home, a catechist, a nun and a family to do the same. After which Pope Francis addressed his speech to all the faithful of Vanimo and visitors present there. 


At the end of the speeches, Bishop Francis Meli read the consecration to Jesus through Mary, all of us present joined, and the Pope solemnly presented the Golden Rose to the Virgin of Lujan. This present is unique; it is given only by the Supreme Pontiffs to the Virgin Mary in the national Marian shrines. On this occasion, making an exception to the rule, Pope Francis wanted to present the Golden Rose to the image of Our Lady of Lujan, on the occasion of celebrating the Silver Jubilee (25 years) of her arrival in Vanimo with the first missionaries of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) on the eve of 7th of September 1999.


Then, His Holiness left the stage to be driven around the field and greet the people. From there he went by vehicle to Baro (13 km), the missionary center of the Holy Trinity parish, where the IVE missionaries and the SSVM sisters work. It was beautiful to see how people received him on the sides of the road, all decorated with flowers and signs with phrases of warm welcome.


Upon arriving in Baro he was greeted by Holy Trinity Primary & Secondary School together with Callan Services and the Queen of Paradise Choir and Orchestra that performed for him a 5 minutes concert. Next, he greeted those present and blessed 25 images of the Virgin of Lujan. The parishioners offered him gifts, and Pope Francis entered the parish house to share a private moment with the IVE missionaries and the SSVM sisters. At the end of this talk he returned to Vanimo to depart by flight to Port Moresby.


Great blessings fell on Vanimo that day. Only God knows. The little that we can list begins with the preparation of the visit:


1 month before the visit, the evangelist Emmanuel Morop has gathered large numbers of faithful in the rallies that have been held in different parishes. These faithful have approached the sacrament of confession, some after many years. The Catholic faith has been lived in intensity, with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and prayer of the Rosary. 


The Catholic papas have organized themselves with the help of our priests, and built a beautiful welcome in the sea, with mambo reeds and orange painted cloth, they wrote “welcome Pope Francis” and drew a large heart, the measurements were between 20 x 30 meters each letter, so that the Pope could read it clearly from the plane.


Another great work carried out by the papa group and young people is the large Eucharistic cross (10 meters high) raised in front of the Vanimo cathedral, which shows a chalice and a host at the top. This cross will remain as a memorial of the visit of the Supreme Pontiff, and at the same time will serve as a place to hold rallies and celebrate the Eucharist. In this year that will see the first National Eucharistic Congress, this Eucharistic cross will teach us to pray in harmony with Jesus, the Lamb of God sacrificed on Calvary for our salvation.


Finally, all of us present felt great comfort and joy that lasted throughout that day and into Monday. It was everyone's comment that Monday passed in an atmosphere of peace and general happiness, full of the blessing that the Vicar of Christ brought us so abundantly!


May Our Most Holy Mother Mary, together with her Son, truly present in the Eucharist, guard and make these blessings grow in our hearts and in all the people of Vanimo and PNG. 

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