Our Mission in Fiji

Leaving Fiji

Mon, 10 Oct 2016 12:00:00 GMT

As I depart the island of Taveuni and reflect on the experience of the last several days I am grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know the people of Wairiki, Delaivuna, Nawi (on Venua Levu) and Neselesele villages.

The island does have a number of high-end resorts; however, it is very rural and the people in the villages depend primarily on farming for food and catchment containers for water. There is also work at the resorts for some

It was amazing to me to experience the hospitality, community and the faith of the people. They are educated, speak English and Fijian and they are aware of world events. The country is mostly Fijian natives, but there are a number of Indian families (such as Baba, our driver from the place we stayed. His full name is Varun Narayan), and increasingly Chinese.

Much has been accomplished by the people with the support of the Pontifical Mission societies. Holy Cross church is a 150-year-old monument to the work of the Marist priests. The concrete walls have been repaired and painted, the roof has been replaced and the ceiling cleaned because of the support of the diocese of Charleston, the work of Msgr. Ed Lofton, and the hands of the people. The old Sto. Pelasio church was removed and a new one built through the same resources. St. Joseph church in Nawi is an hour boat ride away. The church construction is well underway and when you talk with the people there they are very happy to be doing the labor to build the church. The ground is cleared for a foundation for a church in Delaivuna. The people of the area saved the money to get the land cleared and they are counting on help to build the church.

The other impressive factor is the work the Marist missionary priests have done here to build and maintain the Catholic Faith. From the time they arrived around 1850 at Somosomo to witness cannibalistic tribes, to helping to build strong Catholic communities, to their continued work today, they have been a strong support for the people and a beacon of light for the Catholic Church. The small group of priests and brothers at Holy Cross parish (and Holy Cross School, called college) lead Holy Cross and 10 other station churches scattered around the island of Taveuni.

The Marists on Taveuni, and the people in the villages need our help. If you live in the Diocese of Charleston, like I do, then consider a gift directly to the Propagation of the Faith office at the diocese. All of us should give generously to the World Mission fund. Also pray for strength and guidance for the Marist priests and brothers, and for the people of Taveuni.

Vinaka Vakalevu!

A Visit to St. Joseph in Nawi (on the shore of Venua Levu)

Sun, 09 Oct 2016 13:00:00 GMT

As we got to the old church the decay became more visible. Msgr. Lofton pointed out the various issues. “This building is not safe. People should not be inside. You can see why they need a new church. Most of the funds from World Missions go to the diocese for diocesan programs. You can see that this village could not possibly afford all the expenses for a new church. They need help.”

As we walked around the front of the church there was a statue of the Virgin Mary. I also had noticed a side altar in Sto. Pelasio devoted to Mary.

“What is the importance of Mary to you?” I asked.

“She is the way to Jesus,” said Petero, “she is at the front entrance because we go through Mary to get to Jesus.”

“How do you get to be Head Man,” I asked Petero

“We vote for him to be the representative for the village. He is the connection to the chief and to the government. We have to go to him to go to the chief.”

Shortly thereafter as we reached the house with Elia, we heard a lively voice behind us as the chief arrived. “Please go in,” he said. “Welcome!” The chief’s name is Sepo.

As in the churches and all the residences, we first removed our shoes and went into a room that was empty except for a woven mat on the floor. This was a meeting with the chief, to gain permission to go see the new church building.

The chief welcomed us warmly and noted Fiji Day. He was wearing a Fiji shirt and had hung a poster on the wall. He showed us a newspaper with a prayer for Fiji printed in English and in Fijian, and then specifically greeted Msgr. and me since we were visitors.

Then Wauni presented the kava to the chief. He gave a long talk in Fijian which expressed gratitude and respect for the chief and village and requested that they welcome us to the village. The chief gave and elaborate reply in which Msgr. and I could hear our names. In general he was expressing respect for Neselesele and fortunately welcoming us to the village.

As we walked over to the church, the chief said “I understand there are important elections happening in the United States.” We couldn’t get away from it even in Fiji!

The chief went on to say: “When the villagers asked me if they could build a church, I answered sure! It would bring progress to our village.”

The structure is concrete block filled with concrete. The diocese of Charleston Propagation of the Faith purchased a cement mixer so they would not have to mix by hand. But they hand up buckets of concrete to workers on the top who pour the concrete into the blocks and finish the top.

The primary columns are pine and the roof structure is Vesa, a beautiful hardwood that grows in the hills nearby. Vesa looks like mahogany, but is a harder wood. The villagers use chain saws to cut and mill the wood. The trusses were beautiful. I picked up a small piece of the wood. It was quite heavy. I asked Petero how they would get the trusses up onto the roof. “By hand,” he said. “We will drill holes into the ends and fit them onto the rebar at the top.” We joked that they should have a crane. “This is our crane,” said Elia, pointed to his arm.

Msgr. Lofton expects the church to be complete in about a year and hopes to hold and opening Mass in celebration.

