the Little Sister, said, " Both Sist er Daria and

Native Sisters Make Profession in Moresby

On Sunday, June 9, in the Church of the Holy Rosery, Port Moresby, six native Sisters made their pro fession as members of the Order known as Handmaids of the Lord.

They were Sister Patricia from Terapo; Sisters Daria and Valeria from Kuni; Sister Mary Goretti from Fane; and Sisters Mercia and Dorothy from Melville Is. Two postulates, Sister Tnny Mary, of Bitsui, and Sister Marie Louise, of Terapo, received the grey habit of the Little Sisters, as they are generally known. The photograph shows Mother Genevieve of the Order and the new Sisters receiving their crosses from the Bishop.

This was the first time that the cere monies had taken place in public since the Order was first founded 37 years ago by Arch bishop Alain de Bois menu. Recently, the headquarters of the little Sisters was moved

from Kubuna to a property on the Laloki River, near Port Moresby. Here the young Sisters will be able to complete their education. Some

Photo: Papuan Prints, of them will train as teachers and some as nurses. There are 41 fully professed native Sisters, 21 of them working on stations of

the Mis sio n of the Sacred Heart in Papua.

Some of the young women met with areat opposition from their families and villaqe com

munities. Mother Genevieve, French Mother of

the Little Sister, said, " Both Sist er Daria and Sister Valeria from Kuni, ran away from home to join us. They arrived at dawn, dressed in grass skirts and carrying only a knife as troussesau' Neither of them had been to shool and they could not speak a word of English, but they made me understand that they wanted to stay with us and become Sisters. Their people did everything to dis courage them".

Postulant Sister Anny Mary, from Bitsiu, had a different sort of difficulty to overcome The girls of her tribe are heavily tattooed from head to foot, and she was the first one to disprove that a tattooed woman could not be come a Little Sister.—RENATA COCHRANE.