Wewak Catholic parish marks 100th anniversary

By ROSELYN ELLISON
HOLY Cross Station Wirui, which is known as Christ the King Cathedral parish in the Catholic diocese of Wewak, East Sepik, was started on Sept 2, 1912.
This year the parishes in Wewak and other parishes will celebrate 100 years of the Holy Cross Station, Wirui.
Assistant Christ the King parish priest Fr Clextus Manase said the centenary celebrations supposed to take place on Sept 2 started on Monday and would end next Monday.
Manase said on Monday youths dramatised the arrival of the first Catholic missionaries at the Mission Point in 1912.
“There were traditional singing as well as the opening ceremony with a Holy Mass,” he said.
He said the main celebrant of the Holy Mass was Archbishop of Wewak diocese Rev Anthony Burgess.
While giving the brief highlight of the 100 years anniversary celebration, Manase said the first missionaries of the Society of the Divine Word, known as SVD, arrived in New Guinea in 1896, and the pioneer SVD missionaries arrived and first settled at Tumleo in Aitape, West Sepik.
“On Sept 2, 1913, a year later, Br Sylvester Litzenburger and Aelred Betz arrived at Wewak from Alexishafen in Madang and began the work of new mission at Wewak,” he said.
Manase said they invited other denominations in the province to take part in the celebrations.
The Catholic faithful from various parishes in  Port Moresby, Lae in Morobe, Madang, West Sepik and other centres  throughout the country attended the celebrations.