His Eminence Luis Cardinal Tagle, Pro-Perfect of the Dicastery for Evangelization's Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches, celebrated Mass at the Holy Cross Generalate on the morning of Tuesday, August 13, with the General Administration and the Congregation of Holy Cross’s eight pioneering missionaries to the Diocese of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. The Mass, held in the Generalate’s Notre Dame de Sainte-Croix Chapel, was the official opening of the missionaries’ two-week orientation program in Rome, Italy.
It is the Dicastery for Evangelization and Cardinal Tagle that recommended Papua New Guinea to the Congregation after Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., Superior General, and Fr. Emmanuel Kallarackal, C.S.C., reached out in November 2022 to inquire where the Congregation could best serve the needs of the Church. Just four months prior, the Congregation’s 2022 General Chapter had recommended “the General Administration work with jurisdictional leaders to explore possibilities for ministries in new countries in alignment with Congregational Mission priorities.”
Watch the video of the Superior General announcing the new mission
At the start of his homily, Cardinal Tagle expressed his “great joy” at being able to preside at the Mass and see the “fruits” of his 2022 conversation with Br. Bednarczyk. He thanked the Congregation for reaching out to the dicastery to discern its new missionary territory and spoke of how this process of mutual discernment could serve a model for other congregations.
“We [in the dicastery] could be a bridge, we could provide information where there is a great need for missionaries and where the charism of a congregation or society would be needed and hopefully could flourish,” he said.
The Cardinal proceed to offer a moving reflection on the Scripture readings for the occasion, focusing in particular on Luke 10 and Jesus’s sending out of the disciples “like lambs.” He closed by expressing to the missionaries his “hope that you will remain lambs, vulnerable, simple, teachable, people who can be guided by the Spirit and who can be guided whom we will serve. In the end, we will receive more from them than we are able to give to them. They have an insight into Jesus and the gospel. They are the little ones, they are the simple ones, and they can give testimony of Jesus to us, as we also can give testimony to them.”
Following the Mass, Cardinal Tagle stayed for coffee and pastries with the missionaries and the General Administration. During the conversation, he shared more of his wisdom and insights regarding the challenges as well as the graces of the Church’s missionary work. Before leaving, he gave a special blessing to the eight missionaries.
"Our new mission to Papua New Guinea began with a conversation with Cardinal Tagle about the greatest need in the Church for religious today. It was an honor and privilege to have the Cardinal celebrate the Eucharist today with the fruit of that conversation: our eight, pioneering missionaries who will lead our new mission in Bougainville this fall,” said Br. Bednarczyk. “As he wanted Holy Cross to be a missionary congregation, I truly believe that our Founder, Blessed Basile Moreau, has been guiding our efforts in this mission, and I am sure he will continue to intercede for the success of this missionary endeavor.”
For the next two weeks, the new missionaries will participate in an orientation program to prepare them for their new mission in Bougainville. In addition to members of the Holy Cross General Administration, religious from other congregations with missionary experience, including in the Diocese of Bougainville itself, will serve as presenters and facilitators.
Learn more about the Congregation's new mission to Papua Nea Guinea
The missionary team consists of four Holy Cross Brothers and four Holy Cross Priests. The missionaries come from seven different jurisdictions of the Congregation and hail from five different countries of origin. No pioneering missionary team in the Congregation’s history has ever been that diverse.
The eight missionaries are: Br. John Agyemang Amponsah, C.S.C., and Br. Francis Afeletey, C.S.C., from the Province of West Africa in Ghana; Br. Chayan Victor Corraya, C.S.C., from the St. Joseph Province in Bangladesh; Br. James Walters, C.S.C., from the United States Province of Priests and Brothers; Fr. Emmanuel Agaba, C.S.C., from the Province of East Africa in Uganda; Fr. Amalraj Arockiyam, C.S.C., from the Province of Tamil Nadu in India; Fr. Thomas John, C.S.C., from the Province of North East India; and Fr. Boneventure Lobo, C.S.C., from the Province of South India.
“From what we heard from the Cardinal, I have a clearer picture of what lies ahead and a stronger eagerness to go and serve,” said Br. Afeletey. “There have already been many new experiences for me here in Italy. This is helping to prepare me, as many more new experiences await us in Bougainville. What excites me is the impact that we can have working side by side with the people.”
“I feel privileged to be a part of this mission,” said Fr. Boneventure. “From my childhood I had a dream of being a missionary. I wanted to go to lots of places to serve. To be a part of this new mission is really a gift of the Holy Spirit, and I feel privileged. I am very happy to be here in Rome, to meet my companions, and to begin our preparations for the mission in Bougainville.”
The orientation program will end on Friday, August 23, with a special commissioning ceremony led by Br. Bednarczyk. The plan is for the new missionaries to begin arriving in Papua New Guinea before the end of the year. Preparing the way for them will be Pope Francis, who as part of his 45th apostolic journey abroad, will be visiting Papua New Guinea from September 6-9. The trip also includes Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.