Catholic Diocese of Broome

I come from the diocese of Pagadian in the Philippines, where I served as a priest responsible for the organisation and administration of the local Diocesan Itinerant Mission Team for nine years. The team played a significant role in organising the local community through the formation and strengthening of the local church leaders.

It was our desire to create a more obvious “church among the people”, with the prime goal of looking after the people’s spiritual needs while at the same time helping to drive the development of the local economy. This was achieved through such projects as organic farming and animal husbandry. Such groups are better known as Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC’s) and it was in this area that my energy was mainly directed.

The BEC’s aim is to group together close neighbours for faith development and economic development. It is through this process that the people are able to identify with the local priest as being a close partner in a church working and looking after their needs.

My life was very much tied up with a focus on the socio-political level to ensure that the people’s voice was heard when it came to social justice issues, their dignity as persons and their rights and freedom to live productive lives in a viable, working community. Out of a desire to see how other countries ministered to their indigenous people, I sought and gained the permission of my Bishop to come to Australia.

I work currently as assistant priest in the parish of St Therese of the Child Jesus in the Wirrimanu community, Balgo Hills. I believed it a priority that I should connect with and get to know on a meaningful level the local people and thus develop friendships with them. With an understanding of them as persons, I am better able to join with them, for the time I am here, in their life’s journey. In this way I am able to fulfil my pastoral role.

Since arriving in the Kimberley region my ministry to the indigenous people has grown and developed. I find them a people of strong cultural and spiritual beliefs. I am able to identify with their strong sense of connection to the land. Their dreaming stories have helped me understand this. I see them as having to embrace the technology, ideas and practices of the 21 st century, yet still be grounded in their traditional culture.

At first I found it a difficult process and would often try to escape into other activities. These frustrations of mine are now largely a thing of the past. As I was able to relax with myself and the people, the resulting freedom helped me to more easily relate to them. Life was thus becoming more real and more grounded for me. I could help now in more specific ways.

In the future, I believe it would be good for priests of the Diocese, to be able to continue to have an ongoing sharing of what they do and what they experience in their own churches. For me this would strengthen the group and give natural emphasis to the pastoral issues for the whole of the local church: a team ministry working on a bigger picture.

Photo Caption: Fr Api, assisted by Church Leader, Cathy Lee of Balgo, prepares for the Pentecost celebration.