Mass celebrated in Italian

By BISHOP ROCHUS TATAMAI

FEBRUARY 5 will be among historical dates for the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Island for a variety of reasons.
Bereina Archdiocese Bishop Rochus Tatamai reports from Rome that it was the day His Eminence Cardinal Sir John Ribat officially took possession of his titular parish of St Giovanni Battista de Rossi in Rome.
Cardinal Ribat, for the first time, celebrated Sunday Mass in Italian and preached in English with translation.
The entire ceremony and liturgy was a combination and collaboration with the Vatican through the active role and involvement of the Vatican master of ceremony, the pleasant presence and welcome of the parish priest Fr Mario with his curates (assistant priests), parishioners and the inspirational choir.
Bishop Rochus said the active participation of the small yet lively PNG/Solomon Islands community in Rome pulled together in a reasonably short time a traditional Momase entrance procession and presentation of the cardinal to his new parish and parishioners.
The congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) got a fairly good mention and coverage during the celebration and in the Universal Church at large.
According to the superior general of the MSCs: “At last we’re being acknowledged in the church for our humble dedication to the evangelisation of peoples and the building up of local churches.”
The traditional PNGSI entrance procession and presentation of the cardinal began outdoors at the courts. The dancers with their notable presence and celebration hype attracted a good number of parishioners to come out from the church and join the procession.
This was something unique which immediately brought in the PNGSI and Melanesian culture into direct contact and encounter with the centuries-old European culture and traditions.
It was a lively and refreshing breath of life swiftly blowing over this congregation, a fresh breath of the Spirit of God.
When the procession reached the entrance of the church the parish priest offered the cardinal the crucifix which he kissed tenderly then proceeded into the church sprinkling holy water and blessing the congregation.
As he reached the sanctuary, he proceeded directly to the front of the tabernacle where he knelt in silent prayer for some time.
There was a good presence of concelebrants including PNGSI student priests and MSC confreres.
After Communion and before the final blessing, there was a symbolic ritual in a sense of a mutual romantic exchange of love and gifts.
Ribat presented to the parish priest soil from PNGSI – not just any soil but mixed soil from the spot where Venerable Henry, Verius MSC celebrated the first Mass at Yule Island on July 4, 1885, and the mission cemetery where so many committed missionaries and their lay faithful collaborators were buried.
It was a mutual exchange of life, love and self as the parish priest handed over to the cardinal on behalf of the parish a ring and a pectoral cross to signify a new marriage covenant on the personal as well as spiritual dimensions between the cardinal and the parish as well as the church in PNGSI and Rome
After these formalities there was a beautiful lunch then an hour of choral concert specially dedicated to Cardinal Ribat.