Wednesday, 6 August 2025
FMA
Port Moresby (Agenzia Fides) – “Together we generate life” is an invitation to look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with joy and openness, and to await the future with lively hope. This is the theme chosen to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the presence of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) in Papua New Guinea.
As stated in the statement issued by the religious, the celebrations of the 25th will last a year, and will be dedicated to reinvigoration in faith, renewal towards an increasingly significant mission rooted in the Lord, and above all, to expressions of gratitude for the journey undertaken thus far.
In 2001, the FMA of the FIL Province started the foundation in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, responding to the invitation of the Salesians of Don Bosco through Bishop Monsignor Francesco Panfilo, now Archbishop emeritus. The first FMA Community was composed of three sisters, engaged as teachers at Don Bosco Technological Institute, to contribute to the formation of women who would become teachers and workers in the Country’s industry. The first Sisters were also involved in university pastoral care and collaborated with the Salesians in a parish on weekends.
Currently, the FMA are present in two communities dedicated to the education of women through professional, technical, and specialist formation, distance and personalized education, religious studies, oratory, parish pastoral work, and the presence of female students of the university hostel. The 14 missionaries currently come from the Philippines, Poland, Vietnam, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On 24 July in Port Moresby, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello Province (FIL) officially opened the celebrations of the 25th of presence in Papua New Guinea (2001–2026). The inaugural event, held in the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians, was characterized by the Eucharistic celebration in which members of the Salesian Family participated.
The logo designed for the event highlights Mary’s constant guidance in the vibrancy and multicultural richness of this Pacific Ocean nation, and encourages the FMA to always generate life, seizing opportunities and challenges. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 6/8/2025)
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