Project MAST

Summing Up ... Winding Down ... Signing Off

2010-07-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

The outline of the MAST program for 2010 rendered in Bro. Tim's "Chalkboard 8.0"

Summing Up . . .

Rooted in Christ: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believe in him may not die but have eternal life." John 3:16. The vertical axis of the cross reminds us of God's desire to be in relationship with his people going back to the covenant with Abraham. In the mystery of the incarnation and the resurrection, we encounter God's love made flesh for all eternity. As St. Athanasius said more than 1500 years ago: Christ became man so that man might become God.

The horizontal axis of the cross calls us beyond selfishness to personal conversion and a life in communion with our brothers and sisters. "We love because God loved us first. We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, if we do not love our brothers and sisters, whom we have seen." 1John 4:20

Radiating to Eternity: The life that we live now ripples through time and eternity. Faith and knowledge must complement each other if we are to live in truth. Morality, what it takes to live a good life, and discipline, the cost of real freedom, express our commitment to the truth of Christ in our daily life: "He who said 'I am the way,' shapes us anew in his own image." St. Gregory of Nyssa; "All the way to heaven is heaven, for he said 'I am the way.'" St. Therese of Lisieux

Winding Down . . .

Before heading home to the US, we "kidnapped" Bishop Chris for some forced relaxation at Palm Cove in far northern Queensland, Australia. Since everything is reversed in Australia, people go north in July to escape the winter!

Rest and relaxation, time to share both prayer and good food, and some quality family time for the Cardone brothers made our few days in this beautiful place worthwhile in so many ways.

Signing Off . . .

The adventure is over. The bags are unpacked. Yet so many memories and impressions linger from the wonderful experience of the past seven weeks. We hope that you have enjoyed sharing them with us, and we thank you for your support and prayers.

How do we bring it all to a conclusion? I think that these words from the Jesuit theologian Teilhard de Chardin that I discovered while reading one rainy afternoon in Uhu put things in the right perspective for all of us on the value of "Solomon time:"

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.

We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We would like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability-- and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually-- let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undo haste. Don't try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.

Only God can say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

Amen!

May the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be glorified in all places through the Immaculate Virgin Mary!

May all our journeys bring us closer to to the Lord and to each other. Thanks for taking to the road with us. Blessings on your own journeys.

Fr. Tom & Bro. Tim

A Place of Peace

2010-07-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

Fanualama, which means "Place of Peace," is the name of Diocese of Auki's residential property. Besides Bishop Chris's house, the campus includes a conference room, a rest house for the priests of the diocese, a convent for the Dominican Sisters, houses for some of the diocesan workers, and the chapel of Our Lady of Fanualama, Our Lady of Peace. Fanualama is indeed a tranquil place, although it can be very lively at times thanks to the many young children of the diocesan workers who live and pray alongside the bishop, priests and sisters.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Fanualama is at the center of the little community. Mass is celebrated each morning, and in the evening young and old gather for evening prayer and rosary. The Dominican sisters have taught the youngest children all the prayers, and they can even sing the Ave Maria in Latin.

Three Dominicans: One of the other visitors to Fanualama during our stay was Sr. Judith Lawson, the new Prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Australia and the Solomon Islands who was making her first visit to the Solomons. With Sr. Judy and Bishop Chris is Sr. Jenny, the superior of the community of three young sisters in the St. Rose of Lima Convent at Fanualama.

Good News In Education

2010-07-31T07:02:00.001-07:00

St. John the Evangelist School in Dala is part of the good news of Catholic education in the Solomons. The school was founded by the Marists in the 1950s. Like all the schools in the Solomons, St. John's became part of the government education system at the time of independence in 1978. As we have noted, government supervision of the schools has been a disaster, and in recent years the churches have assumed responsibility for running schools once again.

In February 2009, St. John's at Dala became the first Catholic school in the Diocese of Auki. In January 2010 a community of three Marists returned to bring a distinctly Catholic environment to the school. Remarkable things have happened in the past two years. The high school has added four new classrooms and a science center, all built by local Dala craftsmen. A grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes has been restored and art work has been added around the school grounds. Responding to the school's new motto of "Faith & Responsibility," both attendance and behavior have improved significantly, and higher achievement has followed. The students at St. John's are looking forward to great things!

Two Marianists and a Marist: Bro. Philip is from Malaita and is pleased to be pioneering Catholic education on his home island. The similarities between the Marists and the Marianists, both known officially as the Society of Mary, are many, going back to the foundation of both congregations at the same time in post-revolutionary France. Like Fr. Chaminade, Fr. Colon, the founder of the Marists, had a missionary heart. While Fr. Chaminade's mission was to re-Christianize his homeland, Fr. Colon answered the call for missionaries to go to Oceania, the last area of the world to receive the Gospel. Both Marianists and Marists have always seen education as one of the most effective means of evangelization. The martyr St. Peter Chanel is the best known of the courageous and faithful Marists who left their homes in Europe to bring Christianity to the islands of the Pacific.

How to "Motu"

2010-07-31T06:29:00.001-07:00

The traditional Solomon Island method of cooking is known as "motu." First stones are heated in a fire. Using paddles and large wooden tongs, the stones are arranged in a circle. Peeled root vegetables (yams, sweet potatoes, cassava, or taro, the local favorite) are placed in the circle of hot stones.

The potatoes are covered with a layer of hot stones forming an oven.

Finally, banana leaves are layered over the whole thing in alternating directions to seal the motu oven. The leaves preserve the heat and also add some moisture to the process, resulting in potatoes that are both steamed and roasted.

After several hours, the stones have cooled, the process is reversed and the roasted potatoes can be removed. The final results are delicious -- soft and moist on the inside and delightfully smoky and crisp on the outside. Fish wrapped in banana leaves is also cooked on the stones, as are the local "puddings," a polenta-like dish made by grinding potatoes with coconut milk and steaming them among the "motu."

If it seems like these ladies are doing a lot of work for a simple meal, consider that before they can begin this cooking process, they have to dig up the potatoes, cut and carry the firewood, gather banana leaves, build a fire and move all those stones several times. Think of this the next time you stand impatiently in front of the microwave waiting for 2 minutes to pass!

Lilesiana Sunday

2010-07-27T04:39:00.001-07:00

We spent our last Sunday in the Solomons (July 18) at Lilesiana, a village of 1200 people adjacent to Auki. The LangaLanga people who live in the village are fishermen and boat builders, and the village is built above a shallow inlet like a tropical Venice. Many people paddled to Mass in small wooden dugout canoes.

Besides the sea, the people of Lilesiana love music and laughter, and a visit to the community is always filled with joy and song. The Mass was no exception; a beaming Fr. Tom was literally dancing at the altar during part of the Mass.

Fr. Tom and a band of altar servers. The bearded man in the background is Abraham, the village catechist. Because there are no priests residing in most villages, the faith communities are led by laymen like Abraham who lead daily prayers and instruct the children in the faith.

Local "wildflowers" decorated the altar.

To Jesus through Mary: Bro. Tim and some young supporters of the Marianists

The choir at Lilesiana led by Stephen and his brother Stanley

Small World Note #3: When we turned on the radio Sunday morning to get the news, the song playing was "Change of Heart," performed by Mr. Alex Basile and the students of Kellenberg Memorial High School. The CDs by the Kellenberg musicians are very popular here. "Cover" versions of their songs are performed in many different churches, and the songs are often requested on the national radio station's gospel music programs.

