Displaying items by tag: Roger Purcell MSC

Roger Purcell MSC, Movement for a Better World, new book

                                The History of the Movement for a Better World in

                         Papua New Guinea 1975-2020

                                                   Roger Purcell MSC

During his many years in PNG, Roger worked extensively with the Movement for a Better World.

“We want to be a school of inspirers of the Church because the Church is the inspiration of the world, the soul of history... we want to create inspirers of the world, of the Church for a Better World.” [Riccardo Lombardi SJ, School of Prophets]

Here in a nutshell is the inspiration of the Founder of the Movement for a Better World, Fr Riccardo Lombardi SJ.

This work is essentially a record of the work of the Movement for a Better World in Papua New Guinea from 1975 onwards. It is not intended as an academic historical work. It records the history of this Movement and the people in it and will be of interest to those who became part of the movement, members of the Group and those influenced by it.

Fr Riccardo Lombardi was born in Naples Italy on March 28, 1908, and died in Rome on December 14, 1979. As a young Jesuit priest he saw the destruction and misery of the world after the Second World War and began preaching for a reform of the Church in order to build a better world. From this beginning he founded the Movement for a Better World, and the group that was to promote it, which he called the Promoting Group.

In this context, Riccardo Lombardi, began a career of preaching and teaching at the University Padua and other Universities and writing in the Catholic journal La Civilta Catholica He preached a New World and reform of the Church recognizing the depth of disillusionment and despair in the people, and striking a chord of hope. He attracted many people to hear him speak, moving from lecture halls to churches and basilicas and into the public squares. He was the first in the church to use radio with his talks being heard all over Italy and broadcast through amplifiers to thousands in the squares.

Pope Pius XII called him “Il Microfono di Dio”, “The Microphone of God”. He called for a movement towards a “New World” gathering many people behind him and a growing group of supporters. It was Pope Pius who renamed the movement for a “Better World”, recognizing it on February 10, 1952 the document the “Proclamation for a Better World”.

Published by

COMMUNITY ANIMATION SERVICE PNG, pp. 229.

PO Box 54

Mt Hagen, WHP, Papua New Guinea

MSC Mission Office, Roger Purcell MSC on the move

This year has been a year of travel for the work of the Mission Office to meet with our overseas people, especially the National Directors. To visit projects and the recipients, and to see potential projects. In all places there are needs everywhere for water, assistance of students for school and training and for health. Fuller accounts in our Mission Outreach newsletter online.

Philippines (May 6-20. 2024)

I spent a couple of days in Manila to visit a Centre for the Poor helping school students and met with the Province. Then on to Butuan and El Monte on Mindanao to see, and stay in, more sites of the Centre for the Poor (CEPAGCO). This organization, CEntre for the Poor AGricultural Cooperative, is recognized by the Government and is an umbrella for a number of projects. it is Fr Richie Gomez msc initiative.

We visited St Luis parish with the school for the Indigenous Lumad people with over 100 students. Next was Surigao where the Dutch MSC began in 1908 and out to the Dinagat Islands. Here too we visited two Evacuation Centres housing people victims of a recent mining tailings dam collapse.

Vietnam: June 17th-25^th

From Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) we travelled to Hue in Central Vietnam. In the countryside we visited families of disadvantaged children needing assistance for school. A highlight was a visit to the shrine to the 117 Martyrs of the persecutions during the 19th-century. They were 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spaniards, and 10 French of whom half were clergy and half laypeople, including a 9-year-old child: 8 bishops, 50 priests, and 59 lay Catholics.

Indonesia: July 23-28

From Jakarta I went to Manado where our Seminary is with other MSC works, including a project to build a Centre for our Aged MSC. The highlight of the trip was Merauke in the Indonesian Province of Papua, which is now divided into 6 Provinces. Here I met with the Asmat people native to the area where we have funded two Formation Centres to give some education to children. A lot of their area is swampy and subject to flooding. The Dutch MSC worked there since 1905.

The Indonesian MSC Province is our largest working in many dioceses, from different regions and ethnic groups and are working throughout the nation from east to west over 3 times zones.

Democratic Republic of Congo; August 17-September 7.

This was the most difficult trip entering a country that is vast and remote, poor and oppressed by corruption so much so that people say “we have no government”. Kinshasha a city of 17 million people, is frankly, dirty, untidy and messy… a shock to the system.

I visit Bishop Toussaint Iluku MSC in Bokungu-Ikela diocese, going by plane to Boende, then road to Wema and boat to Bokungu. This is a very remote part of our church and the welcome was very warm and genuine from the Bishop, priests, sisters and laity. Here and in Kinshasa the Sunday celebration was the Zairean rite which went for 2½ hours, which was considered short. It was lively, musical and energizing.

MSC Mission Office, events and travel contacts

An event: 

Celebration of the 45^th anniversary of Independence of PNG, held at the Monastery, Kensington.

Roger Purcell MSC, director,

making contacts in Indonesia

And Congo

This week, Mission Office visits, cooking pizza at Cuskelly House and two Kookaburras at Kensington Monastery.

MSC Mission Office, Roger Purcell visits Blackburn parish

With Khoi and Trieu

and his old school, Monivae.

The Monivae visit was featured this week on the Mission Office podcast, Mission Alive, as was an interview with Sister Rita Grunke OLSH who has worked in South Sudan for many years. Recommended viewing each day on the Mission Office site – well worth Bookmarking.

Formation Pizza,

From the Facebook page, MSC Vocations - Australian Province. What do you have for dinner tonight? Mark Hanns, post-noviciate director is making his own version of pizza for the community. (An apology to Italians! LoL )

 Check the MSC Vocations Australia Facebook page for MSC and Vocations promotion and news (From Cuskelly House)

And, in the St Francis’ vein.

Kookaburras at the Monastery:  Thank you, John O’Connor, for this, "…and it came to pass that two Kookaburras discovered the light in the monastic garden during the daylight time of the eleventh hour - how enlightening is that?” Perhaps over-reading the parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard!!

Cathedral Mass, Days of meetings, Open Day – MSC Mission Office 25 years’ celebrations

Report from The Catholic Weekly, by Marilyn Rodrigues

Papua New Guinean Cardinal John Ribat MSC presided over the colourful and heartwarming Mass on 9 July, which brought together faithful from all over the world—especially the office’s regional partners Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and Africa.

Choirs from Sydney’s Filipino, Indonesian and Vietnamese communities led the singing, and hymns and prayers including parts of the Eucharistic prayer were prayed in different languages.

The offertory procession was led by Samoan dancers in traditional costume and the Gospel was processed by representatives of the Papua New Guinean community, accompanied by drums and the blowing of a conch shell.

The late Fr Adrian Meaney MSC established the office in 1998 to support a lay movement of outreach and support locally and internationally.

Speaking to supporters after the Mass, the current director Fr Roger Purcell MSC said that the understanding of mission had changed along with the church’s growth in developing countries.

Mission today means “to be more the church that we are supposed to be, a church of communion, unity and diversity, respect and love.”

“It’s no longer out there amongst people who haven’t heard it,” Fr Purcell said.

“Many of the people we went out to on mission are no longer a mission, they’re a church.

“And the MSC mission office is to encourage a missionary spirit among the faithful encouraging all to become mission-minded.

“That’s what we’re here for. If the church is not on mission, if we’re not evangelising, then we’re not church.

The Mass was also an occasion to celebrate the 7 July feast day of Papua New Guinea’s Blessed Peter to Rot.

Directors of the seven regional offices then came together for three days of conference and in-service.

Celebrations conclude with an open day at the Kensington mission office and monastery on 15 July.