Fr. John Sine, SVD
It has been 50 years since the first SVD missionaries came in 1969 and started Yuri Parish. It was also the beginning of the civilization of the Yuri people. Since then, the SVD missionaries came and started schools, hospitals and brought them into the society of Yuri People.
The Yuri People appreciated the great work of the SVD Missionaries who have contributed so much to the development of Yuri parish and the progress of the people. The Yuri People together with the help of the hard-working missionary and current Parish Priest of three Parishes namely Dirima, Nondri, and Yuri Parish – Fr. Peter Kim, SVD, the Yuri Parish celebrated the 50 years Golden Jubilee beautifully.
The celebration of the golden jubilee lasted for two days. It started on the morning of Tuesday 29th December and finished on the eve of Wednesday 30th December. There were many priests, sisters, seminarians, and elites who came for the celebration. Also present were many people coming from various Parishes of Chimbu Province.
The Archbishop of Madang and the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG/SI his Excellency Archbishop Anton Bal was the guest of honor at the celebration. Archbishop Anton Bal gave a wonderful speech about the conversion of the lives of the people and to take care of the available services. He was also the main celebrant of the Jubilee Mass and he gave a great sermon.
In his homily, he urges the people to be grateful with all their hearts for the many blessings received from God and to be responsible citizens. Another important person that came for the celebration was the Administrator of the Diocese of Kundiawa, Fr. Richard, SVD. He gave some good words of encouragement and spiritual input into the lives of the people. Fr. Richard also blest the musical instruments together with the new Holy Family statue presented to Yuri Parish by Fr. Peter Kim, SVD.
The choir group composed some very good and meaningful songs and they sang like angels. The whole liturgical celebration was very lively. Also, the processions were led by traditional singing groups who were all dressed in traditional attire including the altar servers. It was really entertaining and the people enjoyed the Mass. The church was completely full and even outside the church there was not enough space.
Although the place was very remote it usually rained all the time. Those two days of the celebration were amazing because the day was very clear and bright. It was a great blessing for the Yuri Parish and the people enjoyed the celebrations very much. Many pigs were slaughtered with two cows including many fruits, vegetables, and various food items. Everyone had enough and really enjoyed the celebration.
The 50 year golden jubilee celebration was a great success, all thanks to the tireless work of Fr. Peter Kim and the people of Yuri. They all appreciated the great and wonderful work of the founding SVD Missionaries and the catechists who helped in reaching out to the people and brought development into the place and the lives of the people. Thanks to the almighty God for everything and looking forward to a prosperous future.