Auki Town

2010-07-27T04:22:00.001-07:00

The Auki Wharf bustles with people, trucks and ships.

Auki town with a population of 4,000, is the 3rd largest town in the Solomons after Honiara and Gizo. The town centers on the wharf where ships and barges arrive almost every day loaded with passengers and cargo, and the adjacent market. People flock to the market for fresh produce, the daily catch of fish and the latest news. About dozen shops offer rice, the favorite food of the Solomons and a variety of cheap Chinese goods and secondhand clothing. Auki is the capital of the island province, of Malaita; government offices provide most of the employment in the town. The only paved road on the island begins at the wharf and extends about 10 km to the airport. Electric lines run along the main road as far as the hospital, about 3km. Mobile phone service is available, but the villages in the hills surrounding the town are still communicating using drums and conch shells. Schools and churches make up the rest of the services in the town.

Kilufi Hospital, the only hospital on the island, serves a population of 150,000 people with only 2 doctors. The dedicated staff of nurses does the best they can, but only the most basic medical services are provided and medicine is always in short supply. When sick or injured patients can get to the hospital, they must bring their own food and bedding. In the fall, a team of volunteer surgeons from the US will visit Auki with a mobile operating room, the first such visit in many years.

The newest and largest building in the town is the prison, a monument to misguided foreign aid. The state-of-the-art prison, constructed across from the decaying structures of the Auki primary school, was built by the Australian government as part of their program of promoting law and order. The prison cost 70 million Solomon dollars, enough money to build almost 200 news school buildings. The prisoners have a higher standard of living than almost everyone else on the island. One more irony: the first "prisoner," a youth arrested for stealing, escaped within hours by shimmying up a light post, climbing out on the arc of the lamp, and dropping over the razor wire fence to freedom!

The Auki Market

The churches are the most vibrant and active institutions in Auki. After the shops and the government buildings, the road is lined with churches: the Anglicans, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the South Seas Evangelical Church, the Seventh Day Adventists. The Cathedral of St. Augustine (below) center of is the Catholic life for the town and the diocese.

Parting Shots from Uhu

2010-07-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

Simon Says "Do This": Fr. Tom created something of a craze among the children with this simple game. Every child over 3 is now able to say "Do-dis." It took a while for some kids to get the gist of the game, but night and day they never got tired of playing. Fr. Tom used the game as the theme for his last homily in the packed Uhu church-- Jesus says "do this."

The choir for the closing Mass at Uhu. Besides the guitar, accompaniment was provided by conch shell and traditional wooden drums made by hollowing out a log. All the songs were sung in the people's local language using a melodies and a distinctive style of harmony that was brought by some of the earliest Marist missionaries 100 years ago.

St. Peter, along with St. Paul the patron of the church, surrounded by some of the beautiful local flowers and leaves. The pink hibiscus blossoms are very common, but the tiny white orchids seen above St. Peter's left shoulder are very rare and grow in the bush. Solomon Islanders are just beginning to cultivate these and other unusual orchids for sale and export.

O Captain, My Captain

2010-07-25T05:29:00.001-07:00

Captain Morro and a young pilot bring us safely home to Auki.

One of the legends of our visits to Auki is Lui Morrosini, known to all as Captain Morro. For more than 10 years Morro has been the driver of the bishop's boat all around Malaita. Morro has accompanied Bishop Chris and his predecessor, Bishop Gerald Loft, on all their pastoral visits to the villages of the diocese, and is often referred to as the "auxiliary bishop of Auki," the eyes and ears of the diocese. Morro knows everyone and all their stories, stories he relates with a master raconteur's skill and timing. Morro likes nothing better than talking and laughing long into the night. A great-hearted man with a very hearty laugh, Morro's best stories are always told at his own expense.

Morro has been a great friend to the Brothers during our visits to Auki, our guardian and protector on sea and land. He proudly wears his Marianist "uniform," the yellow shirts we leave behind after each MAST program, on special occasions. A talented singer, Morro eagerly awaits the arrival of a new CD from the Kellenberg students and then teaches the songs to the young people in his village.

Here's a classic Morro story: Back in the late '90s, he was driving an Australian priest around the diocese for a renewal program. In one village a man named Francis insisted on serving as translator from English into the local language called LangaLanga. (This is Morro's language as well.) Unfortunately, Francis's English was not very precise. At one point in his talk, the priest described how a thousand years ago monks were already telling the story of Jesus as missionaries. Francis told the congregation that a long time ago monkeys in the trees knew how to speak about Jesus. The people were confused but listened politely. At the end of his talk, Father announced that their would be an all-night vigil in the church. Later in the evening hundreds of people arrived. Father was delighted at first, but the people were soon disappointed, even disgruntled. Francis had told them there would be all-night videos!

Morro and friends with Bishop Chris's "canoe," the John Paul II and its 40 horse engine.

School Matters

2010-07-25T05:04:00.001-07:00

Quality education is one of the greatest needs in the Solomons. Decaying classrooms, a surging population of children and far too few trained teachers create an almost desperate situation in most places in the country.

Uhh village takes education very seriously and in the past few years they have built a high school and expanded the primary school. The classroom above from the expanded primary school is considered to be of a very high standard in the Solomons. Even with all this support and development, the classrooms are overcrowded. The students sit on the floor; the desk in corner is for the teacher. The lists of sounds and words you can see on the wall are the chief means of instruction. There are very few books in any school. Younger students learn by rote repetition. Older students copy their lessons into small notebooks. Chalk, when it is available, is the most advanced teaching technology.

Even more serious is the lack of teacher preparation. There is no university in the country. The Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) offers a two-year certification program for teachers, but the college suffers from the same lack of resources as the village schools. The "trained" teachers are not nearly enough to staff the schools, so the government pays hundreds of "untrained" teachers, basically young men and women who have just finished high school and are willing to stand in front of a classroom, sometimes only for the salary.

Despite these enormous obstacles, many teachers and parents are committed to improving education. Dedicated and creative teachers display enormous ingenuity in creating the resources they lack. Parents are looking to the Church to take leadership in education, and, like the people of Uhu, are using their own resources to build and develop schools. Everywhere there are bright young people eager to learn, if only there were teachers to bring them the knowledge they crave. The future of the Solomon Islands depends on these children, but their schools and government are failing them in so many ways.

Some of the schoolboys of Uhu in their classroom.

There are some signs of hope. Thanks to the initiative of Bishop Chris and the support of so many of you, our MAST program has brought encouragement and development to some these struggling teachers. A clearer sense of the mission of Catholic education is growing throughout the Solomons, with both teachers and parents recognizing their responsibility for the quality of education in their villages.

Please pray for these efforts, but, more importantly, pray for all those children.

A Three-Hour Tour

2010-07-24T04:35:00.001-07:00

One afternoon during our stay in Uhu, we set out with Captain Morro for a "Gilligan's Island" style tour of the the AreAre Lagoon, enjoying the scenery and visiting a few of the dozens of small islands that make up the lagoon. According to Solomon "kastom" (custom), you need to ask permission of the people who own the islands before visiting them, so we stopped at a few villages along the way to make this courtesy call. Most of the islands are uninhabited, but sometimes a few families live on a small island and have to carry fresh water back from the mainland each day in their wooden dugout canoes.

Solomon Islanders will visit the islands to fish or search for fruits and greens, but never just for swimming. Lounging on the beach and splashing in the sea for relaxation are definitely a white man's idea of a tropical afternoon. While Fr. Tom and I enjoyed the beach, Morro and our local guide Stephen went into the bush and gathered a few coconuts.

