Church celebrates Michaelites’ 50 years

A CONGREGATION of Catholic-hosted celebrations at the Mt Hagen archdiocese, Western Highlands, recently marked the St Michael the archangel, the Michaelites’ 50 years of service in the country.
The Catholic church in the Highlands came together for three days as a family to acknowledge, appreciate and thank God for the long service of the Michaelites and share the joy of success over the last 50 years.
Many religious clergymen and women from various congregations serving the people of God in the Highlands joined the celebrations.
In his homily, Archbishop Douglas Young recalled some pioneer missionaries of the Michaelite congregation to PNG in 1970, were Fr Ludwik Wypasek, Fr Stanislaw Sniezek and Fr Zdzislaw (Zyggy) Kruczek.
“They were all different with strong and unique characters displayed in their missions,” Archbishop Douglas said.
He thanked God for the Michaelites and their dedication to the mission in PNG.
Reflecting on the last 50 years, he said: “The perfect way to be thankful is to share what we receive today with the next generation. We cannot pay back the pioneer missionaries for their service but we should share with those who are with us today, as well as those who come later.”