Takwaisae community in Zone Three, Buma Parish, West Kwaio Constituency, marked a historic milestone on Sunday, December 21, 2025, as it hosted a Catholic Jubilee Cross celebration for the first time, drawing a large turnout from surrounding communities.
The event was held as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, and it was the first occasion that Takwaisae community hosted such a significant Catholic gathering.
The celebration brought together people of all age groups, including men, women, youths, and Sunday school children from across Zone Three.
The program began with a colorful parade, where members of all communities within Zone Three processed together in unity.
This was followed by a Holy Mass celebrated at the church, and the event concluded with prayers at the site where the Jubilee Cross was officially installed at Takwaisae community.
Zone Three Catholic Church marked this Jubilee Cross as a 25-year Jubilee, a notable departure from the usual 50-year Jubilee cycle.
According to church leaders, this was the first time the Jubilee Cross was celebrated at the 25-year mark, making the occasion even more significant for the local faithful.
Catechist Michael Ruma’a described the event as a special time of unity and prayer for all communities under Buma Parish in West Kwaio, within the Auki Diocese of Malaita Province.
“This is a milestone that our communities have been looking forward to,” Ruma’a said. “Takwaisae community has been given a wonderful opportunity to host this Jubilee Cross in 2025.”
He added that communities such as Loulana, Busule’easi, Ngariwane, and several other communities within Zone Three participated in the celebration, reflecting strong unity within the parish.
A Catholic Jubilee Cross is a special cross created or designated to mark a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church.
It symbolizes repentance, mercy, spiritual renewal, and the call for believers to deepen their faith.
During the celebration, Fr. Francis Mark urged Catholics to reflect deeply on the meaning of the cross in their daily lives.
“When you pass by the cross, whether in a truck or on foot, please look beyond it,” Fr. Mark said.
“Bow down as a sign of respect. The cross can help our lives become better.”
He emphasized that the cross remains central to Christian faith, describing it as the only ladder that leads believers to heaven.
“When we talk about the cross, there is no other ladder to climb to heaven,” he said.
“The cross is the way.”
Fr. Mark also reminded the congregation of the significance of the Jubilee year, noting that after 2025, another Jubilee of the same count would not be celebrated again until 2050.
The successful hosting of the Jubilee Cross celebration at Takwaisae community marked a proud and memorable moment for Zone Three under Buma Parish, strengthening faith, unity, and hope among the Catholic faithful.
By Lesley Foinagwa
MASI Stringer
In West Kwaio