MAST Workshop in Uhu

2010-07-24T03:31:00.000-07:00

July 11-15: Thirty teachers and members of the Uhu community joined us for the MAST workshop in southern Malaita. Many other teachers were unable to attend because of the difficulty and expense of travel. A gallon of petrol, when it is available, costs about $100 Solomon dollars ($15 US), almost a week's wages for a teacher. Most of the teachers from outside the village walked for many hours to get to the workshop. Some brought their babies and small children along.

Bright-eyed and bushy-haired -- one of the younger participants in our workshop.

Teachers in the more rural places like Uhu and south Malaita are often isolated and lack even the scant resources available in the larger towns like Auki. The participants in our program this week, like Sr. Margaret from Rokera and Gorrethy, a nurse and health educator (below), were very eager to learn as much as they could from us and from each other. Questions overflowed from the classroom into breaks and lunch, and then to after-dinner sessions on the veranda of the house where we were staying. Almost 200 people from the village joined us on the evening when we showed a film about Mary's apparitions at Fatima in 1917 called The 13th Day.

One of the most popular features of the workshops over the years are the "door prizes." At the end of each morning's sessions small prizes like stickers and markers are handed out by pulling numbers and comparing them with the registration list. This is a technique that I learned from Sr. Melanie Swaboda at a Chaminade faculty retreat years ago. Besides being a lot of fun after a long morning's work, the door prizes teach a good theological lesson. Grace, Sr. Melanie explained, is like a door prize: You can't earn it, you don't have to buy a ticket, you don't need to know the right answer. You get it for free, but you must be paying attention and be present to win. And like grace, there are more than enough prizes for everyone.

Since this was the last workshop for this year, we pulled some "grand prizes" on the last morning and gave away all the supplies from the program: our inflatable globe, a big bag of office supplies, all the extra stickers, etc. The "grandest" of prizes came at the end. The lucky number could choose between a poster of an icon of the crucifixion or a bag of gold leaf which had been used to explain about icons as sacred images of the holy and windows into heaven. (When the gold leaf had been passed around earlier in the week as part of the lesson, everyone had been nearly ecstatic to touch real gold.)

Hicksley, the young man in the maroon shirt at the center of the photo below, was the lucky winner but he was faced with a difficult choice -- choose the cross or choose the gold. He deliberated a few minutes while everyone shouted advice. In the end, Hicksley choose the cross and I gave him the gold as well. Now there's a theological lesson for us all. Choose the gold and you may loose the cross. Choose the cross and the gold will follow. Not a bad way to end our MAST workshops for this year.

Jubilee Mass

2010-07-24T03:09:00.000-07:00

July 10: Before leaving for Uhu, we joined Bishop Chris and the community at St. Augustine's Cathedral in Auki for Sunday Mass. In honor of Fr. Tom's silver jubilee as a priest, the youth of the parish had prepared a joyful and festive liturgy featuring lively and spirited music and dance. The parishioners were delighted to have their bishop and his "real-brother' concelebrating Mass. Afterwards, just about everyone in the congregation lined up to shake hands with us and offer Fr. Tom their congratulations.

"Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory

and honor is yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen."

At the Mass, Fr. Tom was surprised with the gift of a chalice and patten presented to the Auki community in honor of his 25th anniversary as a priest. Thanks to Bro. Richard for organizing this gift which was "smuggled" into the Solomon Islands wrapped in my rain gear.

Back in Business

2010-07-24T03:05:00.000-07:00

A good internet connection has been established. Look for more new posts in the days to come.

More to Come

2010-07-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

The internet connection here at Auki is slow and cranky this morning, so I'll sign off with this shot of some of the youngest residents of Uhu in their Sunday best. When we get a better connection we'll have more tales to tell and lots more photos to share.

We hope your summer days have been as richly blessed as our time has been. From what we hear it's been cooler here in the tropics than for all of you on East Coast of the US. Peace and refreshment to all!

UHU Village

2010-07-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

Two boys fishing at the entrance to Uhu village.

Sunday, July 10: After Mass at St. Augustine's Cathedral we climbed aboard a "canoe" for the four hour trip on the sea to Uhu village. Our trip was relatively smooth, and we arrived in the village about 3:00 in the afternoon.

Uhu is at the southern end of the Are Are lagoon. The sheltered waters of the lagoon offer good fishing and safe places for building houses and many small villages line the shoreline of Malaita (known as the "mainland") and the numerous barrier islands that separate the lagoon from the Pacific Ocean.

Uhu Island is home to about 100 families (700 people). There is no electrical power or mobile phone service. Water is piped over from the mainland to about 6 taps along the shoreline. Every morning, the "rush hour" is of children hurrying down to the taps to fill up a variety of bottles and jugs with the day's water. In the late afternoon, the taps are busy again as everyone gathers for their "swim," the local term for a wash-up. The families of the village live on the food that they grow in their gardens and on fishing. Dozens of pigs and chickens are a vibrant part of the community, wandering about freely all day long. At home we'd call them "free-range," but here they're just neighbors. Most of the homes are built of bamboo and palm leaves. We were lucky to stay in the house of Sirach and his family, one of the few wooden houses in the village. A solar battery powered one light for the house. Most of the villagers depend on kerosene lamps or their cooking fires for illumination.

When we arrived, Peter, the village catechist, greeted us and told us that the people were eagerly anticipating Sunday Mass. Uhu is at the southernmost part of the parish of Rohinari, and the priest is only able to come once every month or so. When the bell rang, people started coming from all over the village and the leaf church was soon filled to overflowing with even more people standing outside. The young people of the village had prepared a beautiful liturgy with all of the songs and Mass parts sung in the local language of AreAre. Everyone from small children to the very few older folks joined in the singing with great gusto. After Mass, everyone wanted to shake hands with the visiting white-men (arriko in AreAre). Fr. Tom kept asking the children "What's your name?" All they would do is echo back in reply "What's your name?" All week long as Fr. Tom walked through the village cries of "What's your name?" would greet him from every side.

Who's Counting?

2010-07-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

Please note:We've been out of internet reach for quite a while, so I'll date these entries as we go along to give you a better sense of how things have transpired over the past few weeks. -- Bro. Tim

July 9: Bishop Chris got up at 4AM to make this cake as a surprise for my birthday. I'm not saying how many more candles should be on top, but I have heard that birthdays celebrated on in another hemisphere and on the other side of the International Date Line do not count in your place of origin. With that "discount" the total would be well below the half century mark when I return home.

Pictures from the Don Bosco Workshop

2010-07-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

"Rooted in Christ, Radiating to Eternity" is the theme of this year's MAST workshop. This young Sunday school teacher from Holy Cross Cathedral certainly looks happy with the cross that she made as part of the program.

Just a few of the 133 teachers who attended the workshop with their MAST certificates.

Salesian Fr. Ambrose, the rector of Don Bosco Technical Institute in Honiara, with Fr. Tom and Bro. Tim. Fr. Ambrose has been a great friend to us in the Solomons, providing publicity, encouragement, food and shelter to the Brothers. When we arrived in early June, Fr. Ambrose helped us to retrieve (rescue would probably be a better word) eight boxes of books and supplies for this year's programs from the Stygian depths of the Solomon Post Office. After much hassle (and, of course, waiting) we were able to carry away all of our parcels, but only after paying a $100 Solomon "storage" fee!

By the Truckload!

