Faith

Solar panels on the roof of the rectory were installed thanks to Father Marek and donations to the Propagation of the Faith.

Propagation of the Faith

Where Were You When the Lights Went On?

Friday, May 1, 2026Faith

Many people of a certain age know the answer to the opposite question in our title because in 1965, a great blackout was experienced across parts of Canada and much of the Northeast corridor. About 30 million people were without power for up to thirteen hours. Although a few localities relied on their own power plants, most people were plunged into darkness. In 1968, a romcom movie starring Doris Day was made about the Great Blackout.
For the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG), their experience with electricity is very different. Currently, only about 20 percent of the country has regular access to electric power. Blackouts are a common occurrence and can last days. Once the power goes off, one is never sure when it will return.
As one of the larger cities in the Southern Highlands Province of PNG, Mendi counts itself among the lucky, electrified few. Even so, Bishop Donald Lippert, OFM, Cap, Bishop of Mendi, told me that there are still many problems with their "fair-weather" electrical friend; all diocesan office work grinds to a halt when computers go black. Messages to rural outstations go unsent, and travel is interrupted because diocesan vehicles' fuel tanks go unfilled when pumps don't work. Classrooms, like those used for training Catechists or Catholic pastoral health workers, go dark.
During the day, it is inconvenient. During my visit, as we sat in daily Mass at the Cathedral, the lights went out, but the celebration continued. At night, while writing in my journal and uploading pictures from my camera to my computer, losing power meant an early bedtime!
Bishop Don is grateful for the donors to The Society for the Propagation of the Faith who are making a difference in his ministry and beyond. Since 2007, the Diocese of Mendi has received multiple grants from the Propagation's General Solidarity Fund -- repository of your donations -- so that solar panels and the necessary equipment to use them can be installed at diocesan offices, rectories, and convents.
Providentially, Father Marek, a Holy Family Missionary priest, is assigned to Mendi. While not an electrician by trade, Father has the skills necessary to install not only the panels but also the batteries and monitoring equipment that keep electricity flowing. At present, there are five buildings running on the power of the sun. This saves the diocese much-needed funds on its electric bill, allowing it to invest in the evangelizing work of the Church.
With your regular help, Bishop Don and others like him can expand solar projects and bring the Light of Christ to more people in the missions. Give today!

- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.