October 7 was a historic day for the Catholic community in Railaco and the Jesuit community in Timor-Leste. The quasi-parish of Railaco was canonically erected as a parish by the Bishop of Dili Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva SDB. The newly built parish church of Our Lady of Fatima was also consecrated by the bishop with Fr Joseph Nguyen Thanh Phuong SJ as parish priest.
The big day started with a congregation of 2,000 faithful from all over Railaco gathering on the street to welcome Bishop Dom Virgilio. Drums and honour guards received the bishop who was ushered into a house where villagers helped him don the traditional chieftain’s garb and headdress as a sign of recognition that he is the high priest and the spiritual chief of the village.
The village chieftains and elders welcomed him and the guests with a chant invoking the names of their ancestors signalling the formal reception of the guests. The chant, which reverberated amidst the silence of the crowd, brimmed with thanksgiving and joyful praise for the special blessing that had been granted to the faithful in Railaco.
After the village chieftains received the bishop and the guests, it was the turn of the youth to deliver their traditional reception. A young man portrayed a village chief to represent the new generation of leaders to come.
Bishop Dom Virgilio celebrated the thanksgiving Mass together with several Jesuit and diocesan priests as concelebrants. In his message to the community, he said, “It is important to acknowledge your milestone as a community. You managed to build a beautiful church. You used to be just a small community that you could count with your fingers but now you are a thriving 11,000 Catholics and getting stronger”.
The bishop hopes that the community in Railaco will someday produce missionaries to other countries as the church in Railaco has been largely mobilised by missionary priests. “It is my fervent hope that we produce missionaries who will continue the legacy of the missionaries here in Railaco both past and present,” Bishop Dom Virgilio said.
Along this line, Parish Pastoral Council Representative Virgilio de Araujo recounted the history of the parish in Railaco from the old chapel community up to the erection of the parish. He could hardly hold back his tears when he recalled Filipino Fr Sammy Dizon SJ who was the first Jesuit to be missioned to Railaco.
Fr Joaquim Sarmento SJ, Regional Superior of the Jesuits in Timor-Leste, reminded the parishioners that the church is built on their faith. “The church is a spiritual edifice. The true body of the church is built by the faith of the people,” he said.
The following day, Bishop Dom Virgilio presided over the confirmation Mass of 700 mostly young people. After the rites, despite an aching arm, he spent time to dialogue with the youth to help them strengthen their faith life.
“The community has matured over the years,” shared Australian Good Samaritan Sr Rita Hayes who has spent 15 years in Timor-Leste as a missionary. “The elevation of their church to a parish is proof that they have prospered in their sense of unity despite the challenges they faced over the years. May they continue to grow into the kind of church our Lord wants for the local people.”
When Fr Phuong held aloft the symbolic key to the church in Railaco following its proclamation as a parish, a great burst of applause broke out and some people were in tears. Even the young children were filled with joy. They will carry this memory with them as they help build the future of the church in Railaco.
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