2010-07-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

After a typical series of Solomon-style delays, we arrived in Honiara early on Sunday afternoon and were met at the airport by Fr. Ambrose, a Salesian priest who has been a good friend to the Marianists and Project MAST since our first visit to the Solomons in 2003. We settled in at the Don Bosco Technical Institute where our next program would be held beginning on Monday morning for Catholic teachers from around the Honiara area. The teachers in this area have been very highly motivated by earlier MAST Programs and a Catholic Teachers Sodality has been organized for the past few years. We were told to expect a good size crowd for our workshop, even though the dates included Solomon Islands Independence Day on July 7th.

Monday morning at 8 AM (American time!) the hall was ready and our registration table was set up. Teachers began arriving, and arriving, and arriving. Two busloads came from town, and then a pick-up truck filled to the brim with teachers from St. Joseph's School in near-by Tenaru. By 9am when we were ready to begin our program over 130 teachers had registered, the biggest crowd ever for a MAST workshop. Among the participants were quite a few teachers who had taken part at the very first teachers program that Bro. Ken and I gave at Kukum in 2003. There were teachers from all around the Archdiocese of Honiara. A dozen teachers had made the long journey from the island of Makira, famed for the quality of its bananas.

Happily, the hall at Don Bosco was large and well-ventilated so the crowd could be accommodated comfortably. There was even an excellent sound system so we did not have to shout to be heard by the large group, a good thing since the school is just across the road from the airport. We used a similar program to the themes we featured in Gizo, and the teachers responded very well. Cypriano Nu'ake, the Catholic education secretary, and Sr. Seselia, the moderator of the Catholic Teachers' Sodality, had asked us to speak on the topic of conversion. We used a small pamphlet based on St. Benedict's call for a change of life and change of heart. The group sharing was so intense that the teachers even delayed lunch time for more discussion.

Monday and Tuesday were full days from 8 in the morning until after 4 in the afternoon. Wednesday, the 32nd Solomon Independence Day, we began with a wrap-up session followed by Mass and a closing program. As always, everyone looked forward to receiving his or her certificate, but I was busy to the last moment "calligrahying" all the names! After a round of speeches and lunch, the teachers ended with a sports tournament. Teachers old and young enjoyed a friendly round of basketball and volleyball. The emphasis was much more on fun than on competition and peals of laughter and cheers resounded through the hall.

We celebrated Independence with a pot-luck supper from among all the residents of the Don Bosco compound. Besides us and Fr. Ambrose there were two volunteers from Australia, Carol and Jessica, several of the young teachers from the school and visitors from around the country who were attending a media seminar. No hot dogs or sparklers, but we shared "independence" stories and customs from India, Australia, Papua New Guinia, and the US and toasted the "peace, joy, progress and prosperity" that the national anthem of the Solomons hopes for the young country.

Thursday morning we flew to Auki -- right on schedule this time-- in Solomon Airlines 8-seater plane. This is like flying in a van with wings and I'm always amazed when it can take to the air and then stay there. Fr. Tom was praying the rosary during the half-hour flight, so we were truly flying on a wing and a prayer. Bishop Chris met us at the airport, along with the usual contingent of chickens and pigs.

Today, we're settled into Fanulama, Bishop's Chris's house, and enjoying being at our Solomon "home" for a few days. On Sunday we're off to the southern part of the island of Malatia for our next program.

Ad Multos Annos -- Fr. Tom's 25th Anniversary

2010-07-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

. Father Tom with some of the faithful altar boys of Gizo: Desmond, Chris and Adrian.

On July 5th, Fr. Thomas Cardone celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination as a Marianist priest. In those years Fr. Tom has served his Marianist Brothers as Assistant Provincial and Provincial. His priestly ministry has touched thousands of lives at Kellenberg Memorial, Chaminade and St. Martin de Porres Marianist School. We thank Fr. Tom for his witness of fidelity and charity, for his spirit of cheerfulness and simplicity, and for his service to the Church on Long Island and throughout the world. We pray that God will bless him with many more years of fruitful ministry.

"May the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be glorified

in all places through the Immaculate Virgin Mary."

A prayer used by Marianists from the days of Fr. Chaminade

"Do whatever He tells you."

The motto of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade

MAST Sets Sail

2010-07-02T17:15:00.001-07:00

MAST -- Marianist Apostolic and Spiritual Training -- takes its identity from an ancient Christian symbol. In the days of Roman persecution the sign of the a boat with its cross-like mast became a mark of identity for Christians. Our first workshop for teachers focused on the cross with the theme: Rooted in Christ, Radiating to Eternity. Our presentations developed four key ideas for Christianity, like the four arms of the cross: incarnation, resurrection, communion and conversion. From these radiate four key spiritual attitudes teachers must develop in young people: faith, knowledge, discipline and morality. Thirty teachers from around the diocese joined the workshop which ran from Tuesday morning until Friday afternoon. In addition to our talks, all the teachers had a chance to make a cross of their own as part of workshop's program.

Among the participants were Dominican novices from the nearby island of Loga.

Participants with their MAST certificates after the closing program. Over 2500 teachers have participated in the workshops since 2003. I've been told that some teachers include copies of their certificates when applying for new school positions.

War and Remembrance

2010-07-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

Ian Millett, the Australian school teacher that we met at Vanga with the group of boys from St. Gregory's, passed this along to me. He was offered it for sale at the seaside Gizo market and didn't think it should become just a souvenir. Selling artifacts from WWII is technically against the law here, but there is an active black market.

The man who sold this to Ian said he had found it on the beach of nearby island. How poignant it is to think of the chain of events that link an uninhabited island in Gizo harbor to Mascot, Tennessee. What is the story of John M. Cobb, Jr.? Did it end here amidst palm trees and coral reefs or did he carry home tales to share with his Mascot neighbors for years to come?

There are many stories of the war here in Gizo. The best known is the story of PT 109 and its young captain, John Kennedy. Kennedy Island, marks the spot where JFK and his men came ashore after their patrol boat was shot down. Kennedy then swam to another island to find help. The man who assisted them was still alive a few years ago when the 60th anniversary of PT 109 was celebrated, and his picture appeared in TIME magazine .

The most telling incident that I've heard is this one from a man who was a boy at the time of the war and lived under both Japanese and American occupation. He said that if a Japanese soldier wanted a coconut, he would cut down the tree. Not only was this act destructive, but deeply offensive to the Solomon Islanders' understanding of the use of land and its fruits. When an American GI wanted a coconut, he would give one of the boys like the story-teller a chocolate bar to climb up and cut a few down.

War artifacts turn up everywhere. The base altar of the church on the island of Nila is a gleaming bronze mount from a Japanese anti-aircraft search light. The altar can pivot 360 degrees! Downed planes and sunken destroyers and battleships attract divers from all over the world. On Guadalcanal island, where the marines clawed their way from the beach up into the highlands to stop the Japanese advance, buried ordinances are still being discovered. There is still and "Allied" bomb squad that goes around detonating the live shells and ammunition. An ad appears in the Solomon Star newspaper announcing the time and place of the upcoming explosion.

The most common artifact, and perhaps the most poignant, are the vases that are used in just about every Solomon church I have ever visited. If you look carefully at the photo below from the Gizo Cathedral, you'll notice that the container is a polished shell casing. Bombs into flower pots, swords into plowshares. As we celebrate Independence Day, say a prayer for all the John Cobbs, past and present, who have paid the price of freedom.

