Prayers of SVD
May the darkness of sin
and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word
and the Spirit of grace
and may the Heart of Jesus live
in the hearts of all people.
(Saint Arnold Janssen)
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Papua New Guinea
The journey took over three days from Warsaw to Port Moresby. I left Poland on Friday at 3 pm and arrived in Papua New Guinea on Monday morning. It is not only a change of continent, but above all a leap into a different world. Fortunately, I already knew a bit about life in Asia. So I didn't experience culture shock this time.
First, there was a transfer in Dubai, where I was waiting for the next connection to Singapore. Everything went smoothly here. However, after arriving in Singapore, it turned out that unfortunately the flight to Papua was canceled that day. The Emirates provided transportation for all passengers to a hotel in the city center. We spent almost the whole day waiting. On Sunday, I concelebrated Holy Mass in the cathedral. There were plenty of people. A beautiful liturgy with the choir singing in Latin. Everything made a very good impression on me.
On Sunday afternoon, we went back to the airport to fly to Port Moresby (PNG) after a long wait. This time we succeeded, but again not without adventures. We actually landed after 6 hours of flight, but upon arrival, it turned out that many passengers did not have their luggage. What a disappointment, because after a long journey, everyone would like to rest and put on new clothes. Only the airport staff ensured that the luggage will definitely arrive at the destination, but it is not known when.
The Catholic Theological Institute is located near the capital of the country in Bomana. Many students come from various religious congregations, and also seminarians from all dioceses in Papua New Guinea. I am going to teach them Church History and Patristics, i.e. about the Fathers of the Church. The SVD community welcomed me very warmly. The confreres come from Poland, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the seminarians are locals. Around 10 people. The president is Father Zenon Szabłowiński, a Polish SVD member. Among the lecturers there are Poles, Americans and Papuans. Everything works properly. Greetings from Papua New Guinea.