On 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Eminence Luis Cardinal Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, celebrated Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Tinputz, Bougainville. The Mass was the deanery’s celebration of the wider diocesan jubilee marking the 125th anniversary of the arrival of the Catholic faith to Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Pope Leo XIV had delegated Cardinal Tagle to represent the Holy See at the jubilee.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Tinputz is part of the Congregation of Holy Cross’s Holy Family Mission in Papua New Guinea, which was established just over a year ago in March 2025. It was Cardinal Tagle who had recommended that Holy Cross establish its new mission in Papua New Guinea, so the fact that his schedule allowed him to preside at the Mass in Tinputz was a great sign of blessing and grace for the Holy Cross missionaries.
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“Though Holy Cross has been here only for a year and a half, by God's grace, we were able to be part of this great historic and graceful moment,” said Fr. Amalraj, C.S.C., Pastor. “What made it truly extraordinary was to witness under one roof, in the very parish where Holy Cross serves as pastor, the three persons most significant to our mission—Cardinal Luis Tagle, who sent us to Bougainville, Bishop Dariusz Kałuża, who welcomed us, and Brother Paul, our Superior General. In seeing them together, we could truly feel that the Lord’s blessings are very much present here, and that all the graces we receive are the fruit of both the great missionary sacrifice made 125 years ago and the prayers of our Congregation.”
Present for the Jubilee Mass was the Congregation’s Superior General, Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., who timed his canonical visit to the Holy Family Mission so as to participate in the 125th Jubilee.
There were also five other bishops who joined Cardinal Tagle and concelebrated the Mass, including the Most Rev. Dariusz Kałużia, M.S.F., Bishop of the Diocese of Bougainville.
Cardinal Tagle, Br. Paul, the five bishops, and the other dignitaries were greeted on their arrival in Tinputz by the local faithful with a beautiful procession of song, dance, and chanting that led them up the parish. There they were given the ceremonial washing and welcome, which are a part of the local customs.
The Mass itself was marked by beautiful music and dance, especially at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word and the offertory to mark the start of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In his homily, Cardinal Tagle preached on the glorious mysteries of the rosary and how Mary leads all of us to her Son, Jesus Christ.
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On his return to Buka that afternoon, Cardinal Tagle briefly stopped at Christ the King Parish in Hantoa, which is the other original parish of the Congregation’s Holy Family Mission. There the cardinal spoke briefly and gave his blessing to the parishioners gathered to welcome him.
“My participation in the 125th Jubilee of Catholicism in Bougainville was for me a moment of great joy and pride. I believe having our Sacred Heart Parish chosen for the Mass for the local deanery celebration is a great tribute to our Holy Cross missionaries and to their vibrant integration into the life of the diocese,” said Br. Bednarczyk.
“Seeing Cardinal Luis Tagle, who was instrumental in our founding of the mission, celebrate the Jubilee Masses and meet with our missionaries once again, and witnessing the faith of the people and their love for our Holy Cross men, were blessings I will long remember,” he said.
The following day, 16 August, the entire Holy Cross community, along with Br. Bednarczyk, traveled to the diocesan center in Hahela to participate in the diocesan-wide celebration and Mass for the 125th Jubilee. With hundreds of people standing outside, the cathedral was filled as Cardinal Tagle presided at Mass. Also present was Archbishop Maurizio Bravi, Apostolic Nuncio to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The Cardinal recalled the early missionaries who brought the faith to Bougainville and how it was now incumbent upon all Christians to carry on their legacy as missionary disciples.
A celebratory meal and cultural program with singing, dancing, and speeches from representative groups from each deanery in the diocese followed the Mass. It was a festive “parish picnic” atmosphere as families and various parish communities came together to enjoy the beautiful weather and to celebrate a significant milestone in the history of the local Church.
“The visit of Cardinal Tagle to Tinputz and Hantoa was a great blessing to the Holy Family Mission in Bougainville,” said Fr. Thomas John, C.S.C., Superior of the Holy Family Mission. “His presence, together with our Superior General, Br. Paul Bednarczyk, who commissioned us in Rome with a clarion call to go forth as missionaries, has strengthened our conviction that our presence in Papua New Guinea is truly part of God’s greater plan and a prompting of the Holy Spirit.”