Feast of St. Peter: On This Rock

2010-07-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

The bishops of the Solomon Islands with their priests to celebrate the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul: Bishop Luciano Capelli SBD, Bishop of Gizo is at the center in the red vestments. Archbishop Adrian Smith SM, the Archbishop of Honiara, is on the left and Bishop Christopher Cardone OP, Bishop of Auki is on the right.

June 27: Today we marked a triple-celebration in grand style: the conclusion of the National Gathering of Priests, the end of the Church's Year of the Priest, and the feast day of the patron saint of the Gizo cathedral and parish, St. Peter. The program in the church began at 8am with a holy hour and concluded at 12:30 after a beautiful liturgy and a series of talks by representatives of all the different religious orders in the country. I spoke about the mission of the Marianists, and I noticed a few eager faces when I mentioned that anyone who wanted to join us would have to come to New York! A great feast for the entire parish and the many visitors followed with speeches and entertainment, wrapping up after 4 pm. The people of Gizo really know how to keep the Sabbath holy and happy.

Bro. Johnson Tola OP, Sr. Saniella OP and May Tugea directed the choir for the Mass. Music for the Mass included parts sung in six of the major languages from all over the Solomon Islands, as well as English and Pigin. There are over 70 different languages spoken by the people of the 300 inhabited islands of the Solomons. English is the official language, going back to the days of the British Empire, and Pigin is a "linga franca" used for communication between all the different language groups. The average Solomon Islander is conversant in 4-5 languages.

The Gospel was brought to the altar in a joyful procession of song and dance. The women of the parish presented the book of the Gospels to Deacon Stephen.

Bishop Luciano preached the homily. He emphasized that the "rock" of the Church is built on three great "yeses": Jesus' yes to the Father; Mary's yes to the Holy Spirit; and Peter's yes to Jesus his Lord. If the Church is to have a solid foundation, all of us must echo that yes of faith, service, and obedience. Bishop Luciano illustrated his point with a touching example from the reconstruction of the cathedral after the earthquake and tsunami of 2007. The new church is built one metre higher than the old one. The new foundation was built from the rubble of the old church. The seminarians, on holiday from their studies, did the difficult work of carrying and laying the stones. When more stones were needed, people from a nearby seaside village which had been completely washed away by the tsunami brought the coral stones which were all that remained of their houses to strengthen and support the new church. The church of "living stones" stands on the rock of its history and tradition; on the fidelity and generosity of its people; and on the work of its ministers.

The offertory procession was made by a group of Gilbertese women. Most Solomon Islanders are dark-skinned Melanesians. The Gilberteste, originally from the islands of Kiribas, are Polynesians, reflected in their features and in the style of their dance.

"Jesus mi kam long ai blong yu. Yu Lord blong mi yu God blong mi.

Bodi blong yu iliap blong mi, Blut bilong yu I wasim mi klin."

Jesus, I come before you. You are my Lord and my God.

Your Body is life for me, your Blood washes me clean.

The National Gathering of the Priests of the Solomon Islands

Lord, renew the life of your Church with the power of your sacrament.

May the breaking of bread and the teaching of the apostles

keep us united in your love.

May the keys of Peter and the words of Paul,

their undying witness and their prayers,

lead us to the joy of that eternal home which Peter gained by his cross,

and Paul by the sword.

The Lord has set you firm within his Church,

which he built on the rock of Peter's faith.

May he bless you with a faith that never falters.
Amen

Just Because They're Adorable

2010-07-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Order of Deacons: Serving, Being, Doing

2010-07-01T12:58:00.001-07:00

Newly ordained deacons of the Diocese of Auki with their bishop:

from left Desmond, Victor and Charles.

June 26th: The National Priests Gathering for the Solomon Islands concluded appropriately with the ordination of three young men as deacons. Charles, Desmond and Victor from the Diocese of Auki joined their brothers Stephen (Gizo Diocese), Peter and Bellasio (Honiara Archdiocese) who were ordained earlier in the year. At Christmas the Church of the Solomon Islands will have six new priests, a more than 10% increase in the number of diocesan priests .

Fr. Tom preached the homily for this Mass of ordination and the conclusion of the retreat. He urged the new deacons and all the priests present to live according to the threefold responsibilities of a their ordination: SERVING the Church and the people of God, DOING the work of God proper to their ministry, and, most importantly, BEING men of prayer and charity who live holy lives with integrity.

Desmond pledges his allegiance to the Bishop.

Through the laying on of hands, symbol of the apostolic tradition handed down through the bishops, Victor is consecrated as a deacon.

Charles assists at the altar for the first time, raising the chalice during the Great Amen.

Body & Soul

2010-07-01T04:03:00.005-07:00

A huge card to express an enormous debt of gratitude to the ladies of Gizo for feeding the priests of an entire nation: Beata, Janet, Monica and Fatima with a banner signed by all the participants in the week long retreat.

Most of you know the secret to Marianist success: "If you feed them, they will come." Happily, the Diocese of Gizo, inspired by their Italian bishop's spirit of "Abundanza," takes their commitment to feasting seriously. Our meagre preaching was more than compensated for by the sumptuous meals served by a dozen big-hearted, hard-working women from Gizo assisted by young people from around the diocese. Cooking seemingly without stop for the whole week, they offered more than just three meals a day for a group of almost 100 people; they provided support, encouragement, and love for their priests. Barbecued chicken, roast pork and freshly caught fish steamed in banana leaves enhanced the table fellowship of the retreatants. Spaghetti bolognese and chicken cacciatore even added exotic foreign flavors to the menu of local fruits and root crops. A "holy communion" made God's love visible both at the altar and around the tables in St. Dominic's utilitarian dining hall.

Sr. Maria OP and Placida at work in the kitchen.

Cranky home cooks facing a hungry horde this holiday weekend take note: The Gizo gourmets accomplished all this without refrigeration, microwaves or take-out. No hot water. No dishwasher. Much of the cooking was done using hot stones and fire wood in 90 degree heat and humidity -- and this man is still smiling. That's generosity!

"Priests in the Image of Jesus and Mary"

2010-06-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

June 21-26: The National Gathering of Priests of the Solomon Islands marked an historic moment in the history of the Church in the Solomon Islands. This is the first time that priests from all over the many islands and communities that make up the three dioceses of the country came together to pray and reflect on their mission as priests and to share fraternity with their fellow priests along with deacons and religious brothers. Dominicans, Marists, a Salesian, a Vincentian and two foreign Marianists joined the diocesan priests for the retreat, each group adding to the prayer and liturgy of the week.

When Bishop Chris invited us to preach the retreat, he asked us to develop a program that would help the men to be happy, holy priests. We built our talks around the theme "Priests in the Image of Jesus and Mary," using a quote from Blessed Columba Marmion (who was beatified with fr. Chaminade in September 2000): "Priestly life consists in reproducing in our personal life the image of Jesus . . . In order to imitate Christ fully, we must be, like him sons of God and sons of Mary. Jesus wishes to share with us without reserve all his most precious possessions, all that he is."

To illustrate and develop these ideas we used a variety of images of Jesus and Mary taken from both classical and contemporary sources ranging from the earliest known statue of the Good Shepherd to Byzantine icons to modern watercolors of Mary, Our Lady of Light. Each priest received a copy of "Mary and the Priestly Ministry" written by a Marianist priest, Fr. Emile Neubert for meditation. DVD's about the Shroud of Turin, the apparitions at Fatima, and the lives of Pope John XXIII and Archbishop Oscar Romero offered more viewpoints on the quote from Henri Nouwen we used to open the retreat: "My deepest vocation is to be a witness to the glimpses of God I have been allowed to catch."

