It’s pretty much an undisputed fact around here that coconut trees have a single, generally straight, trunk without any branches.

And yet, we found this specimen on our recent hike to Halopa.  Looking something like a saguaro cactus from Arizona, this has become a local tourist attraction with everyone around asking to show it to you.

Now, you’ve seen it too.

I understand that an “Ender’s Game” movie is coming out, or perhaps has already come out (Entertainment news is a bit slow to reach us!).  Over the years, I’ve enjoyed reading the various Ender books, written by Orson Scott Card.  There’s been a string of them.

When I was home in May, I discovered that several prequel books to Ender’s Game were also in the works.   These stories deal with the history of the “First and Second Formic Wars,” which are alluded to but never fully explained in “Ender’s Game.”

I picked up the first one new book in this series, “Earth Unaware” for my trip back to PNG and since I’ve been a science fiction fan since the days of the original Star Trek TV series, I was captivated by the story and the imaginative lives of deep space mining families – the first to encounter the alien species known as the Formics.

“Earth Afire” continues the story of man’s first encounters with the Formics and the First Formic War.  (Ender’s Game is about the Third Formic War, so you know there’s a lot to tell in these prequel books)

I wish I knew what the next books in the Formic War series will be but I haven’t been able to find that information.  It would be just my luck if I have to wait years for the next episodes to be published.

The alien race in the Ender stories are called “Formics”, a derivation of the Latin word for ants, which the aliens resemble.

You may have read in earlier posts that I’m fighting my own “Formic War” here at St. Fidelis.  The yellowish critters, sometimes called coconut tree ants, are quite formidable opponents.   During my latest invasion of their demesne to cut grass, I was bitten not less than 17 times.

I know that some of you are squeamish about the bug photos I post here, but you should see these suckers up close!  Have a look at the pinschers these mighty little creatures have and be thankful they are not four feet tall like they are in the Ender stories.

A couple of weeks ago, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands was having its annual meeting just down the road from St. Fidelis.

One Sunday morning, Nate Johnson and I were asked to drive Archbishop Douglas Young and Bishop Bill Fey to the village church at Rempi for Sunday Mass.

The villagers really turned out for the event!  A group of villagers was decked out in their traditional attire (“bilas”) and escorted the bishops in procession into the church.  The church itself was bilas’d as well, decorated with all manner of flowers and greenery.

As you can see from the photos, it was a great Mass to attend as both a spiritual and cultural event.  I’m so glad that I was able to experience this unique part of PNG culture.

Following Mass, a gathering on the nearby school parade grounds gave the parishioners a chance to formally welcome the bishops to their village and to give them some input on the challenges facing their community, families and youth.

On April 26th, the seminary had its annual St. Fidelis Day Celebration.  Not only did the students have the day off from classes, but they got to sleep in, spend the morning playing sports, celebrate the memorial of this first of Capuchin martyrs with all the Capuchins in the Madang area, and wow us with their “mumu” prowess.

What’s a mumu?  It’s the PNG version of what you might call a luau in Hawaii.  Basically, a whole pig, along with fruits and vegetables is steamed in a pit of heated rocks in a banana leaf lined pit.   It is an important cultural experience that often accompanies important events – weddings and such.

The Highland and Coastal versions of mumus vary somewhat and the various groups take great care and pride in their particular form of mumu.

Read more about St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen here and here, an important martyr in the Counter-Reformation and patron of our seminary.

Here’s a gallery of photos from our celebration.  (Note:  There are some photos of the butchered pig which you might find disturbing, so don’t look at those too closely  😉

We were very fortunate to have Archbishop Stephen Reichert, OFM Cap., along several other Madang area Capuchin priests, celebrate Mass for us while the mumu was cooking.  Also attending were all of the Capuchins from the Padre Pio Formation House which is just down the road from St. Fidelis Seminary.

Holy Week at St. Fidelis was a wonderful time to share with the students.  I wasn’t able to upload any of the video I have due to the slowness of the internet at the archdiocesan office, but here is a selection of photos that will give you some hints about our celebrations.

Included here are some shots from our Palm Sunday procession, the Chrism Mass at the cathedral in Madang, Holy Thursday Mass, the student’s Good Friday Procession, a our Easter Vigil.

The Easter Vigil was really memorable.  The bonfire was spectacular, but you’ll have to see the video to appreciate it.  We had also been without electricity for two days by that evening, so imagine our small chapel, crammed with 200 people with lighted candles and no ventilation or ceiling fans.  It was well over 100 degF that evening!  But, there was something special about celebrating Mass via candlelight.

We had plans for a sunrise Mass on Easter morning along the seashore, but a heavy rainfall caused it to be moved inside.

Nonetheless, Holy Week was a prayerful and joyous time with the students and many of the local villagers.

Like most schools, the time for exams eventually comes around. So it is at St. Fidelis Seminary where the first round of exams for the Propaedeutic seminarians began last week.

I gave my first test in the “Call to Faith” religious education course this Tuesday morning, March 12th.  It was originally scheduled for last Thursday, but due to a power outage that lasted about 15 hours, I was unable to make copies of the test.

Such is life in a developing country.  The power outage not only plunged the school into darkness, but some sort of a surge also took out the large diesel generator that we use as a backup.  It is down for repairs which may take a month or more.  We all carry flashlights (I can’t call them torches) with us now during the dark hours.

The same power surge also seems to have destroyed the motherboard in the school’s DUPLO machine, which we use to make copies.  The DUPLO is a hybrid type copy machine, somewhere between a photocopier and one of those old fashioned duplicators that we used when I was in high school.  (I know some of you remember those and are fondly remembering sniffing the pages.)

So, even though the main power is back on, we are quite limited in our ability to make copies for the students.  I managed by using our old FAX machine, much to the dismay of the students who were hoping for another postponement of the test.

Here are some photos of the students laboring over their exam. I haven’t begun grading them yet, but I have high hopes that most will pass with 80% or higher scores.

I had a bit of free time this Sunday afternoon, so I thought I would wander around the school grounds with my camera and see if I could capture some decent shots of flowers.    I’ve always struggled with getting them focused the way they should, so I thought the practice would do me good.

Here’s what I came up with, including a couple of the scary creatures keeping watch near the orchid gardens.  (Sorry, they’re not blooming at the moment)

I hope you enjoy them!  They came at the cost of being relentlessly hounded by some really annoying bugs.