The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban
May 2014
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Volume 97 - Number 3 - May 2014
Columban Mission
o n t e n t s
Issue Theme – Mission in Fiji
Published By The Columban Fathers
Columban Mission (Issn 0095-4438) is published eight times a year. A minimum donation of $10 a year is required to receive a subscription. Send address and other contact information changes by calling our toll-free number, by sending the information to our mailing address or by e-mailing us at missionoffice@columban.org.
Others Lighting My Way
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The Gift of Deafness
4 Stop, Look and Listen
Being a Missionary Today
8 Gospel Power
Reconstructing a Community Spirit Through Sharing Our Christian Faith
10 Making Our Way
Day to Day
14 Challenging and Enriching
Moments in My Life
18 I Was Invited
A Member of a Fijian Chiefly Family Joins the Catholic Church
22 Matters of the Heart 20 On Being a “Kettle”
A World and Church Much Changed
Departments 3 In So Many Words 23 From the Director
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Mailing Address: Columban Mission PO Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056-0010 Toll-Free Phone: 877/299-1920 Website: WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG Copyright © 2014, The Columban Fathers (Legal Title) Publisher REV. TimOTHY Mulroy, SSC directorusa@columban.org
Editor Kate Kenny kkenny@columban.org
Editorial Assistant Connie Wacha cwacha@columban.org
G RA P HI C DESI G NER KRISTIN ASHLEY
Editorial Board Dan Eminger Jesus Manuel Vargas Gamboa Chris Hochstetler Kate Kenny REV. TimOTHY Mulroy, SSC Jeff Norton Greg Simon Fr. Richard Steinhilber, SSC Connie Wacha Scott Wright
The Missionary Society of St. Columban was founded in 1918 to proclaim and witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Society seeks to establish the Catholic Church where the Gospel has not been preached, help local churches evangelize their laity, promote dialogue with other faiths, and foster among all baptized people an awareness of their missionary responsibility.
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My Cup Runneth Over
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was first assigned to Fiji in 1974, having completed six years in Japan and six years on vocation/ mission education ministry in the United States. I served in Fiji for a period of 23 years, separated in the middle by eight years in Rome. Health changes forced a return to the U.S. in 2005. During those years in Fiji, I was privileged to have had varied ministries: parish life, diocesan administration, coordinating our Coulumban Lay Missionary program, teaching part time in the regional seminary. Throughout those years, I was struck by many qualities of the indigenous Fijian people with whom I principally worked. Their generosity and hospitality, particularly of village people, is totally amazing. A common greeting one would hear when walking by a house near meal time was mai kana (come and eat). At almost any time day or night you would hear the invitation mai dua na bilo (come in for a cup of kava). Kava is the nonalcoholic national drink made from the powdered root of shrubs mixed with water. Of course the phrase “a cup” was a euphemism as the sessions could and usually did continue for hours on end. One does not admire another’s shirt because he will likely take it off and give it to you. I once saw our former Archbishop so act towards a Columban who complimented his shirt. This generosity extends to volunteering time and talent. In my first rural parish, Vudibasoga (Banana tree fork), where I was assistant to Columban Father Ed Quinn from Omaha, the parish members from several villages over time erected a whole new parish In So Many Words center deep in the rain forest. They cleared space and eventually erected a church, priests’ and Sisters’ By Fr. Charles Duster houses, a primary school and several teachers’ houses. During most of the entire project there was only one paid employee, the lead carpenter. All the other labor was volunteered while teams of women from different villages would take turns preparing meals. Everyone lived, ate and slept in a large temporary shed where we celebrated Mass daily. I experienced the same generosity in Solevu Parish where I later served as pastor, 90 miles down the island. This generosity is also evidenced in young people of different races in Fiji giving themselves to Columban mission. In reflecting on those years in Fiji, my greatest joy is to see how the circle has made a 360 degree revolution: Columban seminarians who I taught are hroughout those years, now in charge of our priestly formation program in Fiji and teaching in the same seminary where I taught. I was struck by many Three Fijian Columban lay missionaries, two of whose qualities of the indigenous preparation I coordinated, are now ministering in the United States Serafina Vuda in Los Angeles while Fijian people with whom I Monika Lewatikana and Sainiana Tamatawale are principally worked. serving in our Border Ministry in El Paso, Texas/Juárez, Mexico. Truly, my cup runneth over.
