“Trust in Mary Help of Christians and you will see what miracles are!”
PORT MORESBY: 24th August 2007 -- These words of Don Bosco have been available to read at the ground-floor chapel of the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in East Boroko, Port Moresby, PNG already for a few month. The construction of the ‘Basilica of MHC’ as it is called by not a few of PNG's bishops is approaching the successful and smooth conclusion. Hopefully on the 28th of this month the arrival of the 5 bells – a donation from Fr Val's home parish (Valeriano Barbero, the PNG-SI Delegation Economer, in charge of the construction since 2004) that will hang on the not yet finished ‘tower’ will be the crown of the whole East Boroko compound . Fr. Val is happy for 3 reasons: with his 20 local workers, some of them already with Don Bosco for more than 20 years and his Filipino supervisor, until now the construction is going smoothly: nobody of the workers has been injured, and he is proceeding with no debts). It will be the second shrine to be built under Fr.Val's guidance – the first was the Paranaque Shrine of MHC in Manila.
The two story building in the shape of a large boat, symbol of the Church, is already finished in terms of its rough outside construction, but the inside works are still going on. The large boat can accommodate as many as 1000 people and was already used at Christmas 2006 and the Easter Triduum in 2007, in place of the 'open air' outdoor gymnasium of DBTI.
The main sanctuary looks 'warm' – wood-clad walls and especially the locally made ‘stained-glass’ (actually oil painting on plastic-glass’ – the masterpiece of a PNG artist from the Highlands) are almost finished – 7 large windows (4 metres high) with motifs of the life of Jesus, another side with 7 windows from the life of Mary, and at the back (but still missing), there will be Don Bosco, Mary Mazarello and the Sacred Heart). Of course, the Shrine will centre on the wooden statute of the RISEN LORD, to show the typical Salesian spirituality.
The blessing of the Church is scheduled for next April 2008, just 28 years after the arrival of the Salesians in PNG (the first parish was in Araimiri, Gulf Province with a modest Church of MHC built at the beginning), and as an expression of gratitude to the Protection of Our Lady and the pledge to be faithful to Don Bosco's mission in the future.
The recent 5th World Congress on Mary Help of Christians, just concluded in Mexico City, was attended by members of ADMA (the Association of Mary Help of Christians) from the Philippines. Australia as a nation and a province is dedicated to Mary Help of Christians. Benedict XVI has recently asked Catholics worldwide to pray every 24th of the month for the Church in China.
There is little doubt that Don Bosco's vision of Mary in the history of salvation was far-sighted.
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