News: Come and See in PNG

As regular visitors to this website would know, just a few months ago we celebrated the Profession of five Papua New Guineans men into the Patrician family. This Profession is the climax of the initial formation programme which is made up of three main stages: involvement in a Come and See programme, postulancy, and novitiate. All this can take several years.

Looking across to Tumleo Island - one of four islands off the Aitape coast - from Bishops Hill.

At the moment the Brothers up at Bishops Hill, Aitape, Papua New Guinea, have opened their doors to a new group of men entering into the Come and See programme. This is at the very beginning of the formation programme and it involves living with the Brothers and being exposed to their life, prayer, spirituality, and ministry. It usually lasts around six weeks.

Brother Thomas Rice, a Patrician for over thirty-seven years, is co-ordinating this programme and he has written a short report on it all.

We have now reached the half way mark of our “Come and See” program for 2005. It is my pleasure to pen a brief account of the happenings todate.

On September 20th we began the program with six aspirants, namely:- Douglas Sangi, Jude Towun, Bart Sairero, Mathew Aiwe, Danny Yaibu and Sylvester Jamlal - unfortunately Sylvester returned home after 3 weeks. (Photo: Br Thomas Rice)

The program this year was a very comprehensive one, with the candidates participating in a range of class activities as well as outreach/personal projects..

Examples:-

Catechetical Instruction at Aitape Primary…………Brother Thomas Rice
Communication/Speech Skills……………………… Brother Thomas Rice
Liturgy/ and Liturgical Art…………………………… Brother Thomas Rice
Melanesian Spirituality……………………………… Brother Norbert Yeku
Vocation Journey………………………………………Brother Peter Ryan
Catholic Faith/,…………………………………………Brother Marcellus Broderick
Patrician Studies………………………………………Junior Professed Brothers