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Columban Fr. Charles Duster lives and works in St. Columbans, Nebraska.
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Stop, Look and Listen Being a Missionary Today By Serafina Vuda
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hen I first left my homeland of the Fiji Islands after six months of preparation in 1997 to be a lay missionary in Chile, I had no idea what to expect or what specific task I was going to do. What basically motivated me was the urge to share my faith with others wherever it may be. I am the youngest of six siblings, and my only dream was to become a teacher like my father. After eleven years of teaching I was convinced that I was being called beyond the boundaries of classroom walls! My interaction with the SMSM Sisters (Missionary Society of Mary) in 4
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the school where I last taught probably awakened my missionary calling, and although I was one of the favorites for their “Come and See” programs, I chose to be a missionary as a lay person, and not as an ordained religious Sister! I believe there were three significant pieces of advice I received during my preparation for mission that helped me in my process of becoming a missionary. The first was by a Vincentian missionary who taught Evangelization and Culture. “When you arrive into another culture, do not rush into opening your ‘tool box’— meaning your skills, gifts,
knowledge—but stop, look and listen in order to know and learn from the people and their needs.” The second was by Archbishop Emeritus Petero Mataca at our sending Mass, “You are going to build Christian communities and if you find that the community you accompany is breaking apart, do not blame the community but reflect on yourself!” The third was offered by a Columban friend, “To be a happy missionary, you need to have a little cynicism and a lot of humor!” As I inserted myself in the life and culture of the indigenous Mapuche (“people of the land”) www.columban.org
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tribe in the south of Chile, it did not take long to discover that I was entering into some sacred and almost mysterious reality where the people lived so much in harmony with nature and with all of God’s creation. At the same time there was a sense of fear of darkness as people did not venture out after the sunset. This is when I realized that my role was to learn and not to teach! “A life unlike your own can be your teacher,” St. Columban. I learnt that cultural values are non-negotiable. Up to this day, the Mapuche continue in their struggle and even lost lives defending their forests, lakes and land from the manipulation of business and
when the going became tough. I suppose it was the openness to these challenges and the trust in the God who calls us to mission from the moment of our own baptism that helped me persevere and made a difference in my life forever. In our efforts to build relationships with the people by visiting the families, trust was established, and we received their love and acceptance. We joined them in their harvest, cultural and religious rituals and festivities and this opened up more opportunities
for mutual engagement at both the life and faith level. This was how we went about building the Christian community beginning first by building relationships with the people and their families. As I look back, it amazes me that among the Mapuche people I discovered the God of the Old Testament, who was distant, sacred and silently present in all forms of nature and one who was a punishing God if we were not perfect in how we lived our lives. After the death of my dad and some time at home with mum, I
I suppose it was the openness to these challenges and the trust in the God who calls us to mission from the moment of our own baptism that helped me persevere and made a difference in my life forever. government leaders whose interest lies basically in their own gain. The bone-piercing cold and wet climate and the long walks to connect with families living in their farmsteads scattered across various acres of land were the toughest challenges I encountered with my two Fijian lay mission companions. We had to have a good supply of firewood to keep our wooden house warm, enough supply of candles for light when the lamp gas ran out and had to have enough energy to draw water from the 18 foot well for our everyday use. Many times during my three years there, I asked myself “what am I doing here?” especially www.columban.org
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Columban lay missionary Serafina Vuda at the Katchin tribal festival in Myanmar
