DIOCESE OF AITAPE CHURCH BUILDING PROGRAM

	News report No. 6 September 2002 Diocese of Aitape P O Box 179 Aitape Sandaun Province Papua New Guinea Ph +675 857 2046 fax +675 857 2056
Aitape Haus Lotu Projects

Introduction:
This is the sixth report from the Diocese of Aitape for the month of September about the project to build eleven new permanent churches to replace those destroyed by the Aitape Tsunami disaster of July 1998. Our previous five reports have site visit photos and information about all the sub parishes in Malol, Arop, Sissano and Barupu areas, the July 17 anniversary of the Tsunami disaster, and a description of the walkabout saw. This report covers work during the month of September as well as an ordination at the old Sissano church site on September 28.

1. Ordination Ceremony of Fr Bruno Amsop,laying of hands and		2. entrance procession

Second Priest ordained for Sissano
There have been two ordinations of Sissano men to the priesthood. The first was for Fr Joseph Amsop in 2000 and the second was for his brother Fr Bruno Amsop on September 28 2002. Both were ordained on the old church site at Sissano that was destroyed in the Tsunami of 1998. September 28th was a very colourful day and there were over two thousand present together with Bishop Austen and nearly all of the priests of the Diocese of Aitape. People came from all parts of the region by boat to Sissano for the day. The celebration, which lasted over three hours, had many traditional dances incorporated into the liturgy. Tribe members processed Fr Bruno to the bishop at the entrance of the ordination rite (photo2) and then the Bishop and all of the priests of the diocese laid hands on Fr Bruno as he knelt on the foundations of the old church sanctuary (photo1). The congregation were sheltered from the hot sun by temporary leaf shelters on the sides of the old church. After the ceremony there were speeches and a feast put on at the village.

Progress for the first new Churches

Completed tool shed at Amu		Completed cement shelter at Amu

Work at Amu and Arop1 has focussed on making ready some temporary shelters to house the cement bags and tools for the new church.
At Amu the cement shelter is complete and two deliveries of cement bags and steel mesh have been made during a spell of fine weather. The land has been cleared and levelled by hand, and the approximate position of the church pegged out for the parishioners to inspect. A new well to supply water for the concrete work has been started. The site boundaries have been established, and the parish priest has blessed the ground.
At Arop1 the cement shelter and tool shed have also been completed this month. Likewise the well has been dug and some ground clearance work is underway. Some discussions have been held with the contractor about supplying gravel to both of these sites next month.

Other Sites:
After the ordination at Sissano I met with some of the landowners and the parish priests to discuss progress on the land agreement at Olbrum.
The Wuipom parishioners have begun digging out gravel from the nearby river and transporting it by hand to the new church site. At Wuipom there is plenty of gravel close to the new church site, however there is no access road to bring in machinery. The people are transporting 100 cubic metres of river gravel with teams of twenty people, loading the stone into bags and carrying the bags to the site.
Discussions have been held with suppliers about a portable machine and power plant to make the tongue and groove joint for a timber floor at the Arop2 church.
The walkabout saw is cutting timber near Aitape and will move to the churches when this is complete.