-       Cl Francis Mallol and Fr Ambrose Pereira 

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Boroko, Port Moresby, 25th May 2020: Venue at Emmaus Conference Center, DBTI campus Boroko. 

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The Salesians and religious of the Salesian Family gathered to celebrate the Feast of Mary Help of Christians, a day after Ascension Sunday. Archbishop Kurian Mathew Vayalunkal, Apostolic Nuncio for Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands and Bishop Francis Meli, Bishop of Vanimo were present for the celebrations.

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The evening celebration commenced with the second vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians. The evening prayers were animated by the Savio Haus Aspirantate community. Bishop Francis Meli, Bishop of Vanimo imparted the Blessing of Mary Help of Christians at the conclusion of the evening prayer. 

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This was followed by the delicious dinner coordinate by Fr Srimal Priyanga together with international dishes from the different communities. This was the first time, since the lockdown, that all the Salesian Family religious of Port Moresby gathered for a celebration. It was a time for the Salesian Family to enjoy their friendship together and to strengthen their love for the mission of the young. 

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The Apostolic Nuncio gave the good night to the gathering and highlighted the following three points:

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1.     He thanked the Salesian family who have come together as one to celebrate the Feast day together as family. The bond of unity and togetherness is very important. 

2.     He congratulated the Salesians for the 40 years of their presence in Papua New Guinea and the great contribution of technical education for the country. He acknowledged the pioneer Salesians who came to Papua New Guinea and made a special mention of Fr. Valeriano Barbero sdb, pioneer who commenced the work in PNG with the first institution at Araimiri.

3.     He reminded the gathering that the Blessed Virgin Mary does not wait for an invitation. “She sees the need and reaches out to help. She is always available to assist others”, he said. He challenged the Salesian family to be like Mary, always ready to do the fulfil the mission by reaching out to help those in need.

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The celebration concluded with Bishop Francis Meli, Bishop of Vanimo giving the final blessings to the Salesian family. 

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The Novena of Mary Help of Christians was celebrated at the different residences with a rosary together on the 24thMay. This was followed by the blessing of Mary Help of Christians by Fr Eduardo Revilla sdb.