Oceania

On 8^th December 1988, on the day of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, two years after the fiftieth anniversary of our congregation, we started our presence in Papua New Guinea, in Watuluma, on Goodenough Island, with two of our sisters from India, Sr. Silvana Lobo and Sr. Elizabeth Joseph Manimalakunnel.

Papua was the first mission of PIME. After the martyrdom of Blessed John Mazzucconi, because of the extremely difficult situation, the mission was closed and PIME re-opened the mission only after 125 years, during the Beatification of John Mazzucconi in 1980 in Watuluma. It is a remote place appropriate for our charism ad gentes.

At present we have 27 sisters working in the mission of Papua: Indians, Italians, Brazilians, Bangladeshis and the young vocations from this country. The first group of the local sisters made their profession in our Institute in 2002. Some of them have already been sent to the mission ad extra.

We mostly work in the pastoral and catechetical activities, in the hospital and health assistance to the local communities, in the schools and hostels for students and also collaborate at the diocesan level in various ways.

Walking with the Melanesia Church the main challenges of evangelization the sisters face are the formulation of communities and the inculturation.