First Salesians Arrive in Vanuatu

The First Salesians Arrive in Vanuatu

Preceded by Mary Help of Christians

(ANS - Port Vila, Vanuatu – December 15, 2025) – On the afternoon of Saturday, December 13, the three missionary pioneers of the new Salesian presence in the Vanuatu archipelago – Fr. Alfred Maravilla, former general councilor for the missions, as director; Fr. Moise Paluku; and Bro. Paulus Bataona – arrived in Port Vila, welcomed by the local ordinary, Bishop John Bosco Baremes, S.M. In the evening, some diocesan priests and the bishop welcomed them in a simple traditional ceremony.

On Sunday morning, the bishop presided at the Eucharist and officially welcomed the pioneers, introducing them to the diocesan community. “We are happy to see the presence of the Salesians here. I know that this is the fruit of your fervent prayers over many years. We are grateful that, despite numerous requests from the bishops of Oceania, they have agreed to come to our small diocese.”

Before Mass, the Salesians were deeply moved to see the statue of Mary Help of Christians in the cathedral. During the earthquake that devastated the capital in December 2024, the statue of Mary in the cathedral had also been destroyed. A Catholic government minister offered to replace it and ordered “a statue of Mary” from Vietnam. It arrived in September and was solemnly placed in the cathedral. It was only before Mass that the Salesians excitedly pointed out to the bishop that it was indeed the statue of Mary Help of Christians. “You see, just before our Mass, we discovered that this statue is actually that of Mary Help of Christians, a title very dear to the Salesians and to Don Bosco. Perhaps by coincidence, but Mary Help of Christians preceded her children here.”

In his Good Night to the small Salesian community, after community prayers, Fr. Maravilla recalled that when he visited Vanuatu in May 2019, at the time as superior of the vice province of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, together with Fr. Vaclav Klement, then regional councilor for the East Asia-Oceania Region, he gave the bishop a small statue of Mary Help of Christians, saying, “For now I give you our Mother; later her children will follow!” And in fact, Mary has shown that she has preceded them. “Everything is her work. This new missionary presence that we are launching is Mary’s work,” the director emphasized.

The 3 Salesians will stay at the cathedral for a few days; then they will move to their temporary residence, located on the 50-acre property donated by the bishop. They will spend this time getting to know the local pastoral situation, especially that of young people, with a view to preparing an overall development plan. In the meantime, they intend to start an oratory. The new presence is entrusted to Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá.