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Catholic leaders to descend on Palau

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No mass for Catholics from Thursday to Sunday morning

The bishop and all the priests and deacons of the Catholic Diocese of the Caroline Islands including Palau and the FSM states will descend to Palau this week to do a retreat at the Carp Resort Island of Ngercheu, according to church announcement during mass last Sunday. 

Fifteen priests and three newly ordained deacons including Palau’s own Sngebard Melairei will be arriving on Tuesday, July 30 with Bishop Julio Angkel, the head of the diocese residing in Tunnuk, Mwen, Chuuk. The church delegation will be joined by the Palau priest to conduct group mass and have breakfast at Osiaol in the morning of Wednesday of July 31 and then depart to Carp Island to begin their retreat until Sunday, August 4, when they return to Koror. There will be no mass from Thursday until Sunday morning. 

Retreat is a time to withdraw from regular activities for prayer, meditation, and study mostly in silence in a group and contemplate deeply one’s relationship with Jesus Christ and the meaning of one’s life.   

Upon their return to Koror on Sunday, the priests will conduct masses at 5 pm at the three churches in Koror and at several other churches on Babeldaob. They then return to Koror where a farewell dinner will be held for them at Osiaol before most depart that evening. 

As to Sngebard coming home, according to information from the church, he was ordained as deacon in Chuuk last month with other deacons and they will be assigned by the bishop to any church in the diocese for nearly a year after which they return to their island to be ordained as a priest. Sngebard Melairei is expected to be ordained in Palau as a priest at the end of the year.