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moved on to continue my next assignment in Peru. In the midst of extreme poverty and social violence there I discovered the Jesus of the New Testament who portrayed a suffering God and one who oversees our actions and was to be feared if we found ourselves in situations of sin. I soon learnt that my role in Peru was to offer hope and empower people in the face of their suffering. Apart from liturgies and supporting projects to help women and children improve their livelihood, organizing basic training programs in the area of emotional and spiritual accompaniment of the sick and suffering for leaders in my former parish gave me a lot of energy and fulfillment. Interestingly, it was the women more than the men who actively participated in the Christian communities and who were the pillars of moral strength and faith in their own homes. Having journeyed with people from these two cultures has been the greatest gift to my life where I have received so much more then I had given. It has been a life transforming experience. As one of my mentors says, “The first to be evangelized is the evangelizer.” I learnt that the greatest gift to any missionary serving abroad or in your own home country, are the people who help one discover oneself and discover the face of God! After Peru and some months of family ministry course in the Philippines, leadership ministry with the Columban lay missionaries led me to spend three years in Ireland. It turned into a gifted opportunity of getting in touch with the roots of the Society. One highlight during my time in Ireland was listening to stories of mission shared across the meal tables with senior and retired Columbans in Dalgan Park 6
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residence. My initial culture shock occurred when I attended Mass in Dalgan for the first time with the retired Columbans. Seeing aged, stooped and fragile figures staggering to and from their seats, some in wheel chairs and some more weaker members wheeled in by the staff, I could not help the tears of gratitude watching those individuals who had given their life for God’s mission and continued to live the call through community prayer and worship. As expressed by one of the residents during a regional gathering in Dalgan, “You may think we are old, retired and sick, but I want you all to know… we continue to live out God’s mission praying for you all and our missionaries around the world.”
I learnt that the greatest gift to any missionary serving abroad or in your own home country, are the people who help one discover oneself and discover the face of God! As I left Ireland after three years, I came to see Dalgan Park retirement home as a powerhouse of prayer, and I imagine it is the same for any other missionary retirement home in any other country. In connection to my work in Columban lay mission leadership, the encounters during official visitations with lay missionaries engaged with the faithful as well as non-Christians in diverse cultural backgrounds and hearing from Columban leaders from different countries in international meetings, still leaves me in awe and wonder when I think about how this mysterious God continues to carry out His mission and transform lives
in ourselves and others, through the little ways we share our faith, love and compassion to people we serve. Now I find myself continuing this missionary journey in the U.S. region, particularly focused in the area of mission promotion. Being based in a very multicultural Los Angeles area, once again I began by stopping, looking and listening in order to learn from the people. At the same time, my missionary experience helps me to be more sensitive to the new reality here particularly in engaging with people of different cultures. I am once again reminded of the “burning bush story” in the Old Testament where God says to Moses, “Take off your shoes for you are standing on holy ground…” If there is one thing that I have learned about being missionary to this day, it is about relationships: my relationship with myself, my relationship with others and my relationship with God. We are challenged daily to keep our antennas tuned into life’s events, whether they be blessings or mishaps; that nothing happens, even as insignificant as it may seem, without a message from the Divine. Our task is to discover what the message is. Life is about nurturing our inner journey and discovering our purpose in life. I believe our greatest challenge as baptized Christians today is to continue to integrate, to weave in, our spiritual life into our daily living. CM
Originally from Fiji, Columban lay missionary Serafina R. Vuda lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
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Why not put your money in an investment that matters? Send forth your bread upon the face of the waters; after a long time you may find it again. Make seven, or even eight portions; you know not what misfortune may come upon the earth. ~ Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 NAB Our Savior calls us to be prudent with our investments and to put our time and our treasure where it matters most, in the building of god’s Kingdom. A charitable gift annuity with the Columban Fathers affords you the opportunity to invest in god’s work here on earth by supporting our shared missionary call, while earning guaranteed income back from that investment. Our annuitants enjoy a guaranteed lifetime payment at a competitive interest rate while avoiding immediate capital gain taxes and securing an income tax deduction for a portion of their gift. A gift annuity with the Columban Fathers fulfills the call for a prudent investment of our resources in building god’s Kingdom here on earth.