Mateo had been in the meeting with the other catechists who are part of the station churches associated with Holy Cross in Wairiki, Taveuni. After the meeting I held with some of the catechists in Neselesele a few days ago, they met with all the catechists from the 10 station churches and reviewed the materials. They were particularly interested in Our Sunday Visitor pamphlets and Catholic Parent Know-How for Sacraments. Mateo went on “it is also popular to have audio and CDs for people.” I mentioned the idea of a web site and they liked that as well, since most of them have phones that can access the internet.

This was a surreal experience for me. The surroundings were primitive, I was in an ancient tribal ceremony, and I was talking about religious education materials and digital tools with the catechist. The assistant to catechists was serving the kava. His brother is a priest on Taveuni.

This process was followed repeatedly, first to Wauni who was leading us there, then Msgr and then the Chief. After that me and around the horn to others. Apparently if you drink enough of it you begin to feel an overall effect. I didn’t get that far.

Later on the return trip I asked Wauni what happens if the chief does not welcome you. “If he does not return kava, then you are not welcome,” he said.

“But what happens?”

“You have to leave.” I didn’t ask any further.

Mateo and the assistant catechist, whose name I didn’t get, asked us to join them to eat. One of the other standards I learned while here is that people are very hospitable and regardless of the time they ask you if they can cook and have you join them for a meal. You can’t decline

The assistant catechist lives there in the village of Nawi with his parents. He asked Msgr to bless his father and for us to join him for dinner. As we entered the house, it was similar to the chief’s. No furniture except in this case for a table and chairs with food set for us. Inside doorways had Fijian floral print fabric hung to provide some privacy.

We sat down to a meal of a whole fresh fish (to be shared), caught that day in the surf. It was sitting on a type of egg and corn fritter. There were slices of breadfruit, dalo (taro root), fresh papaya, and a shredded and cooked cabbage dish that was savory. This was a special meal for us. The blessing was said after the meal by the assistant catechist.

As it was time to return home, Petero called out to us to have more kava until the boat was there for us. But the boat was ready, so Elia (the head man) and Petero walked us back to the beach.

“Do you recognize that tree?” asked Elia. I guessed a willow. “Sandalwood. The oil is in every type of perfume and is very valuable. It takes 25 years for the tree to mature enough and the oil comes from the wood of the tree trunk. It will be a future for our village.”

As we walked by a corrugated metal building, Elia said “that is our community center. We hold our meetings there.”

“How often do you meet?”

“Once a month”

“Do you have a set agenda?”

“Yes. We cover village issues and the status of money.”

As we left the shore in the boat. Elia and Petro were standing under a century-old rain tree. “Don’t forget us,” Elia said. “When you come back you can help us celebrate the new church. Don’t forget us.”

“I won’t.”

“Vinaka Vakalevu” to the amazing people in this village and all of the people I have met.

I also have a renewed appreciation for community and hospitality, and the importance of these things. No matter how humble or simple, there is no substitute for a genuine welcome

Bula Vinaka!

Mass at Sto. Pelasio in Naselesele

Sun, 09 Oct 2016 12:00:00 GMT

As the church began to fill up, one of the young men sounded the lali, and the entrance song began. The celebration was a combination of English and Fijian, my first experience with that combination in a bi-lingual Mass! The choir and congregation actively sang all the hymns in parts without accompaniment. It was an uplifting and reverent Mass.

The statue of Jesus over the altar was donated from St. Theresa the Little Flower parish in Summerville, SC where it hung previously. The statue had a circuitous route getting to Fiji, which created a “Where’s Jesus?” search for a while.

After Mass I had the opportunity to meet with the Chief of the Village, who had attended Mass with his family. The chief was very interested to learn about the resources of Our Sunday Visitor. Then he went on to talk with Msgr. Lofton about how to get a water supply run to the village. Water is a significant problem in Taveuni, Fiji. While there is water available with streams that run throughout the year in some areas of the island, there are no water lines so villages use catchment basins for water.

The village chiefs are descendants of ancient chiefs from tribal days. They were an active part of the country management and served as the leaders for their villages and communities as voting and ruling members of the national government until the election in 2013 which introduced a centralized government and moved the chiefs out of the active role. As I learned later, the chief still has an important role in the villages, and there is a voted leader of the community who becomes the “head man” to be the representative to the chief and to the national government. This background explains why the Chief of Naselesele wanted to talk about water supply.

As we walked out of the church, Yava’s son Mica was walking up to the entrance with a bunch of roots wrapped in newspaper and neatly tied. He handed it to Wauni who was taking it to Nawi with us as an offering to the chief there. This was to be part of our visit to the new church being built in Nawi on Venua Leva.

I asked about the kava. “It’s a tradition we have carried on,” said Wauni. I asked how long. “Over 1,000 years. We show our appreciation to the villagers and ask to be welcomed to the village by bringing a gift of kava.”

Kava is a green leafy plant grown on the hillsides. The root is collected and dried, then grated and placed in a cloth with water, The cloth is squeezed repeatedly and the liquid that is squeezed through the cloth is collected in a bowl and drunk out of coconut shells. The cloudy drink is a mild analgesic.