Signs with themes for each day's reflections were posted around the chapel where we met. By Friday they filled the sanctuary:
June 21: "My deepest vocation is to be a witness to the glimpses of God I have been allowed to catch." Henri Nouwen
June 22: "The priest is a gift from the heart of Christ, a gift for the Church and for the whole world. Pope Benedict XVI
June 23: "Mary's pure capacity for Christ: in her humility she existed for God, for her Son and for the redemption of sinners." Fr. Emile Neubert SM
June 24: (Feast of the Birthday of John the Baptist) "The voice is John, but Christ is the Word." St. Augustine
June 25: "The priest gives joy to Jesus. The priest gives joy to Mary. The priest gives joy to souls." Fr. Emile Neubert SM

Fr. Moses, who spent several weeks at Kellenberg a few years ago reads Fr. Neubert's book.

Fr. David Galvin SM, a Marist priest from Boston, arrived in the Solomons in 1966 after a 45 day journey on a freighter that took him from the Brooklyn Navy Yard through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific via Tahiti. In his almost five decades as a missionary, Fr. David has been a teacher, the local Marist Superior, and a parish priest. Many of the priests on the retreat were his former students, and all of them have benefited from his example of quiet presence, devotion to prayer, and priestly fidelity. These days in his "retirement," Fr. David serves as chaplain at a school for the handicapped located on a remote part of the island of Makira (site of the very first Marist missionary effort in 1844). The school at Nana has no electricity and is a three hour walk from the nearest medical clinic. When Fr. David arrived in the Solomon Islands there were no native priests. At the retreat he was surrounded by dozens of them, the fruits of the seeds planted by courageous and generous missionaries over the past century.

Small World Note #2: In discussing our Irish ancestry, I discovered that David's grandfather and my great-grandfather came from the same small town of Caherciveen on the Cork-Kerry border. In the extensive kinship relations of the Solomon Islands, this makes us "wontoks," cousin-brothers who share the same land and language. -- Bro. Tim

Fr. Pius, another visitor to Kellenberg. A week of prayer and reflection can take its toll,

even in a tropical paradise. Bro. Tim took all the photos, so guess who was talking.

Maybe it was one of the bishops!

The priests of the Solomon Islands concluded their retreat by offering an "Act of Consecration of Priests to the Immaculate Heart of Mary." Pope Benedict wrote this prayer in the name of all priests and prayed it when he visited Fatima in May:

Through the same power of the Holy Spirit that overshadowed you,

making you the Mother of the Savior,

help us to bring Christ your Son to birth in ourselves too.

May the Church be thus renewed by priests who are holy,

priests transfigured by the grace of him who makes all things new.

Let your presence cause new blooms to burst forth in the desert of our loneliness,

let it cause the sun to shine in our darkness,

let it restore calm after the tempest,

so that all people shall see the salvation of the Lord,

who has the name and the face of Jesus,

who is reflected in our hearts forever united yours,

O Mary our Mother and Mother of the Church!

Amen!

This Day You Will Be with Me in Paradise

2010-06-30T02:57:00.000-07:00

The road from the wharf up to St. Dominic's Rural Training Centre, viewed from the veranda of the Marist Brothers' House.

June 21: St. Dominic's Rural Training Centre at Vanga Point on the island of Kolumbangara was the beautiful setting for our retreat. Imagine if Fr. Philip had designed and constructed a vocational school on a volcanic island in the South Pacific, and you'll have some concept of this remarkable place. Founded by Marist Brothers (FMS) from Australia forty years ago, St. Dominic's pioneered a method of education that the Brothers called "education for life." The two year course at Vanga focuses on the skills and ideas necessary for the life lived by the typical man of the Solomon Islands who wants to support his family and build up his community. Vanga students study agriculture, carpentry, and mechanics along with developing literacy, basic bookkeeping, and business principles. The courses are entirely practical and the school is self-supporting. Not only do the students grow all the food that they eat, the surplus is sent to market in Gizo to support other projects. During our stay we met and slept in buildings designed and constructed by the students from timber that they had cut down and milled themselves. While some students are harvesting trees, others are planting new ones. At dinner, we sat at tables and chairs made by the students and dined on the 100% organic fruits, vegetables, eggs and poultry raised by the boys of Vanga-- a kind of Trader Joe's fantasy come to life. The school has become a model for similar programs throughout the Pacific, and the Vanga "campus" also includes a Teachers' College where men and women are trained to teach in rural training centers throughout the Solomon Islands.

Mr. Ian Millet and the volunteer students from St. Gregory's College, Campbelltown, a Marist Brothers school outside Sydney with Bishop Chris.

Marist education at St. Dominic's mirrors Marianist education in other ways, as well. Many of the teachers are graduates of the program who have stayed on to pass on the tradition to new generations of young men. The principal, Philimon Ruia came to Vanga as a student in 1991 and has never left. Hospitality is central to the spirit of St. Dominic's. Philimon and his family moved out their house to make room for the Americans among the group, while the Brothers gave up their rooms for the bishops. Most of the students were off on holiday, but those who remained to assist with retreat and look after the animals and fields showed a wonderful spirit of friendship and cooperation that made Fr. Tom and I feel like we were back at home in Mineola or Uniondale.

Although there are no longer any Australian Marists at Vanga, the Brothers' high schools in Australia maintain a close bond with St. Dominic's. During the week a group arrived from St. Gregory's outside Sydney. The boys were spending their "winter" break as volunteers at Vanga, and they had come with all the supplies needed to repair boats and build a green house. Another link in a chain between the Marists and the Marianists that goes all the way back to the days when Fr. Chaminade and Fr. Champagnat, the founder of the Marist Brothers were both working in post-revolutionary France.

Vanga Point. Your heart would have to be very hard indeed if you did not find peace and prayer here amidst this panorama of sky and water: "How wonderful are your works, O Lord, in wisdom you have made them all."

Semper Fidelis

2010-06-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

More than 10 years ago, when he was a priest in Gizo, Bishop Chris trained 2 young men to drive his aluminum "canoe", the John Paul II with its outboard motor. Today Fidelis (left) and Peter (next to +Chris) are still manning the diocesan boats, including the Camillo, a sturdy wooden ship that can carry up to 25 passengers and a full hold of cargo.

June 21: After Mass and a hearty breakfast, all the priests and retreat personnel boarded a small flotilla of boats for the trip to Vanga Point, the setting for our retreat. Blue skies and smooth seas made the one and one half hour journey a peaceful and pleasant start to this historic retreat. More than one priest commented on how fitting it was for the priests and their bishops to be traveling by boat, given all the Gospel stories where Jesus and his disciples get into a boat and set off for an out-of-the-way place to rest and pray. Travelling by boat also brought to mind the first missionaries who sailed bravely into these waters over a century ago to bring the first seeds of the Catholic faith to these islands. How happy those holy and hardy men and women who left Europe and America for these scattered islands must be in heaven to witness the fruits of those seeds: more than 50 native diocesan priests and dozens of seminarians, along with Brothers and Sisters in many religious orders.

Brothers and Fathers

2010-06-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

Fr. Tom Cardone and Bishop Chris Cardone, crowned with flowers and beaming to see each other after almost 2 years. It took Bishop Chris and his brother priests 14 hours to travel on the Pelican ship from Honiara to Gizo, longer than it took Fr. Tom and me to fly from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia-- and their journey had no in-flight entertainment other than passing sea gulls.