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Please consider a charitable gift annuity with the Columban Fathers as part of your personal investment strategy. For more information regarding gift annuities, membership in our Legacy Society, obtaining our legal title or for a handy booklet on how to prepare a will, contact Chris Hochstetler at: Columban Fathers P.O. Box 10 St. Columbans, nE 68056 Phone: 402/291-1920 Fax: 402/291-4984 Toll-free: 877/299-1920 www.columban.org plannedgiving@columban.org
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Gospel Power Reconstructing a Community Spirit Through Sharing Our Christian Faith By Fr. Petero Nimilote
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n the village of Votua, the Vacidravi sub-clan is one of many. It is also the group within my village that received the Catholic faith from visiting French missionaries in 1844. Methodist missionaries had already arrived and preached the Gospel in our area so our whole village at that time was Methodist. Our ancestors were warned to beware of the missionaries dressed in black as they practiced witchcraft. Therefore, the French missionaries, who had arrived looking for food, were not allowed to land, but food was passed to them. They remained in their boat which was called the St. Michael, and people from our clan would sit on the shore listening to them chant the divine office in Latin. They were deeply moved by the Gregorian chant and, according to our tradition, the solemn beauty of that music prompted them to request baptism in the Catholic faith. From there Catholicism gradually spread to the highlands, to the villages of the western side of Viti-Levu (main island of Fiji) and to the Yasawa group of islands. I was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Suva in January 18, 2013, and returned to my village recently on two occasions to celebrate Mass in our village church but very few villagers participated. I discovered that people of my own clan belonging to a new Christian
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group were going around saying that all needed to be set free by being baptized again by them. Our village is traditionally a mix of Methodist and Catholic, and we get on with each other and inter-marry. By insisting on this new baptism — total immersion in the river until the person begins to struggle for air — this new group which was made up of people from the Vacidravi clan was creating tension between other clans. The others protested, “We came to the Catholic faith through your clan and now a new priest from your very clan is coming to celebrate
Mass with all of us, and you are sabotaging the celebration by creating division.” While the division was being expressed in a religious way, there was a human problem that was upsetting some villagers. Excessive kava drinking by some seems to have become an issue. Men can pass many hours of each day sitting around drinking kava, which is bad for both their health and the family economy. The new religious group’s proposed solution is to stop drinking kava altogether and so, when there is a social gathering of any kind, they would not www.columban.org
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participate as kava would be a key part of the gathering. This divisive approach to the issue was deeply troubling to the village community. They even associate kava drinking with an evil spirit and quote the Bible to support their position. I called a clan meeting to discuss what was happening, and we surfaced both the positive and the negative, noted that the negative was taking its toll but reached no resolution. Clearly, it was a first step in a process. I followed up by coordinating with the Catholic catechists and our village pastoral council to invite all clans and religious groups of our village to a Mass in a specially built temporary shed located in my clan’s section of the village. I also consulted with the Methodist pastor who understood the problem and
supported what I was doing as he, too, wanted unity. A large number from all clans and religious groups came to the Mass. The Gospel of the day was about the disciples meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus; I commented on it verse by verse, pointing out how easy it can be for us to miss the meeting with Jesus and simply let Him go on His way. After Mass all stayed, and men and women shared around the kava bowl. The taboo of women not speaking in such a gathering was broken, and all shared from our hearts. This sharing moved many to look differently at the issues dividing us and that sacred moment has, for now, halted the break-up of our community. However, we are aware that there is still much to be done. We
may be over a major hurdle, but we are far from the finish line (if such a line can be said to exist). I have told the catechists that I will return, but I alone cannot deal with challenges posed by the present situation in our village. The catechists, with their families, are going from home to home to share with each family about their lives, their beliefs and their prayer life. This familiar form of dialogue seems to help the families review and retake their religious practice. CM Fr. Petero Nimilote is a friend of the Columbans in Fiji.