I asked some of the children what they would do for the rest of the day. “Go home and eat dinner, and then come back at 3 o’clock to pray the rosary.”

“What will you do after dinner?”

“Sleep.”

I think that was because they were too shy to talk more. I asked what they would eat and they didn’t know. I learned later what a typical Sunday meal is in a village.

Fiji Day at Holy Cross School

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 20:24:00 GMT

On Friday, October 7 schools celebrated “Fiji Day”. The day commemorates the official transfer from rul by Britain to an independent republic. The official date is October 10, and Fiji became a republic 46 years ago in 1970. The principal invited Msgr. Lofton (diocese of Charleston Director for the Pontifical Mission Societies, diocesan director of Priests continuing education and also pastor of St. Theresa the Little Flower Church in Summerville, SC) and me to attend as guests when we visited with her the day before.

There was much preparation at the school. The school comprises all primary and secondary grades which is 1 through 13 in Fiji. The staff building has a porch which extends the length of the building and it served as the location for staff and for the announcements.

Prior to the event I was able to confirm with the principal, Basilisa Lalama that they need resources in English that cover basal topics and they have a total of 437 students in the school, or around 30-35 per grade. She was also very excited to receive a Cave Quest Totally Catholic Vacation Bible school kit and a number of pamphlets on topics such as How to Pray the Rosary, How to Go to Confession, and Why We Go to Mass. Msgr. Lofton carried a suitcase full of toothpaste and toothbrushes to distribute to the students.

Meanwhile the Staff building was being decorated with fabric and posters.

The opening prayer was conducted by Brother Makario, a Marist Missionary. During his prayer he wove in comments about the change that Christianity brought to Fiji by teaching respect for all of life and then in the spirit of Laudato Si , all of us united to God as His family.

Then one of the lead teachers introduced the marching band for the procession of students and the ceremony to change the flag.

Then the students reenacted a history starting with tribal chiefs and describing the arrival of missionaries and the change to Christianity. There is a great deal of emphasis placed on the conversion of the country to Christianity and a peaceful existence. The reenactment was followed by dances performed by classes from 9th through 12th Grade, and then students returned to their classrooms for refreshments.

One of the things we observed the day before and again during and after the celebration is that the students were very orderly and were paying close attention to their teachers in their classrooms. They also were welcoming and quick to say “Bula” which is “Hello” and “Vinaka,” which is “thank you”.

In fact, one of the things that has been evident during our visits is that Fijians all smile and say “Bula!” to each other and to any of us that waved to them. They seem happy even with very few possessions. I asked our driver Baba if this was typical. “Yes,” he said, “the people are happy. They do not feel the need to constantly have more.” This is with the exception of a church for the community.

The big “city” on the island that we drove through each day is Somosomo. Buses run up and down the gravel/dirt roads so that people in the small villages can get to Somosomo to shop.

We passed by many bus stops on our drives, and most of the time there were people in them waiting for the bus. The bus service is critical to the villages. I’m describing the roads as gravel but it is a loose large gravel and mostly dirt. They are very difficult to travel, limiting speed to about 30 mph.

On Saturday we drove around the north edge of the island to visit the spectacular Bouma Falls. On the way we passed by the village of Naselesele, with Sto. Pelasio Church sitting proudly in the middle of the village. It reminded me that the catechists I met with on Thursday asked me to teach the children before Mass tomorrow. When I asked them if the children were being taught a particular topic, they said “no, just simple things.” So I think I will be ok.

On the drive we saw several smaller churches that are called “Station” churches. The Marist priests who staff Holy Cross in Wairiki also are responsible for the station churches. Holy Cross is a parish of 7,000 families, and they visit each of the other station churches including Sto. Pelasio once monthly. There are 10 of them including the village of Nawi, which we will visit tomorrow. The Diocese of Charleston Pontifical Mission Society is helping to fund the new church building in Nawi which will serve 50 families in the area. As I saw yesterday there is a new and additional request to help with the church in Delaivuna, and there is need for attention on many of the station churches. Here is one on the drive to Bouma:

Catechists and Churches

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 13:02:00 GMT

“The church in Neselesele was built to withstand hurricane winds,” says Msgr. Lofton. This was the first church that the Marist priest, Fr. John Crispin, asked for help rebuilding. Msgr. Lofton went on: “the structure is based on what you call a monolithic slab.”

“Yes,” Yava commented when I asked if it had a foundation, “concrete blocks on a footing.” Then I asked where the slab goes. “On the foundation,” he said “hand mixed concrete. Gravel and sand and water”. We were talking about lifting concrete up to 4 feet in the air to pour it into the floor form so it flows into the foundation blocks.

“They have to leave the sand out in the rain,” said Msgr. Lofton, “so the rain washes the salt out of the sand or it will corrode the rebar.” The sand is retrieved from the beaches to construct the churches.

I was very impressed by the structure of the church in Neselesele. It’s a beautiful church sitting high and situated in the middle of the Neselesele village.

I noticed a hollowed out and carved log sitting under a canopy near the church. I had seen one earlier at Holy Cross. The log, or lali, is beaten with two large carved sticks and rings loudly to announce Mass. In Neselesele they sound the lali at noon and at 6PM and pray the Angelus every day. They also sound it a half hour before Mass and then just before Mass begins.

Wauni, Carlos and Yava explained the role of the catechist in the parish. “We are not able to have Mass said by a priest every week’” said Wauni, “the priest comes once a month to say Mass. For the other three weeks, the catechist holds a communion service for parishioners. We also prepare them for their sacraments, marriage, baptism, reconciliation, first communion and confirmation.” When I asked them what materials they use, they said they have only notes prepared by the Archdiocesan offices. No books or pamphlets. No materials to give to adults or children. These men take their role seriously and are excited about the role and deeply faithful. Their parish is their community.

This idea of community was reinforced strongly the next day (October 7) when we traveled to the southern edge of Taveuni. This was a ride on narrow gravel road and then part way up a mountainside to Delaivuna. There is no village there but there are houses scattered across the area.

Yava drove Msgr and me up to a lot that has been cleared and I learned that it is being prepared for a new church. The priest that serves this area had contacted Msgr. Lofton and asked for help. Yava is doing the work with the local people. What I learned next was a lesson in humility and strong faith. A man named John came out of one of the houses nearby to see what we were doing. He was dressed in a worn sleeveless shirt that had holes in it and a pair of dark shorts. John is the head of the building committee for the church.

“The local people are saving up to build a church,” Msgr. told me. I didn’t quite understand this because I knew that part of why Msgr. was there was to help fund the building through the Pontifical Mission society’s Propagation of the Faith. He asked John how much they had saved. “$50,000 dollars (Fijian),” John answered, “it cost $10,000 to do the clearing.”

It was dawning on me that there is more to all of this than just building a church. I asked why they wanted a church. The answer: “We were meeting on the porch of one of our houses and as more people came we did not have enough room. We have Catholics all around the area. At least 60 families come to Mass.”

What I realized is that their faith is so strong and is such a component of their culture, that they need a church for the community. To be the center for the community and also a place where they can practice their Catholic faith. I was seeing this in Neselesele but I did not fully grasp what I saw at the time.

In the case of both Neselesele and Delaivuna, the Catholic church must come to the people. To their village. Delaivuna is an extreme because the people have no vehicles and the location is very remote from the rest of the island.

The people are asking for the Catholic church to come to them. For facilities, resources and guidance. It is truly awesome to see the work of the Catholic Church in the world

Fiji Mission Trip (the Beginning)

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 20:50:00 GMT

As we drove southwest on the island of Taveuni the impact of the category 5 hurricane that struck last year are still evident. Yet even where homes were damaged the people have stayed. Most of the houses have no foundations and no glass in the windows, which is typical of the local villages. Those that were damaged have partial roofs. Curtains and laundry were blowing in the sea breeze. We passed by the location where Marist missionary priests first came ashore around 1844 and then stopped at Holy Cross parish which also has a community center, a grade school, middle school and high school in US terms. The schools collectively are called Holy Cross College.

Amidst the glorious beauty of the landscape stands a magnificent church built 150 years ago. The 12- inch thick were constructed of lava stone and a concrete mixture made from ground and burned coral. The windows are painted glass, some with dates still visible such as one from 1872. The parish holds three Masses every Sunday and has extensive school and community activities on the grounds. Mass attendance is often a mix of the 7000 members plus some global tourists.

The next day I saw more evidence of the importance of the physical church to the people. One of the students was wearing a shirt that was clearly a commercially available shirt. It featured a large image of the façade of Holy Cross church on the front.

In a side room near the altar we met John and Akaletta who were making the hosts for the upcoming week. They were thrilled to see Msgr. Lofton and talked about how happy they were that the floor was fixed. They were mixing up a dough and pressing it with a recently installed electric press and then Akaletta was hand punching each round host. She was very careful to be consistent with them so each was the same.

Once outside we became part of the busy vibrant atmosphere that is the school grounds and the residence locations for the students. We were met by smiles and calls of “Bula”(hello) from everywhere. It is mandatory for students to live on the school/parish campus to attend school. This eliminates the need for any transportation to class. The church pays for uniforms, food and most of the room and board for the students. Parents pay $12 Fijian dollars a month (approximately $6 American).

The students are all tidy in their uniforms, but the residence halls have broken and missing windows and the back side of the boy’s residence structure is crumbling from neglect. The classrooms are clean, and the ones we saw had wooden desks but no technology and few whiteboards in the rooms.

We met with the principal, Mrs. Basilisa Lalama, who was very interested in any resources that would help to teach the Catholic faith. She said that 70% of the students of the school are Catholic and the school requires the Catholic students to attend religious education classes. The archdiocese developed a religion curriculum in the 1990s that is still used today. The books are never replaced, so they show the wear from uses. Mrs. Lalama said that as they are damaged or lost, they do not have funds to replace them.