June 20: Just before 8:30 pm, the boatload of priests arrived along with scores of other passengers and the countless bags, boxes, parcels, bundles, mats, mattresses and produce that are standard baggage on any Solomon vessel. After sorting the luggage, a band of pan pipers escorted the entourage of bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians and brothers from the wharf to the street that leads to the cathedral. The waiting warriors, flower girls, torch dancers, and just about everyone else in the town erupted into cheers, chants and dance. The enormous warmth of the welcome made up for the fact that darkness masked much of the colorful band of young greeters (of course, the torches helped!) and their brilliant enthusiasm rallied the tired travellers as they were officially welcomed with floral crowns, betel nuts, a round of speeches, and, at last, a desperately needed dinner, a much welcomed shower, and, finally, a long anticipated place to rest.

The Natives Are Restless

2010-06-29T19:41:00.001-07:00

Note: We've been unconnected and without power for quite some time, so these posts are not at all in real time. I'll date them so you get a sense of how the events of the past ten days unfolded.

Sunday, June 20: Excitement rose higher and higher as the time grew near for the arrival of our visitors, more than 50 priests and two bishops. All the young folk of Gizo were busy all afternoon preparing for the welcoming ceremonies. The boys spent hours practicing their warrior dance and then squealed with delight as they painted their bodies and festooned themselves in the natural camouflage of the tropics. The girls stripped just about every hibiscus flower from the town as they fashioned floral arches and crowns for every visitor. By dusk everything was decorated, every youth was giddily in place, and all we had to do was wait for the boat to arrive with as much nervous energy as the arrival of Santa Claus gets in the US.

Waiting is one of the national pastimes in the Solomons, which is a good thing because everyone does quite a lot of it. This evening, everyone was in place by 6pm. The boat did not arrive until after 8. Imagine 150 children waiting in line, in costumes, some with spears and others with burning torches for over 2 hours and you have some sense of the excitement.

"Rebuild My Church"

2010-06-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

As some of you will recall, in April 2007, a strong earthquake and tsunami hit the western part of the Solomon Islands. Gizo bore the brunt of the tumult. Hundreds of homes along the coast were washed away and many of the more substantial buildings in town were damaged or destroyed. It was a blessing that only two lives were lost. St. Peter's Cathedral was among the casualties. For over a year, the church of Gizo gathered in amakeshift tent alongside the ruins of their cathedral.

The Church, of course, is not a building but a body. When Luciano Capelli, SDB was ordained as the new bishop of Gizo, he set about rebuilding both the people of God and the structurre where they worshipped. Spiritual renewal and physical construction began immediately. Thanks to the vision of Bishop Capelli, the efforts of dozens of Italian volunteers who designed and supervised the construction, and the untiring efforts of the people of the diocese, a splendid new cathedral now stands in the center of town, a fitting home for the worship of God by the vibrant faith community of Gizo.

The new cathedral is not completely finished. It awaits the arrival of stained glass from the Phillipines, mosaics from China and, crowning the whole edifice, church bells from Italy. Nevertheless, the church was filled to capacity on this Sunday morning as hundreds of worshippers gathered for the Eucharist with their bishop and all the priests of the diocese. In his homily, Bishop Luciano made reference to the struggles of the parish over the past years as he preached on Christ's challenge: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." "There is no Christ without the Cross, there is no Church without the Cross," the bishop urged. "No one comes to heaven without tears."

The choir for Mass was composed of the young Dominican Brothers and Sisters whose novitiate is located on a small island across from Gizo. Several dozen young children served as an auxiliary choir. They sang in English, in the pigin dialect commonly used in the Solomons, and in the Lauru language used by the local people. The offertory procession was accompanied by dancing women of the parish. As I prayed with them, I could not help but thank God that the Church is young, the Church is alive, and the Church is strong. Eartquakes may shake buildings to the ground, but on the Rock of the Church we can always stand strong.

"Jesus yu kam kisim ofa / Mipela I like bringim long yu."

The offertory song in pigin: Jesus come and take this offering

that your people are pleased to bring to you.

The priests and deacon of the Diocese of Gizo with their Bishop and Fr. Tom after Mass.

Mary, Mother of the Church, help us to rebuild your Church where it is weak, and to encourage and support it where it is strong. Teach us to imitate your Son more perfectly and so build up the Body Christ. May young men and women willingly echo your "yes" to God's call to serve Christ and His Church all around the world.

Sign of Blessing

2010-06-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

A rainbow -- sign of God's blessing over Gizo harbor. Our time here has certainly been blessed by meeting many old friends and new. The priests and people of Gizo have gone beyond themselves to make us feel welcome and to prepare for the arrival of over 60 priests from the rest of the country on Sunday evening.

We have been fed so many times each day that we have taken up what we call the "apostolate of feasting," a special ministry of the Diocese of Gizo.

Fr. Tom with Fr. Edmond, a Filipino missionary priest who arrived in Gizo just as we did to begin three years of service in the diocese.

A view of Gizo harbor from the top of the island. The town of Gizo, with 7,000 people is the 2nd largest town in the Solomons. Although it looks quite tranquil from this vantage point the island is undergoing something of a building boom. Even though it was Saturday, there was heavy machinery working all over the island repairing roads, building a new hospital, repairing the soccer stadium. Many fine new houses have also been built in town and on the hills surrounding the harbor. Most of this development has been the result of the aid and infrastructure assistance that came to Gizo after the earthquake and tsunami of 2007. Besides new buildings, new jobs in construction have brought more prosperity to the island as well.

Arrival in Gizo

2010-06-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome at the Gizo Wharf with Bishop Luciano Cappelli (center)

and other priests of the Diocese of Gizo.

After passing through Brisbane and Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, over the past few days, we arrived in Gizo this morning to a splendid welcome from the always-friendly people of Gizo town.

The airport is on a small island in Gizo harbor, and the bishop's boat, the Bark of Peter, sailed out to fetch us bedecked with flags from the US, Italy and the Vatican and filled with a welcoming committee of friends from our many previous visits to Gizo.

Many things have changed in Gizo over the years since Bishop Chris was ordained here in 2000. We'll share some of them in the future, but let two things signify the rapid development in this rural corner of the Solomons: the house where we are staying has a wireless connection and a big screen tv will be showing the World Cup games later this afternoon and evening! It took the Gospel 1900 years to reach Gizo. Sports have arrived in less than ten! Amen.

Sydney Sojourn

2010-06-15T10:05:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed our brief spell of Sydney's delightful "winter" before the tropic heat. Our days were spent exploring the graceful city's many sights and sounds, and we learned two remarkable stories.

Sunday morning we set off for Mass at Sydney's St. Mary's Cathedral. The lofty Gothic towers of the cathedral, built of Sydney's distinctive golden sandstone, stand guard at the top of Sydney's ceremonial center, Macquarie Street.

The liturgy at St. Mary's is as lofty and Gothcs as its towers, with a men's choir singing most of the Mass in Latin chant and polyphony. Cardinal Pell presided, looking much more haggard and stooped than he did two years ago at World Youth Day.

This statue of Mary, Help of Christians, was carved by one of the early Benedictine monks of the cathedral. When the first church was destroyed by fire in the 1850s, it found its way to a private garden and has only recently returned home.

