With no internet access, how could the parish priest have got their address in Cirencester, an English country town?

And how could he know his request was exactly what they specialize in, which is implied in their name: SPICMA - Special Projects in Christian Missionary Areas.

Now, with the building complete and the new St Mark's Church soon to be re-consecrated, they have the answer. It's all because a bishop was elevated to archbishop.

St Mark's is in the village of Fote in the diocese of Auki on Malaita island. The bishop of Auki, an American Dominican missionary, Chris Cardone OP, had been appointed archbishop of Honiara, the Solomons capital.

About to move, he threw out a cache of old magazines.

"It is not only by mistake I pick one up," said Fr Albert Kalu, the parish priest, "but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."

In the magazine, he found a reference to the work of SPICMA, an entirely voluntary charity founded 50 years ago to assist poor parishes such as his. Moreover, it gave the charity's address.

"Knowing our rural situation and so sympathising with our struggling community," he thought, such a charity should be able to help.

So he wrote asking for a grant to rebuild St Mark's, previously a timber and attap hut built in 1976 "at the time of the transition of our people here from paganism to Christianity."

The charity gave £16,000 that has helped to provide a brick-built church with glazed windows accommodating 300 worshippers which "will serve our community for 100 years," said Fr Kalu.

The ceremony to re-consecrate the new St Mark's will take place in December. And Fr Kalu has invited SPICMA to attend.

Source

Supplied: SPICMA press release from Mike MacLachlan

Among those present in the Holy Cross Cathedral for the ceremony were the Governor General Sir Frank Kabui, government ministers

Overseas dignitaries, and family and friends included the retired archbishop of Gizo western province, Bishop Bernard O'p Granty, from Australia, who had spent almost 30 years doing religious work in Solomon Islands, Sr Mary McCarthy PBVM Religious education coordinator CBC in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, the superior of the Salesian Sisters, Sr Edner Mari, and Fr Moses Paluku SDB from Congo Africa.

Cardone succeeds Archbishop Adrian Smith, who served the church for more than 50 years.

The Honiara Diocese covers Honiara town and the provinces of Guadalcanal, Makira, Temotu and Central.

Archbishop Christopher Michael Cardone OP was born was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1957.

He was ordained to the priesthood on in May 1986 and assigned to the Dominican Novitiate and parish of St Gertrude in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 1988 he answered a call from the Australian Dominicans to spend three years in Solomon Islands teaching and doing pastoral work in Gizo Diocese in the Western Province.

In Gizo he was cathedral and administrator, Vicar General, founding parish priest in Noro Catholic Community and parish priest and secondary school teacher in the most far western parish of Holy Rosary in Nila in the Shortland islands.

The original three years commitment was extended four times and on March 25th in 2001, he was appointed by St. John Paul to be the auxiliary bishop of Gizo Diocese where he was vicar for youth and Education.

In October 2004, on the retirement of the Marist Bishop Gerald Loft, Cardone was appointed Bishop of Auki Diocese in Malaita.

Auki is one of the fastest growing dioceses in Oceania with one of the highest percentage of local priests.

Source

• solomonstarnews.com
• theislandsun.com
• Image: photos1.blogger.com