We also were able to spend time with Fr. Mica, an associate priest for Holy Cross parish. Fr. Mica is from Fiji but spend the last couple years at a parish in Papua New Guinea. “PNG is like living in an action movie,” he said, “ with shootings and other violence happening at all times”. The system is challenging but he enjoyed the devotion of the people at his parish.

“What is there for children?” he asked, “ we are doing a weekend session and we want to have something we can use to teach them, maybe sacraments or maybe the rosary. We need everything. I created a facebook page for the parish and am starting a project to ask parishioners about what they need so we can understand better where to focus.”

When you look around the rectory you see that the priests and brothers sleep on mattresses on the floor. The building is in good repair with a new roof, but few other comforts. The Marist missionaries remain devoted to serving the people first. They have provided a strong Catholic presence for over a century.

Mission Trip for Propagation of the Faith

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 20:22:00 GMT

When Msgr Edward Lofton left me a phone message to plan for a trip in October, I had no idea what was in store for me, just a sense that it might be significant. When he told me he was asking me to go on a mission trip to Fiji as part of Diocese of Charleston Propagation of the Faith, I was overwhelmed. I have admired the work the Msgr. Lofton does for several years. He serves as pastor of St. Theresa the Little Flower parish in Summerville, SC, chaplain and “cheerleader” for the Knights of Columbus, and director of the diocesan office for the Propagation of the Faith.

Msgr. Lofton and Helena Moniz, coordinator for the office of the Propagation of the Faith, have worked since 2010 in Fiji, helping to fund and rebuild the church for the village of Naselesele, Taveuni, Fiji, bringing the Gospel of Christ to students through Catholic education at four residential schools, and now building a new smaller parish church in Nawi.

It all started as an accident.

Apparently Msgr. Lofton was on his way to Hawaii to write a book when he missed his flight. Through divine providence he opted to go to Fiji where he met Marist missionary priest Fr. John Crispin at the Holy Cross parish in Wairiki, Taveuni, Fiji. Fr. John invited support to rebuild the church in the small village of Naselesele, and after meeting with the parishioner building committee, Msgr. Lofton agreed. There was tremendous need for physical and educational resources which continue today.

And now he’s asking me.

The idea of going to Fiji now or ever had never occurred to me. Moreover, even though I work for Our Sunday Visitor, and am a parishioner in the diocese of Charleston, I am a very flawed Catholic. So I am trying to open myself to this journey and to the experience of learning about the experience of the people of Fiji and their Catholic journey. The big journey starts tonight and I am awestruck with the idea of the responsibility we have as missionaries of the Catholic church. My first thought is to pray the rosary and maybe look up some details to make sure I actually do it properly.

So where is Fiji, anyway?

If you are like me, you have some concept that Fiji is way out in the Pacific somewhere. Prior to this I knew about Vijay Singh because I like golf, and then more recently the Fiji team won the Olympic rugby gold medal. But I didn’t know anything about Fiji.

The Republic of Fiji is part of Oceana and is 1100 nautical miles northeast of the north island of New Zealand. It’s an archipelago of 330 islands, of which 110 are permanently inhabited. Population is over 900,000 people, 87% of who live on two of the islands: Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. There is a developed economy consisting of forestry, minerals and fishing. The Dutch first visited in 1643 and later Europeans visited during the 17 ^th century. The British established the colony of Fiji in 1874 and it was held as a crown colony until 1970.

The history was very challenging. Tribes were constantly at war and cannibalism was common. Prisoners of war were roasted and eaten. Temples had sacrificed human bodies under them to invoke the gods to support the structure. Fiji was commonly known as the “Cannibal Isles” to explorers. Today Fiji is a major contributor to United Nations peacekeeping efforts.

Msgr. Lofton shares a story that would be funny if it weren’t so horrifying. Apparently the natives did not care for the original missionaries because they were too tough to eat, no matter how much they boiled them. They did not recognize that shoes are not edible!

It was a divine inspiration that led a Marist missionary to tell the chief in the village of Somosomo to erect an enormous wooden cross so God would protect them from the invading Tongan tribes. A hurricane thwarted the Tongans from reaching land, and in thanksgiving the chief required all villages to convert to Catholicism.

Today Fiji is about 45% protestant, which includes 36% Methodist. 25% are the Sanatan Sect of Hindu. About 9% Catholic and a mix of other denominations.

We are going to the island of Taveuni, an island about 30 miles long by 15 miles wide. Msgr. Lofton tells me the connecting flight from Nadi to Matei is on a plane held together by duct tape!

The island is 60% Catholic and has Catholic schools with 1000 students, 90% of whom are Catholic. Through efforts led by the diocese of Charleston Propagation of the Faith, the old timber church in Naselesele was razed and a new stone church has been completed. Msgr. Lofton was invited by the Archbishop to say the first Mass in the then partially completed church in 2012. The schools are in poor condition, although through the support of the work of Msgr. Lofton many improvements have been made to the schools.

There is ongoing need for support. The situation here is far different from cities such as Suva or Nadi where the focus is on technology for students. Here teachers have no materials. Handouts are collected after each class. Students do not have pens or pencils. Most of their parents are not able to read or write. There are no desks in the elementary of middle schools.

