Diocese of Mendi Blessed with New Infrastructure

• Moses Ben

 

Mendi: The Catholic Diocese of Mendi celebrated on Friday 23rd August, the opening of their newly constructed Church and Priest’s house at the Saint Joseph's upper Mendi Parish of Ekari, Southern Highlands.

 

The celebration had as its main celebrant Bishop of Mendi Dioceses, Bp Donald Lippert OFM, priests, religious sisters and invited guests.

 

In his homily during the mass, Bp Donald said that each person’s heart was a home and temple to Christ, and much preparation and dedication was needed by everyone in housing Christ into their lives. “We need to prepare ourselves to receive the Holy Spirit in our lives and our communities to continue the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, because we are God's temple and God's Spirit lives in us,” he said. 

 

He added, “Things we own and enjoy on earth are there for us to use, but we also have to prepare ourselves for life in Christ.”

 

Parish priest Fr Alberto Dawas, thanked Bp Donald for assisting with funds necessary to address the aftermath of the 7.5 magnitude earth quake that destroyed homes and infrastructure on 26th February 2018.

 

He extended his gratitude to the local carpenter and constructor Mr Lucas Martin for his generous help and support, and thanked God for receiving these blessings.

 

More than 1000 people from Christian communities around the different parishes and different denominations came together to celebrate and witness the blessing and opening of the new priest house and church.