In the following we reproduce two accounts of the lively World Day of Prayer 2009 service held in St Peter’s Catholic parish in Rochdale, Brisbane.
 
Erika Meerwald of St. Peter’s writes:

“On 6 March St. Peter's parish in Rochedale hosted the World Day of Prayer prepared by the women of Papua New Guinea.
 
The church was decorated with artefacts from Papua New Guinea, bilums [colourful string bags made by women in PNG – ed.], cloth, Buka baskets and trays [Buka is in Bougainville, PNG] – ed.], shells and a large bunch of colourful crotons. This created an authentic atmosphere, setting the mood for an unforgettable celebration.
 
We rejoiced in welcoming our brothers and sisters from the Anglican, Uniting and  Catholic churches in Logan along with our Papuan friends from St.Paul's in Woodridge.
 
The service began with the beat of the kundu drum followed by a beautiful song in Motu, the traditional language of the Papuans. We enjoyed other Motuan songs as we prayed that God may ease the heavy burdens that many women in Papua New Guinea have to carry: tribal fighting, domestic violence, poverty, [the] spread of HIV/AIDS.
 
The highlight of our celebration was the reflection on women in Papua New Guinea presented by Jackie, a young Papuan woman. She portrayed the women as the backbone of society, strong, courageous and totally dedicated to the wellbeing of their families. Jackie stressed that Papua New Guinean women living in Australia still value their extended families above all else. Even though they are modern women, they still carry on with their traditional roles.
 
We shared a light supper afterwards. There was a strong ecumenical community spirit among us and we enjoyed each others company well into the evening.”
 
Kathy Nix of St Matthew’s Anglican Church in Cornubia writes:

“[These are] some strong lasting impressions from [the] World Day of Prayer at St Peters Catholic Church at Rochedale QLD:

• The young witness, her enthusiasm and vitality, her obvious joy in recognising and celebrating the achievements of Niugini women
  
• The unity of all participants
  
• The number of men and young people present
  
• Representatives of the niugini community - their strong bonds, respect for their traditions and Christian joy were tangible 
  
• The beautiful singing 

I brought to my prayer thanksgiving for nationals who are proud of their country and happy to share their bountiful beautiful spirit with us.”

• Click here to read an account of the World Day of Prayer in Ashgrove West, Brisbane.
• Click here to read about the service for the World Day of Prayer in Bald Hills/Brackenridge.