During our visit this week we will review progress on a new church being built on the south edge of Vanua Levu in Nawi.

We also will visit with catechists and priests and at least one tribal chief. I am carrying a variety of articles, pamphlets, prayer cards and educational resources to review with catechists and priests. Some of them will be useful in English, but to be truly effective any resources need to be translated into Fijian. Without resources, catechesis is inconsistent and consists of a variety of copied resources and catechist’s own memories.

There is much to do. I’m sure I will be the one who gets the education on this trip!

A Conversation with FIJI

Tue, 24 Jun 2014 04:00:00 GMT

Fiji is a work in progress.

Growing in faith, building and rebuilding

places of Worship for all of God's people.

Sto. Pelasio Church

Island of Taveuni Fiji

made possible by the support of

Catholic Diocese of Charlston

South Carolina USA

25 August 2014

Dedicated By

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong D.D. Rev. Fr. Petero Tagidrau

June, 2015 Update

Msgr. Lofton recently spent 3 weeks in Fiji, sharing the Faith, Spreading the Good News and the promise of Eternal Life. The people of Fiji tell us that they are blessed by his presence, grateful when he celebrates Mass and teaches them more about the gifts of Jesus Christ. They are humbled when he rolls up his sleeves to work with them side by side. They are so comfortable with him that they often will call for an impromptu interactive sharing of their faith, their life issues and difficulties. They relish in the fact that he is there to support them on their journey in faith.

Here are a few of his emails regarding this May/June 2015 visit.

05/28/2015

Everyone sends their best to you including the little lady who works at Wairiki. I got the plans this morning at Wairiki and our meeting went well. Fr. Milo will review the plans with Bishop and send me the approval letter. We will go over about Thursday or Friday to see the building and locate the new church site. I will take some pictures. If you check my email you will see a copy of the new church plans. Yava did not do the Waiiriki altar or plexi glass, so I need to push him to get it started. I did talk with Fr. Milo about tearing down the old building before it falls on someone. They will work on it.

05/28/2015

Sure share the emails. I plan to call Yava in the morning and give him the plaque as I forgot to do so yesterday. Have a safe flight home. I am praying for your dad.

05/31/2015

Here is an update on the Nawi project. Yava came over on Saturday and we discussed the size of the proposed church. For a village of less then 100 Families, the church is too big. We drove over to the other side of Taveuni to where the road ends in Levena. We stopped at the village of Wytombo and looked at their church and its size. This village is about 150 plus families. Their building was about 9x 22 meters and was very adequate size for their church. The problem is if we built the church as the proposed plans it would be about 500,000 FJD. (250,000 U.S.) I spoke to Fr. Petero at the 11:00am Mass in Wairiki, which I concelebrated, and told him the church plan was too big and too expensive. He agreed, and I told him I would talk with Fr. Milo, (the Pastor) about changing the size and reducing the costs. At present, he is in the parish boat on his way from Nawi to Wairiki as he said Mass over there yesterday. ( I sure hope they are NOT using that old church building!) Yava and I will try to meet with him later today and bring him up to date. With the changes Yava wants to make, he says he will do the job, with labor, for 325,000FJD. (165,000 U.S.) that is do able. The villagers will be responsible from massing the sand and rock, and supplying the auxiliary labor for the construction.
If that is agreeable to Fr. Milo, then I am going to ask him to write to the Archbishop ask for approval for the project. There is a dead line for the grant application of 1 August.

06/03/2015

This will probably be our 2017 Fiji project. The first photo is the site the village of Deliavuna wants a church. This is the western end of Taveuni. The other is a picture of the road to the site.

06/07/2015

The Mass at Naselesele went well, but it was rather hot and sticky. The old Marist priests said he was ordained 58 years and spent a lot of time in the Solomon Islands in the bush! We plan to go to Nawi tomorrow if all goes as planned. Be safe on the trip home.

06/09/2015
Good morning, I hope all is well with your family and the funeral service. I do hope it will be a healing time for all.

I did make it over to Nawi yesterday in the rain but the sea was ok and the boat was very good. The village was very poor and the old church a complete mess. What made the walls fail was the way that they laid the rebar and its rusting process. As I feared, the Blessed Sacrament was still in the Church so they were using it. The plan is for them to get a tractor and knock down the walls and save the rubble to be used in the new floor/foundation. The floor will be raised to four feet to keep it above a tidal surge. I asked them to do this soon and move the Blessed Sacrament into the community center or another place. I have a meeting with Fr. Milo later today to go over the final details and to see if he has written to the Archbishop for the project approval. I will let know how it goes

06/11/2015

I had a great blessing today at the village near Bouma Falls. The village needs to move from the beach up the hill because of flooding and other problems. They asked me to bless the future site where they want to build the church and the village. The photos are of the site blessing and the Kava ceremony afterwards!

