Ten Sisters Admitted at Pentecost at Verana’aso

“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
John 20:21–22

This year, Pentecost brought a powerful and joyful sign of continuing mission in Melanesia.

At Verana’aso, the headquarters of the Community of the Sisters of Melanesia (CSM) on Guadalcanal, the Most Reverend Leonard Dawea, Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, admitted ten new sisters into the community. Their commitment is a living expression of Pentecost in action. Just as the disciples received the Holy Spirit and were sent out, these women now step forward to serve, carrying peace, healing, and hope into communities across Melanesia.

In his sermon, the Right Reverend Benedict Loe, Bishop of Guadalcanal, reflected on three essential truths revealed through Pentecost: the Father’s love, which reminds us that God’s mission begins and is sustained by His deep love for His people; Christ’s example, as the sisters follow Jesus who came not to be served but to serve; and the Spirit’s power, through which their ministry depends not on human strength but on the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Benedict also offered a gentle but important reminder to those gathered in the full Verana’aso Chapel: to “test the spirits” and discern carefully. Not all spirits come from God. The true Spirit, he said, brings peace, truth, and healing. He encouraged the sisters, and all Christians, to use the Spirit given to them to build reconciliation, support others, and bear witness to God’s kingdom.

This Pentecost, we are reminded that the gift of the Holy Spirit is never for ourselves alone. It is given so that we might serve others and share in God’s mission.

The calling of these ten new sisters is a powerful encouragement to us all. Their commitment echoes the sending of the first disciples, and invites each of us to consider how we, too, are called to bring Christ’s peace into the world.

By ACoM Comms

Please pray

Loving God,
we thank you for the ten new Sisters of Melanesia, called and sent out in the power of your Holy Spirit.

Strengthen them in their vocation, and guide them each day as they follow Christ in lives of service. May they be living signs of your peace, bringing healing, hope, and compassion to all whom they meet.

Grant them wisdom, courage, and deep joy in their calling. Help them to grow in faith and to be sustained by your presence in every challenge and every blessing.

We pray for the Community of the Sisters of Melanesia: may it continue to flourish, nurture new vocations, and be a light of your love in the world.

And we pray for all those they will serve, may their lives be touched and transformed by your grace.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.