Catholics in Lihir celebrate feast day of Peter ToRot

Islands

Catholics throughout Lihir Island in Namatanai, New Ireland,  on Friday gathered to celebrate the feast day of Papua New Guinea’s martyr and saint, Peter ToRot.
The celebration at Putput’s St Jude grounds coincided with a week-long reformation retreat for 27 catechists within the St Clement Parish from the Lihir Group of Islands.
Retreat facilitator Fr Mathias Wol said the retreat for catechists was held on July 3-6, culminating in the feast day celebrations.
He said the retreat was the biggest that attracted participants from throughout the island.
“The retreat is aimed at reuniting, reorganising and rectifying our catechists in their functions as servants and ministers of God,” Wol said.
“As representatives of their parish priest, they have a duty to play in their Catholic churches.”
“Our Lihirian culture is based on the clan and hausboi system. Hence, this is the same for God that catechists are tasked to protect and lead with the help of our spiritual and social groups.”
He said the liturgical feast day of ToRot is affixed to the date of his death as was the norm in the Catholic faith.
Lihir Mining Area Landowners Association (LMALA) chairman James Laketan said the week-long retreat involving catechists, prayer and spiritual leaders and youths was special in nature.
“This only goes to strengthen the work of the Catholic church in our communities today,” Laketan said.
Laketan said the landowners association had recognised and placed great importance in the work of the churches.