austraLasia #1730

Melanesian Institute attracts 8 SF members to annual 'Melanesian culture' course

GOROKA (PNG): 8th January 2007 -- The well-known and widely appreciated Melanesian Institute, located in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, hosts annual courses on Melanesian culture. The MI is an ecumenical research and teaching institute, but with very strong Catholic backing and involvement.  It has a regular journal, Catalyst, which has featured articles by Salesians in the past - at least one of which was reported on recently by austraLasia.
    Fr Dominic Kachira, Rector of the new canonical community at Tetere, and parish priest, is one of seven Salesians and one FMA taking part in the current course offered by the MI on Melanesian culture. He reports that it is a three week course with, this time anyway, 28 participants of whom the majority are Catholics, though there are 3 Baptists and 2 Anglicans as well.  The Salesian representation is a wide one in terms of nationalities - 1 Venezuelan, 1 Indonesian, 1 Timorese, 1 Filipino, 3 Indians.  It is fitting - Goroka has a history of colourful and interesting characters: miners, missionaries, patrol officers and those whom they are patrolling - or seeking, plantation owners.  One doesn't find a great degree of traditional dress there these days, though locals still tend to prefer living in villages of neat low-walled round huts built amidst the rolling Kunai grass-covered hills.
    The course which the Salesians are attending focuses on expatriate church workers and is of particular help to cross-cultural endeavours.  This is the 37th year of such courses which have long proven their value.
  Note: a suggestion by a regular reader (Peter Hunter, Past Pupil UK and occasional visitor to the EAO region), that we include direct links to places and circumstances of interest, has now been incorporated - hopefully the above links will work!
___________________
  AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com   Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm A separate service entirely is called F/OSSERVATORE to help us keep abreast of trends in the digital world.  To contact austraLasia by voice on Skype, the Skype name is austraLasia.