06/14/2015

Sadly my time on Taveuni is coming to an end tomorrow! I said Mass in the village at 11:00am and then we went to look at a cement mixer! I think we need to buy one for building the Nawi church, you just can't find one here. One more meeting in the morning to try to wrap things up, then off to the plane to Nadi.

06/15/2015

At the Nadi Airport waiting for the LA flight. It was ante resting morning talking about cement mixers and how it would speed the Nawi church project. So we bought one and will have it shipped to Taveuni. It was a wet departure in a rainstorm but we made it to Nadi safely.

The following are emails between Roberta Davis, our project manager in Fiji, Msgr. Lofton & Helena Moniz during our mission/construction work in Wairiki & Naselesele.

We donated a corpus to the church in Nasalesale….. here is it’s story.

11/25/11
Aloha Father Ed,
Well it seems like Shiva may be accompanying Jesus to Taveuni. As good fortune would have there is a wedding tomorrow in Suva. I asked him to stay a while longer to meet Jesus and bring him home. He said that he would be honored to bring Jesus back with him. Baba might be the best person to clear Jesus in customs since he speaks 3 languages, & actually has a bank account in case I need to transfer money to him for customs or shipping or something. IN ADDITION, he has local knowledge, and who knows might be related to someone in customs. Fingers crossed that Jesus gets here. At the same time, I asked him to find some darker paint for Jesus.

I did get Jesus’ shipping info. I hope to save some money & Jesus will be able to clear customs without me actually going to there. I am assuming it was crated well for Jesus’ long journey. If Jesus weighs 115 lbs., we would not be able to put him on the plane for less than 500.00. Shipping by boat should be between 50 – 100 FJD. He would be no safer on the plane than the ship because who knows how much baggage they will throw on him. As we already know, Jesus has the baggage of the world on him as it is.
I think the only thing left to worry about for Jesus is the paint and where to find it. We want to make him look less bloody and more holy and enlightened. We want people to be uplifted about the afterlife and God’s love. If I need to go to Suva to clear Jesus from Customs, I will look for some darker (olive) flesh tone paint for him. I am excited about Jesus coming.
A big truckload of timber came for the church yesterday. It has been working out well because we have been ordering our timber from the same company. Sometimes we have been able to share shipping expenses for the truck, anything to save money. God didn’t create money, but my goodness gracious trying to make ends meet is such an ongoing effort in life.
Aloha Roberta

12/23/11
Ohhhh you don’t want to know about Jesus, oh-my gosh I thought I was going to stroke out with the shipping guys yesterday. No, I was not feeling very pious with the comments that were swirling around my head, which I wanted so badly to articulate loudly and clearly. The short story is they opened the crate…no letter. Customs decided they wanted to charge a duty on it, despite everything that was said and wanted me to put a value to it. How the heck am I supposed to know. I said it had no purchase value because it was never bought or sold. Around they went. It was not an argument I was going to win. They will have to value it for themselves. Customs decided I wasn’t registered with them (yeah right-typical lost paperwork in Fiji) I went to Bhulabhais, Faxed them reams of documents to stop additional confusion or delays. I called to tell them it was coming. Asked why it took so long for them to inform me what was needed. Why I asked we have to do this at the last minute? Starting Monday, they will charge a storage fee. I got a mumbled reply that I could not understand. I really want to push it, but I fear if I go too far Jesus will be in jeopardy so I am trying to roll with the blows. Believe it or not, that was the short version.
Aloha Roberta

Yes the ship has landed, and they couldn’t locate Jesus. He asked me all kinds of questions, what kind of wood is it? How would I know? Where is an invoice, how much did it cost? I told him it didn’t cost anything, no one bought it. It is a charitable donation. It was made years ago in Italy. Depending on how long ago, it might have sold for a nickel or was donated. I was tempted to say sarcastically what; you want someone to go to the Vatican and pour over the old records? I realized he probably would have said YES!!! Good thing my mind thinks faster than my mouth at times. Don’t laugh or shake your head. I haven’t opened the crate with Jesus in it yet because we are in the final throes of construction and I figured he was safest all bundled up in his crate.
Aloha,

You never met Paulina but she is the daughter of Bibi’s Hideaway a lovely woman. I saw her the other day. She said the most sincere thanks Father Ed for repairing the church for Wairiki. She is such a kind loving person and of course a devout catholic. So she again sincerely almost confessed to me that to meet you and talk to you one day would be beyond her wildest dreams. She believed that there would not ever be an opportunity to meet you. I assured her you are fabulous, approachable, a theologian, a scholar, and a Monsignor and much to my delight, I could ask you any hare brained question about religion. Believe it or not you had the answer that made perfect sense to me. Her eyes lit up at that prospect of being able to ask questions or having an approachable priest. Anyway, I know you would enjoy her. She is a lovely person inside and out. We must get you two together and make her dream come true. The way she was talking, I thought you were the Rock Star of priest.
Talk to ya soon, Aloha, Roberta

1/5/2012
I was just getting ready to send you an e-mail. Jesus Cometh, he arrived yesterday afternoon and is sitting still in his crate on my deck. I had no idea Jesus could be so dramatic in his travels…..ha-ha. The truck broke down. When I went down the coast I was prepared (kind of) to pick up Jesus, luckily they repaired the truck. So as I was running around town had one final stop in the opposite direction I noticed they were loading Jesus onto the truck and I though OH NOOOO Jesus is coming and I won’t be home to pay the last 50.00 for his final leg of the journey. Luckily I got home moments before he arrived gave them 50 bucks and off they went. That 50.00 will be my donation to Jesus for the sheer joy knowing that he finally arrived.
Oh I wish my bank account was fat…. But with the construction of the Sea View Villa there is hardly enough to feed a moth with what remains in my wallet. Everyone sends their love.