After Mass we took the train across the Harbour Bridge to the shrine of Australia's first and only saint, Mary MacKillop. She will be canonized in October, and her story is at once uniquely Australian and universal in the best Catholic tradition. Mary was born to a poor but pious immigrant family in Melbourne in 1842. As a young teenager she was sent to serve first as a governess and then as a teacher to support her family. Mary felt the call of religious life, desiring to devote herself to God and the service of the poor. After several religious orders rejected her because of her poverty and lack of education, her confessor suggested that they form a new religious congregation. In 1866, at the age of 24 Mary became Mother Mary of the Cross, the foundress and superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Many young women joined her, and the sisters in their coarse brown habits were soon setting out to the roughest edges of the rough-and-tumble colony. Like the disciples, the sisters set out with just the shoes on their feet and their faith in God. "Never see a need without doing something about it" was Mary's motto, and the sisters organized schools, orphangages, job training centers, clinics, shelters and every sort of good work. A woman of strong will as well as strong faith, Mary soon ran into trouble with local pastors and bishops. Impatient to serve the poor, Mary and the sisters often neglected to seek appropriate ecclesiatical permissions or to wait for "proper" convents to be built. The Sisters often arrived in a new settlement months or even years before a parish priest would arrive. Their charity and energy are still legendary in Australia, and Mary's "roll up your sleeves and get to work attitude," influenced a generations of Australia's newly arriving immigrants.

Blessed Mary MacKillop, Mother Mary of the Cross, will be canonized in October 2010, the first Australian-born saint.

In 1871 Mary and her sisiters were excommunicated, but after a short while the bishop regretted his action and reversed the decision on his death-bed. Mary had to make three separate journeys to Rome (45 days aboard a ship each way!) before she obtained the approval of Pope Pius for her order and its governance. Still the Sisters were expelled from two dioceses before they were welcomed in North Sydney where Mary died in 1909 and the sisters' motherhouse is still located.

In 1891 on thge 25th anniversary of their foundation the Sisters numbered almost 500 and their work extended to the furthest reaches of Australia and new Zealand. It can truly be said that Mary's vision and charism laid the groundwork for both the church and school system in Australia.

Bro. Tim and Fr. Tom with Sister Lucy and her nephew Damien at the Mary MacKillop shrine.

Mary died in 1909 after a long illness, and the chapel that was built around her tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage for people from all over Australia. Three popes-- Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI have come to pray at her tomb. On the afternoon that we visited a steady stream of pilgrims of all ages and nationalities came to "visit Mary," as the Sisters say.

In the museum that adjoins the chapel we met two of the Sisters of St. Joseph who told us many stories of Mary and the work of the Sisters over the years. They even gave us each a relic to take with us on our mission to the Solomons. We left both inspired by Mary's story and marvelling over the way that the Holy Spirit can work through just one person.

When Pope John Paul II beatified Mary in 1995 (at Randwick Raceway where the Closing Mass of Sydney's 2008 World Youth Day was held) he summarized her virtues:

Genuine openness to others,

Hospitality to strangers

Generosity to the needy,

Justice to those unfairly treated,

Perseverance in the face of adversity,

Kindness and support to the suffering.

Virtues for all of us to cultivate at any time and in any hemisphere!

St. Mary's Cathedral illuminated as part of the MacquarieVisions celebration.

We learned the second story when we came out of the cathedral again after solemn vespers in the evening. The whole facade of the cathedral was vividly illuminated as part of a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Governor Lachlan Macquarie as the fifth governor of Australia. Macquarie was ent to serve as warden to the convicts transported to the furthest reach of the British empire and to help wring as much profit from the apparnetly dismal continent as he could for the Crown and its investors. Macquarie and his wife had other plans. He was the first to imagine the possibility of Australia as something more than a dumping place for imperial riffraff and of Sydney as a great city that would rival a European capital.

In his ten years as governor from 1810 to 1820 Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie transformed the city and the colony. They sponsored 268 visionary projects from building roads and establishing towns to laying out the Botanical Gardens and organizing a conservatory of music. The basic plan of Sydney as a city opening itself to its incomprable harbor came from Macquarie's imagination. The town he entered was hunkered down around the heavily fortified Government House.

Most enlightened was Macquarie's attitude his "citizens," the transported convicts of England and Ireland and the native people of Australia. Macquarie believed in a "fair go" for all. He ordered that soldiers respect the rights of the native peoples and that as much as possible their names be used for to name rivers and landforms (hence the mouthful Sydney suburb of Wooloomooloo). Convict showing exceptional talent and enterprise were emancipated. Macquarie appointed ex-convicts as the chief architect and poet laureate of the colony. A dozen of the buildings erected by the talented Francis Greenway still line Macquarie Street in Sydney. A staunch Scots Presbyterian, Macqurie nevertheless laid the cornerstone for the first Catholic chapel (where St. Mary's now stands) so that the Irish could enjoy the benefits and encouragements of their faith. When he had Greenway build a substantial barracks for the convicts so that "decent living might make decent men," some of his fellow Englishmen could take no more and complained to the King. Macqurie was recalled to England to be investigated. He died a broken man in 1824. His wife died in poverty two years later.

200 years later the Sydney they could never have imagined in their wildest dreams but which is actually the fulfillment of their vision is celebrating the MacquarieVision. From St. Mary's all the way down to the harbor, the buildings Macquarie built or inspired are illuminated with light and sound projections that tell the story of this remarkable pioneer couple. Walking along Macquarie Street with us as we watched and listened to this story unfold were hundreds of families speaking what seemed like a dozen languages, proof that Sydney has indeed become the welcoming, elegant multicultural city that Macquarie imagined so long ago.

Not bad for one day!

Small World Note #1: When we were having breakfast on Monday morning at the Circular Quay overlooking the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, we got into a conversation with our waitress about how people who live in a city never visit "attractions" that draw tourists. When we mentioned NYC, she asked where we lived. We said "Long Island," and she asked where.When I answered "Mineola," she broke into a great laugh. She had served as an au-pair for a year in Garden City ten years ago. One of her charges, Tom Bruno CHS class of 2005 0r 6!

Project MAST -- Eighth Edition

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The seeds of Project MAST were planted in 2000 when Fr. Christopher Cardone, a Domincan missionary and a 1976 Chaminade graduate, was ordained as the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Gizo in the Solomon Islands. Along with many other family and friends, Chris’s brother, Marianist Fr. Tom Cardone, and Bro. Kenneth Hoagland made the long trek to the remote archipelago in the South Pacific. After the ceremonies, the Marianists and the new bishop discussed ways in which the Brothers in New York could help the young church of the Solomons, a country where most people have only been Christian for two or three generations. Bishop Chris described the tremendous need for the development of committed Catholic teachers and a strong corps of youth . Fr. Tom committed the Marianists of Long Island to the task, and Bro. Ken provided the acronym: Marianist Apostolic And Spiritual Training. In June of 2003, the first pair of Brothers set off to the Solomons uncertain of what they would find. They returned full of enthusiasm and possibilities, andsince then 10 Marianists have spent their summers in the Solomons, traveling to almost every parish in the country and bringing education and encouragement to over 3,000 paricipants in the MAST workshops.

A unique feature of this year’s MAST program will be a retreat that Fr. Tom and I will give to all of the priests of the Solomon Islands. This first-ever national gathering of priests is part of the celebration of the Year of the Priest, and will provide a rare opportunity for the priests of the Solomon Islands, mostly young native men who are spread out over the many far-flung islands and isolated villages of the Solomons, to gather in community for prayer, reflection, and fraternity.

Off to the Solomon Islands

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On June 10, Fr. Tom and I will set off for six weeks in the Solomon Islands, continuing the work that we began in 2003.

You can follow our journey on this new blog.

Please keep us in your prayers.