OUR MISSION
Railaco Parish: One Heart and One Soul
History and Background
Railaco was established as a mission station of the Parish of Our of Lady of Lourdes – Ermera right from the inception of pastoral activities in the area. The first recorded mass in Railaco dates back to 1947 under the mission superior Pe. António Gravaldo da Conceição Fernandes. Many years later, a succeeding superior Padre Carlos da Rocha Pereira identified Railaco as a potential mission station even with fledging number of residents. He then instructed a catechist by the name Alberto, from Letefoho to give catechetical instructions and prepare catechumens in Railaco waiting to receive the sacraments of initiation. First known catechetical instruction was held in Railaco in a shed owned by the administrator of Railaco, the first mass under the shed of a tree near the main road of what is now known Suco Liho. From there the baptisms and other sacraments paved way for the faithful of Railaco to feel that they belonged to a local church. The succeeding mission superior, Padre Frederico presided over the first baptism in Railaco. 4th of July 1954. The seed of faith has been planted since then in Railaco. The same faith that flourished through thick and thin as the whole nation struggled to gain independence only to be annexed to Indonesia and then restored its independence in 2002. The long journey ensued with challenges on building the Christian community in Railaco. The restoration of independence of the country in 2002 paved way for the first Jesuit to settle in Railaco as a resident pastor. Fr. Samuel Dizon, SJ settled in Railaco and single-handedly run the pastoral activities in Railaco with the help of some lay catechists whom he chose and given proper training. Shortly after, in 2002, he was joined by another Filipino Jesuit, Fr. Antonio Martin Pablo “Bong” Abad Santos, SJ. From being a small chapel community, Railaco eventually was elevated as a mission station of the parish of Ermera and then years after became a Quasi-parish in 2011 and then became a full parish in 2017. The 2011 elevation to quasi-parish was under the helm of Fr. Joseph Nguyen Thanh Phuong, SJ was the head pastor at that time. Fr. Joseph led the parish for almost 10 years. Railaco owes a lot of gratitude to these three great missionaries of immense dedication to the people. In 2020, the parish welcomed its new pastor, Fr. Erik John “EJ” Gerilla, SJ after Fr. Joseph moved into his well-deserved sabbatical.
Along its progress as a parish community, the years of pastoral activities have seen the rise of a pool of catechists and community leaders in all the chapels under the jurisdiction of the parish. These lay leaders in faith are still active to this day. Some have died but many thrived through the years of fostering sense of community and strengthening the faith of the people. There are many milestones noteworthy of our attention about the parish and one of this is the building of more solid structure of chapels and the main church of the parish. The lay leaders were organized to give more efficient pastoral care to the people. Each is equipped from their years of formation and training with the Jesuits.
There are reasons to be grateful for the many years of the journey of the people of Railaco. But there are areas of great need that remain wanting to this day. Hence, the parish has drawn for the frist time an apostolic plan as an effort to consolidate all resources of the parish and to steer the wheel of this local church towards the future that the faithful themselves desire to see for the generations to come.
We envision a church and nation composed of living witnesses to the Gospel values of strong faith, vibrant hope and self-giving love. A Church that is able to proclaim the Gospel to the fringes of society thereby transforming people to be united in faith.
Our parish is committed to worship God above all things, to proclaim the Word of God and to promote justice, social change and solidarity.
Being a church missioned by Christ to spread the gospels and to promote justice, we collectively commit the whole parish of Railaco to:
- Strengthening Life of Divine Worship (Hakbiit Moris Hahi Maromak)To strengthen the living practice of divine worship through liturgical renewal and invigorating acts of piety, and accompanying various categorical groups throughout the parish.
- Loving the living Word of God (Hadomi Maromak nia Futar Lia)To cultivate love for the Word of God through the scriptures and various teachings of the Church.
- Upholding the Fullness of Life on Earth (Promove Moris Digno iha Mundo nee)To promote and advocate for human dignity by working towards social justice; upholding the common good; and caring for our environment.
- Fostering a vibrant Christian Community (Hametin Komunidade Cristã)To foster strong sense of communion in faith; belongingness across all ages in the parish in order to promote culture of active participation and solidarity in times of need.
The Parish Apostolic Plan
The parish apostolic plan is conceived out of a long process of getting to know the evolving context and the emerging concerns of the parish and the local church in Timor Leste. Hence, the apostolic plan is conceived with a desire to foster a missionary church and bring the church to its rightful dignity as holy, catholic and apostolic church. The parish should always strive to do its mission lest it forgets its core identity and slide back to a mediocre status of a maintenance church which is a real temptation of many pastoral units in the Catholic Church today. A parish is not just a factory of masses and sacraments, it is a vessel of the treasure of the church and gifted with the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives to become disciples of Christ. We are the body of Christ here on Earth and we ought to bear witness to that dignity as a church.
The apostolic plan is inspired by the caption taken from the Acts of the Apostles 4:32, “One heart and One Soul.” These words from the Acts of the Apostles captures the spirit of the vision and mission statement this plan is endorsing. The topography of Railaco is characterized by rugged terrains and hills. The communities are separated by sheer distance. The tendency as in the past is to operate as if basic ecclesial communities of these chapels are autonomous pastoral units and coordination between chapels and the main parish church can be unwieldy. But despite the distance and the mountains and rivers that separate each community, the spirit of becoming one whole parish is now put into the forefront in our pastoral approach. There is a need to foster greater unity among these ecclesial communities and this apostolic plan hopes to address that concern more proactively. We hope to pray and give witness to the love of Christ as one.