Port Moresby, 23rd August 2025: Twenty-one ADMA mothers from Mary Help of Christians Sabama Parish, together with their Spiritual Animator, Sr. Alice S. Fulgencio, FMA, went on a pilgrimage to two of the three designated Jubilee churches in the Archdiocese of Port Moresby.
They first visited St. Mary’s Cathedral, arriving there at 9 a.m. Before the hour of prayer, Sr. Alice recalled the theme of the pilgrimage, “Pilgrims of Hope, Journeying from Darkness into Light,” and reviewed the requirements for obtaining the Jubilee indulgence. The group then proceeded with prayer, which included the Jubilee song and Jubilee prayer. After the Gospel reading, the mothers remained in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for fifteen minutes, then continued praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. They ended with the Litany of Hope and a hymn before the statue of the Blessed Mother.
The next stop was the Mary Help of Christians Shrine in Boroko, where they were warmly welcomed by the Shrine Vice-Rector, Fr. Joseph Vanga, SDB. Following the same format of prayer, the group began, and during the prayer Fr. Vanga made himself available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was touching to see that almost all the mothers went to confession. The Glorious Mysteries were prayed, with mothers offering different intentions for each mystery. The mothers sang a beautiful hymn to Mama Mary and requested to sing the Jubilee song again to end the prayer. The group also took the chance to have a group photo before the beautiful MHC statue.
They then proceeded to the Marian Museum at the basement of the Shrine, which houses a collection of Marian statues and icons from different parts of the world. Sr. Alice also showed them the first statue of MHC, brought in 1980 by the late Fr. Valeriano Barbero, SDB, the pioneer Salesian missionary in PNG.
The pilgrimage fittingly concluded with a simple shared lunch at the FMA convent. The mothers were very grateful for this opportunity to go on a pilgrimage as part of the Jubilee of Hope celebration.
Sr. Alice S. Fulgencio, FMA
