Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea). On 24 July 2025 in Port Moresby, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello Province (FIL) officially opened the celebrations of the 25th of presence in Papua New Guinea (2001–2026). The inaugural event, held in the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians, was characterized by the Eucharistic celebration in which members of the Salesian Family participated.
“Together we generate life” is the theme chosen for the anniversary, an invitation to look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with joy and openness, and to await the future with lively hope. It is God, Lord of history and mission, who called the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to walk with the people of Papua New Guinea, especially the young people, in the spirit of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello.
To highlight the importance of this anniversary, the Sisters designed a logo that highlights Mary’s constant guidance in the vibrancy and multicultural richness of this Pacific Ocean nation, and encourages the FMA to always generate life, seizing opportunities and challenges.
The Provincial, Sister Teresita Padron, present at the opening of the jubilee celebration, was visiting the Communities of Papua NG at this time. A significant moment in the program was a presentation by Sister Sarah Garcia, FMA of the Philippines, of the FMA Human Rights Office in Geneva, entitled, “Human Rights Education and the Right to Education”. The day ended with a fraternal dinner, with dances, games, and musical performances by the Sisters, the school staff, and the young students of the hostel.
The celebrations of the 25th will last a year, and will be dedicated to reinvigoration in faith, renewal towards an increasingly significant mission rooted in the Lord, and above all, to expressions of gratitude for the journey undertaken thus far.
In 2001, the FMA of the FIL Province started the foundation in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, responding to the invitation of the Salesians of Don Bosco through Bishop Monsignor Francesco Panfilo, now Archbishop emeritus. The first FMA Community was composed of Sister Pamela Vecina, Sister Cristina Villasanta, and Sister Felicidad Boado, engaged as teachers at Don Bosco Technological Institute, to contribute to the formation of women who would become teachers and workers in the Country’s industry. The first Sisters were also involved in university pastoral care and collaborated with the Salesians in a parish on weekends.
Currently, the FMA are present in two communities dedicated to the education of women through professional, technical, and specialist formation, distance and personalized education, religious studies, oratory, parish pastoral work, and the presence of female students of the university hostel. The 14 missionaries currently come from the Philippines, Poland, Vietnam, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
With the grace of Jubilee Year 2025 and the Triennium in preparation for the 150th anniversary of the first FMA missionary departure (14 November 1877), the FIL Province aims to revive the missionary spirit of the Founders and to increasingly reinvigorate this beautiful presence.