Making Our Way Day to Day By Fr. Taaremon Matauea
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y dad’s family comes from Banaba, an island on the west side of Kiribati. Located just below the equator, Banaba was annexed by the British Government in 1900, following the discovery of significant phosphate resources. It was one of many islands in the www.columban.org
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western Pacific that became a British Protectorate administered from Fiji. In 1945 the British Phosphate Company (BPC) needed to clear land in order to continue open-cast phosphate mining, so the British colonial administration organized the resettlement of many residents of Banaba on Rabi Island, part of the Republic of Fiji. To facilitate the British plans, the Fijian chief of Taveuni, a larger neighboring island, who had suzerainty (governing power) over
Rabi, agreed to move the Fijians on Rabi to Taveuni. I don’t know what he received in return, but thanks to his cooperation the British were free to ship Banabans to Rabi. The British colonial administration promised a good life for all on Rabi island. Fiji became independent in 1970, and my parents left Banaba to come to Rabi in 1971. I was born in Rabi so feel that I am Fijian but with strong ties to Kiribati. Some of my father’s family still lives in May 2014
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land of my ancestors first stirred my interest in a life-long religious commitment. Then, as if by chance, I met Fr. Donal McIlraith, a Columban who had made the twelve hour trip by road and sea from Suva to do some pastoral work with a Marian movement. Thanks to his guidance, I joined the Columban formation program. Becoming a Columban missionary required a long period Fr. Taaremon at the grave of Columban Fr. John Mahoney in Fiji of preparation. Part of the way through the course I went on my Banaba, and my mother’s family is I took on the task of organizing a first missionary journey to Taiwan from another island. two day youth retreat, presuming it where I remained for two years. I In 1979 the Gilbert, Line would be a straight forward matter was ordained in 2012 and expect and Phoenix Islands became an as I considered all involved were to head off once more to Taiwan. independent republic within the responsible adults. There was some When in Taiwan previously I chose Commonwealth under the name opposition from parents of the to work with migrant workers from of Kiribati. Phosphate deposits girls and one father put me on the Vietnam. A Vietnamese Columban ran out and, in 1981, following spot with: “Can you guarantee us was engaged in this work, and he High Court hearings in Britain, the that you will be able to look after helped me. I could have gone to people of Banaba accepted an offer our daughters well?” I answered the rural area in the hills, but I of compensation. positively but did not advert to what saw that it was just like home and While colonial exploitation I was really being asked; it came to I wanted something different. caused my family to migrate to me later but to no avail. When I return, I hope to continue Rabi another more favorable At the retreat we slept in a big working with migrant workers, be twist of fate (often described as open hall, with boys at one end and they from Vietnam, Indonesia or divine providence) led me to the girls at the other. Those of us who the Philippines. Columbans. were supervising the program slept I am aware that the work can be I was home on holidays from in the middle. I soon realized I’d most rewarding but also draining studies in the Fijian Institute of have to remain awake all night, but and stressful. I discovered that it is Technology (now known as Fiji at some stage I fell asleep and so essential to find ways of not being National University). Unfortunately failed to keep my promise. I found weighed down by the sufferings I had given more importance to out after we returned to the parish of the people with whom I work, partying than study, so my elder that an angry father was saying that but nor can one be detached and brother told me to work the he would kill me for my failure to unfeeling. To be able to care for farm, sow, harvest and sell a crop, keep my promise. It struck me that people who are having to endure and then I’d have money for the serving as I wanted to was not so easy. injustice day after day, one must be following year’s study. Also, around that time, I met diligent in caring adequately for his While at home I became some trainee brothers from Kiribati. or her own well-being. CM involved with youth in my parish After three years of training in sector and, at 20 years of age, Suva, they expected to return to Columban Fr. Taaremon Matauea lives and was a youth leader. At one stage Kiribati. These young men from the works in Taiwan. 10
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Missionary Society of St. Columban
“Columbans on Mission” Stories Compiled by Fr. Peter Woodruff
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Since 1918, the Missionary Society of St. Columban has been sharing the Gospel in solidarity with the poor throughout the world. Today, Columbans including priests, Sisters and lay missionaries work in fifteen countries around the globe in conjunction with lay men and women within the local communities. Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff spent several years traveling around the Columban world and interviewing the men and women engaged in mission work. The stories collected here provide a rare look at a moment in time in the continuing mission work and the ongoing Columban story. Each story is unique and different, but all of them share in furthering the work of mission today. Explore their first-hand accounts of what it means to be a missionary in today’s ever changing world. Peter Woodruff, Australian by birth, is a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban and was ordained in 1967. He worked as a missionary priest in parishes located on the northern periphery of Lima, Peru, where much of his prior vision of life was challenged and reshaped by a radically different social reality where the quest for social change and an emerging liberation theology provoked a lengthy and rather chaotic review of many aspects of life and Christian faith. Since leaving Peru in 2009, Peter has traveled to countries where Columban missionaries work, interviewing priests, Sisters, lay missionaries and those with whom they work. He has written and ghostwritten many stories that serve as raw material for the three English language mission magazines of the Columbans in Australia and New Zealand, U.S., Ireland and Britain. Peter currently lives in Australia.
