East Timor. From 2 to 13 September 2024, accepting the invitation of their respective Heads of State and ecclesiastical authorities, Pope Francis will make an Apostolic Journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.
From 9 to 11 September, he will be in East Timor, with the motto, “Que a vossa fé seja a vossa cultura” (Let your faith be your culture). It is an exhortation and encouragement to live the faith in harmony with culture, according to the traditions of the people of Timor. The logo has in the center the image of Pope Francis blessing, symbolizing the protection that the people of Timor receive from God during the Apostolic Journey of the Holy Father. Behind it is the globe, from which the map of East Timor emerges in the foreground.
Pope Francis’ visit to East Timor fills the entire population with joy, especially the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of St. Mary D. Mazzarello Province (TIN), who will help coordinate the central event.
Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo Silva, a Salesian of Don Bosco, is the president of the Commission for the Pope’s visit. The Union of Major Superiors of East Timor has distributed various tasks to all Congregations. For the decorations there are three different places: the Cathedral of Mary Immaculate, entrusted to the Religious Order Charles Borromeo/CB; the Congress Center, where young people will meet the Pope, is entrusted to the Canossian/FDCC Sisters; while the FMA were entrusted with the Tasi Tolu Esplanade, with the main event on 10 September 2024. There will be a Holy Mass, for which some 700 thousand of the faithful from all over Timor and some neighboring countries are expected. The Provincial Council appointed three Sisters as reference points: Sister Ivonia Carmelinda Belo, Sister Sanzinha Maria Auxiliadora de Jesus, and Sister Angelita Gomes.
“As coordinators, we do not work alone, two parishes are involved in the area of Comoro: the Parish of Aimutin of the Claretian religious and that of Mary Help of Christians, of the Salesians. We have already met twice and divided the work”, explains Sister Angelita.
“We FMA will focus on the areas of the altar and the sacristy of the Pope, the papal entourage, and the bishops. The people who come from the two parishes will take care of the areas around the altar. About 250 people are involved in this decoration, because the place is very large. Our plan is to start the work by 7 September 2024, due to the significance of this place. So far, the part of the presbytery is still under construction and after that the area will have to be cleaned.
The floral decorations will be done on the morning of 9 September and in the afternoon, according to the order of the High Commission, we will take a short break to go to welcome the Pope along the road. We have many meetings on this and last week we received from the high-level Commission the name of the company that will deliver all the flowers and equipment for decorating. We will also coordinate with some Companies to plant trees around the site in Tasi Tolu, one month before the event.”
In addition to the decorations, the Union of Major Superiors asked all the Congregations of women to sew tunics for the Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. In fact, together with the total availability of the various religious Congregations, each parish was asked to send 25 extraordinary ministers to facilitate the distribution of Communion. The TIN Province contributed 25 tunics sewn by the young women of the “Maria Romero” Center in Cailaco, Maliana.
The preparation is not only material, but also spiritual. At the level of the Episcopal Conference there have been prepared Catecheses on the biography of the Pope and on the knowledge of some encyclicals, on his mission as Pope and successor of Peter, and on the central theme of the visit, “that your faith may become your culture”. Catechesis is underway in the three dioceses of Dili, Maliana, and Baucau. All the parishes have organized themselves to reach the rural areas also for preaching. Some Daughters of Mary Help of Christians have been involved at the diocesan level, as well as at the parish and school levels, in order to reach the greatest number of people.
To accompany the faithful in this preparation, a prayer has also been created, which is already prayed every day in churches, religious communities, and schools throughout the territory. On 30 August 2024, there will be a national day of spiritual retreat, reflection, and confession for all the faithful at the national level.
In addition, an FMA will be responsible for the Sacristy of the Papal Entourage and is part of the commission that deals with the Liturgy, while another FMA is engaged as the second youth coordinator for the special meeting that the Pope will have with more than four thousand young people at the Congress Center of Dili on 11 September. There will also be an opportunity for the Holy Father on 10 September, to meet with religious, priests, seminarians, religious candidates, catechists, and the elderly at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili. (Program)
“As the day approaches, we are very excited and prepare to welcome the successor of Peter with great devotion, especially we FMA, who have a special devotion to the Pope. May the Lord give him good health and may his visit to our dear land increase and renew our faith, may it become our culture throughout our lives.”