Back to the church, turns out the roof has not been changed for 115 years!!! Only patched! I imagine none of the original roof remains, it has just been slowly replaced over115 years when it springs a leak, which of course it currently has!

Jan 2013
I have the men working to the bone. They had a bit of a wakeup call the other day, one of them decided to go on the roof without a safety rope. The guy below holding the ladder on the flat roof slipped, & fell to the ground. The man on the roof fell to the flat roof. Luckily no one was hurt, it was just a warning shot heard across the compound regarding safety. They are working hard and things are coming along nicely. While they are up there they are painting other bits and pieces that require painting.

June 11, 2003
Aloha Father Ed and Helena,
The boys are making excellent progress on the church roof. The gap you see in the picture should be filled in today. They are starting to get their pace, hopefully the other side will be quicker. Interesting piece of trivia, the beams are 12 x 4 and the perlings are 8 x 3. When they stand on the ceiling the beams etc. come up to their waist. That is an incredible depth of timber to create that much space. You have to wonder how they were able to get those beams up to the ceiling over 150 years ago using sheer manpower. It is quite a feat. Every piece of timber up there is in perfect shape. The ropes you see on the roof are what the guys are using as safety ropes. Then we talked about the floors and he wondered if you could get them a big floor sander. Instead, I suggested that since it is the people’s church that perhaps they could get members of the church to sand it. If they made a grid on the floor that would, be small jobs for many people. All we would have to do is supply the sandpaper and varnish it will look beautiful. I reckon if over 150 years ago the people were able to build and erect that church by hand, the people today can sand a small portion of the floor… or am I being to mean and frugal?

Not to sound too terribly mean, but we don’t want Fijians to turn into a hands out culture; they must participate in achieving what they want. I hope that that gives them the pride in their church. By the way Merlin is busy painting the Naselesele designs and it is coming out beautifully. Lastly, I had an idea for the mosaic for the altar in Naselesele Church that I think is doable. I want to create a close up of a tropical Garden of Eden. Painting this phrase… Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Just to remind people that God gave us everything to make heaven on earth. It is up to us to create it and we actually do have the power to do so. Do you like that idea?

I know it is funny we are on our penny pinching mission. I am such a dragon lady when it comes to the funds, how they are spent, where the best deal can be found, and keeping it on schedule for the wages. Let Father Ed know that I will have the paint ordered for the inside and outside of the church. It might be more cost effective to have Yava’s gang do the painting because… if we leave it to the Fijian congregation to do, we will lose money. In my experience they don’t do a good job painting they waste so much paint which is more expensive then the savings on the labor and going back to fix the paint job they did. Once that is done and the ceiling is cleaned etc…. we can have volunteers do the sanding and then have the professionals come in and varnish the floors.

10/7/13
I was thinking back to the first time I saw the Church 20 plus years ago. I thought what a beautiful Church, in this beautiful setting that captures both cultures so wonderfully. Then I would mentally sigh and think OHHH it soooo badly needs some TLC. The hope that it could be restored to its original glory has always been a dream of mine.
It has been my honor to play a small part in the restoration. It really makes my heart swell and brings joyful tears to my eyes. Wishes do come true and God works in mysterious ways by bringing Father Ed to us. I can hardly wait until it is done and back to Glory. I am going to shoot for Christmas Mass. So when I say there is much gratitude to you, Father Ed and everyone who donated money to the Church, it comes from the sincerest part of my heart. Of course, all the people that worked on it and who put their mana into the project. It was a true team effort; people played their role so well. We are most grateful.
Aloha,
Here are some recent photos of the Church. I want to thank everyone on behalf of the people of Taveuni who have donated money towards the restoration of our only historic building on the island as well as the first Catholic Churches in Fiji. It is amazing to know that people from halfway around the world are willing to help restore the church to the glory days of 150 years ago in preparation for its anniversary.

We are so close to having both the churches done…Naselesele just needs a little more to complete it. When we get to the interior of the Wairiki church, it will need some materials. The people are happy to supply the elbow grease needed to redo the floors and walls. We are almost there. I hope that people here can keep the faith until both churches are complete. I realize that we are far away from the states and it is hard for your people to see the fruits of their generosity. We truly appreciate your aide and realize the construction of the church in Naselesele and restoration of Wairiki church would not happen without faith and the outpouring of support. Please share this message with all the wonderful people who have helped.
Aloha, Roberta