GHIZO: 11
December
2013
-- A list of one of the more isolated dioceses in
the world would have
to include Ghizo, which covers the westernmost extremes of
the Solomon
Islands. Bishop Luciano Capelli sdb, visits the furthest
flung
populations in his diocese, usually by flying himself there
- where he
can land on sea or water. The landings are not always
'soft', as he
hints at in one comment below. Amongst his concerns, as well
as the
spiritual health of the people, is their physical health -
and that
means clinics and hospitals in a part of the world where
they are few
and far between and hard to reach for outlying populations:
VoruVoru -
Choiseul
Two years ago VoruVoru became a parish (Christ the King).
Bishop Capelli visited recently...
"After the not-so-sweet splashdown last year, 'epsicopal
prudence and
wisdom' dictated otherwise this time. This year I decided to
land at
Taro (capital, Choiseul province) on flat and firm ground (no
reefs!)
and then 2 hours by boat to VoruVoru ...
The sea was beautiful and inviting. Maybe next year courage
will return
to try another sea-landing there. The population at VoruVoru
is amongst
the most isolated on Choiseul Island, but setting up a parish
and the
presence of a local Dominican priest with much pastoral
experience along with encouragement from the Bishop... well,
there are miracles taking place of new hope and dreams..
The infant school has repoened, and areas unreachable because
of the
noxious pools left by high tides and overabundant rains can
now be
reached thanks to the clever work of a footbridge built by the
parish
priest and his helpers.
The primary school is not only going well but the people are
now
dreaming of a secondary school and a carpentry centre to
improve the
huts and build less humid, more airy buildings that will
reduce the
incidence of malaria.
The only clinic in the area is 25 km away along a most
impractical
track through the forest; it is run by an unqualified nurse
sent by the
Ministry of Health (equipped mainly for cases of malaria and
pneumonia,
the two killer diseases of the area). Christ the King parish
is
dreaming of a small clinic 'in loco'."
Nila - Shortlands Islands
Taking
advantage of a day without rain I accompanied the director of
the
Interdiocesan seminary, Fr Eritreo TecleMicael, a
Vincentian, on a
visit to the mission at Nila, the outskirts of the outskirts,
in the
Shortlands, on the border with Papua New Guinea... he was
preapred to
trust the pilot.
A beautiful flight of an hour and twenty minutes amidst mist,
clouds and not much sun, but at least no rain ...
We were greeted by a nice shower but the 'splashdown' was
texbook perfect with all the episcopal prudence and wisdom in
place.
Sr Chris Konasa received us (she is the director of the Area
Health
Center) with the parish priest, Fr Robert, from Myanmar, and
he
accompanied us on our visit to the building site where our
Italian
volunteers were working with 7 local builders finishing the
foundations
for the new mini hospital.
Building materials only arrived last week so work is only at
the beginning ...".
