Better late than never!‏

I sent this out 3 weeks before, then the modem died, but some of the news is still good with some additions, so here goes again……………

Dear All,

Special greetings from PNG! How are you doing? Still celebrating the “new life” of the Easter Season as well as spring in many of your areas??? Yes, the liturgies are so rich at this time! Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity Sunday on which the Archdiocese will celebrate 75 years of the Church in the Highlands area, there will be only one Mass celebrated in the area in which the first missionaries settled.

Yes, the faith is very young in our area of PNG! The Mass was beautiful and well prepared and attended!Saturday the students will have their May crowning of Mary prepared and executed by the grade 12 students. This was one of our best! So prayerful! The student who wrote the best on her love for Mary was a Lutheran and so she crowned Mary.

Last Saturday we had a wonderful and beautiful celebration of Sister Mary dePorres’ golden Jubilee – 50 years as a Sister!!! After a lunch with the invited priest and sisters of the diocese, we had a meaningful and beautiful celebration of the Mass in the parish church. Since Sister has spent much time working with the ladies of our parish, many parishioners, teachers, and students came for the celebration.

Our Archbishop was the main celebrant and talked about the relay that now is the time that someone else takes the stick and run in consecrated life. The day concluded with a short program. I’m sure that Sister felt many blessings that day!

The day before the Jubilee the students celebrated St. Julie’s Day with an opening school Mass followed by “war cries”, games, picnic lunch and a choral sing off in the evening! It was a very enjoyable day for all, but I was surprised how much energy was still bubbling over when it was time for bed!!!

Over the past month we have had 3 ordinations in our Archdiocese. The first was of a doctor from the USA who was ordained as a diocesan priest. He has been here for about 6 years. Last week two more National men were ordained as SOLT priests. I think they are the first for this community. With the SVD missionaries getting older, it is now necessary to depend on our National priest to carry the Gospel to their people.

Things happen so quickly and can change the way things are “suppose” to go! There was a killing in Banz and 3 of our teachers are affected since the man killed is from further down on our road in the Baiyer valley. Two of the teachers lost a week or two of school and my deputy principal has not been able to return to school because it is not “safe” to be away from the safety of their tribe. One never knows in the land of the unexpected!

This weekend the students went home if they wanted to so it is so much more quiet with only 80 students around! This marks the half of the term. The last chance for the grade 10 and 12 students to get their internal marks for their certificates!!! Now we are in the last week of term 2 – how fast time is flying!!! The week after next 1000 ladies from the Jubilee Christian Fellowship will have their national meeting here – so we will clean and clean some more next week!!! But there will still be 5 periods of school each day ~~~ You may say the advantage of having boarders!!!!!

Our gardens are doing great! We spent less on veggies this term than I usually did for one week!!! And our 3 agriculture teachers are gaining confidence plowing so this will surely speed the planting process!

Our dorm is coming along. The painting is in process, beds and cupboards are ready to be put in. But I wish it were faster!!! We will host 1000 women from all over PNG for the 1st week of the next break from the Christian Fellowship Church, so we need every bed we can get!!! Many will sleep in the classrooms on the floor since there are only 600 beds. PNG style!!! Our dorm is almoooooooost finished ~~~ I said that we will move in next Thursday! I’m still hoping!!!

After the Archdiocese’s celebration, Sr M. Magdalyn and I will travel to Port Moresby for the Catholic Secondary Principals’ Meeting and the religion coordinators. This is our 3rd one and it is always very enriching and informative! It was a great experience! Rain and coolness surprised us in Moresby ~~~ it is usually quite hot!

If I make this too long, you won’t persevere to end, so………..

Love and blessings,

SMVivette
Sister Mary Vivette Baker, S.N.D.
Notre Dame Secondary School
P.O. Box 164
Mt. Hagen, W.H.P. 281
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Phone: 675-542-2150
Fax: 675-542-2175

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