austraLasia 1491
Obrigado barak Senhor Jose! Thanks a lot for 60 years
in East Timor
LOSPALOS: 16th March 2006 -- 1946-2006, just in
Timor. At 83 years of age, Senhor Giuse Ribeiro originally from
Fatima, Portugal, is perhaps not sprightly, but still active, assisting
the boys in the orphanage, teaching catechism in the local language,
Fatalucu, which he speaks better than Tetum, and still the first in the
chapel each morning. The 60th was celebrated in Lospalos parish
in the presence of the Regional Councillor, Fr Klement, 400
parishioners, Religious from the parish and many children and past
pupils.
After his perpetual profession, Bro Ribeiro decided
for Timor and arrived there in the first group of five pioneers to
follow the initial, but ultimately unsuccessful Salesian venture which
included St. Callistus Caravario 20 years before. They stayed
initially in Dili in the Bishops residence, then moved to take over the
running of a primary school at Lahane. Bro Ribeiro, who at that stage
had not completed high school, became a 'professor', instantly!
He quickly won over the heart of the youngsters and learned the local
dialect, Tetum. He was then transferred to Fuiloro where he came
into contact with Fatalucu which became his real language from then
on. He was in Fuiloro until just after 1975.
The war with Fretilin engulfed the area. He
moved to a new location, called Ira-noko, now Lospalos. The Fuiloro
school was closed from 1975-88 due to hostilities and he and his two
confreres companions lived through all those years of unspeakable
difficulty and cruelty of guerilla warfare.
At the celebration on 14th, Bro Ribeiro spoke for 15
minutes in Fatalucu. In particular he shared his personal
experience and spoke of a local Lospalos girl, Giuletta Garcia, a
student of his, who was killed in 1972. Like a local Maria Goretti she
had escaped from a man who had attempted to rape her. She was
eventually killed by a blow from an axe. Her Cause for
Beatification has already been introduced at the local level by Bishop
Basilio.
Brother Ribeiro's motto, 'Jesus is my love!', is one
way he is preparing himself for heaven at 83 years of age. His
other love is the rosary. In the meantime the chapel, the vegetable
garden and the children learning catechism just can't do without him!
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