Instituto Católico para a Formação de Professores

End-of-year ceremonies, gatherings and farewells are always full of pleasant surprises at the Instituto Católico para a Formação de Professores (ICFP), in Baucau, East Timor. The graduating students of 2019 invited the entire ICFP community to join them for Mass celebrated by Fr Manuel Ximenes SDB.

In that very special day, the students were very happy to unveil their painting of the East Timor version of Marcellin Champagnat represented as a Liurai (traditional leader). He is naturally wearing the traditional ceremonial tais (woven garment) with the symbols of office on his head – kaebauk – and his chest – belak. It is also possible to notice a special East Timorese lively glint in Champagnat’s eyes.

Final year student Natercia Afonso da Silva sang with full heart and soul the newly composed Champagnat song in Tetun, the chorus of which was a prayer of thanks to God for sending Marists to East Timor so that they (the students) could become Marist teachers too.

The Marist Brothers founded the College, which was originally accredited through the Australian Catholic University, at the request of the Bishop of Baucau in 2001. 

Since 2006, about 600 students have graduated from the Institute.