Teachers’ graduation ceremony in Baucau

After six months of waiting, due to the pandemic, the Instituto Católico para a Formaҫão de Professores (ICFP), in Baucau, East Timor, held on 11 September 2021 its much awaited 15th Graduation ceremony.

Originally scheduled for early March 2021, the program was then postponed until June, and then finally permission from the Ministry of Higher Education was received to go ahead with the ceremony.

The first group of thirty-nine students were awarded the ‘Diploma de Licenciatura’, while the two other groups, each of thirty-five students, received the ‘Diploma de Bacharelato’. Senior Executive staff members, Mestra Domingas Belo Ximenes, and Mestre Mariano dos Santos coordinated proceedings and introduced the students as they were presented with their qualifications.

The ceremony was held in three parts to enable social distancing and the implementation of other precautions to keep the participants safe.

Margie Beck AM, the Deputy Director of the Institute, spent a month or so organising the pre- recording of Bishop Nascimento’s opening prayer and message of support, the pre-recording of the guest speaker, Dr. João Cancio Freitas, and the pre-recording of ‘Patria’, the National Anthem and an Institute song to Saint Marcellin Champagnat, sung by the ICFP students’ choir – Br Michael McManus on the keyboard accompanied the singers.

At the end of the degree presentations, members of the Marist Ministry group (Pastoral Juvenal Marista – PJM) were awarded certificates of appreciation, as arranged by Mestra Domingas, the leader of PJM.

For health security reasons in times of pandemic, family members were not allowed to be in attendance. This is the first ICFP Graduation ceremony to be held during the pandemic.