Order Your Copy Today! Author Peter Woodruff
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Call 888-795-4274 ext. 7879, order online at www.xlibris.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com or visit your local bookstore.
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Others Lighting My Way A Life Enriched By Fr. Iowane Gukibau
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am Fijian, and we have a proud history. The other major group of people in Fiji is the descendants of Indian indentured laborers brought in by the British to work the sugar cane plantations. They retain their language and traditions while we retain ours. A few of us speak both Fijian and Hindi but, for the most part, our two communities carry on independently. Part of our seminary training required spending time among Indo-Fijians, and I spent nine weeks cutting sugar cane with Indo-Fijians; physically it was tough, but I was more or less used to being around Indians so did not really move out of my comfort zone. That changed when I went to continue my initial formation in Sydney. I did a clinical pastoral education course, which involved working with alcoholic and homeless men. I worked under the supervision of Sisters Pauline and Margaret, Sisters of St. Joseph.
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This work was quite challenging – washing broken men, taking them to the bathroom, generally helping them with the basics. I was moved by the way the Sisters did this work so graciously and with such kindness. I wondered whether I would be humble enough to serve in such a way. I did have one success that surprised the Sisters. I was
This [experience], I think, led me to greater trust in God; I was like a boat cast adrift hoping for rescue or landfall. able to persuade one of the men, who had not washed or changed his clothes for at least a month, to have a bath and change his clothes. I was never able to be totally honest with the Sisters about how precisely I had achieved what they could not, but I did play a lot of rugby in those days and had the build of a second row forward.
Also, one of the Columbans in charge of our formation program, Chris Farrelly, motivated me with his passion. He truly empathized with those in need, with the poor. He seemed to be able to enter into how the other felt; I felt that I was not so good at such a degree of feeling with the other person. Chris also helped me a lot during the 30 day retreat as he helped me move towards imagining a variety of possibilities for mission; he helped expand my missionary dream. My first missionary appointment was to Brazil. My Fijian racial characteristics allowed me to blend in with the descendants of slaves who had been shipped across from Africa, but I could not identify with their story of slavery, centuries of abuse, discrimination and destruction of all aspects of family life. We were never tenants on our land in Fiji and have always had a strong sense of rootedness in our land. In fact, I felt a little lost in Brazil where I www.columban.org
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had none of the social structures – family and friendship networks – that I was used to in Fiji. This, I think, led me to greater trust in God; I was like a boat cast adrift hoping for rescue or landfall. An experience that helped me enter in some way into the memory of slavery was a dramatization of the history of slavery that Australian Columban, Fr. Colin McLean, produced. After I was ordained priest I was appointed to Peru, a challenging mission in many ways. Many people, both Peruvians and Columban missionaries, enriched my life, but I will mention just two elderly Columbans, Frs. Chris Baker and Leo Donnelly. Fr. Chris is now in his 80s and, even though officially retired, continues to lend a hand here and there, in particular with a center for the physically disabled in a very poor part of Lima. I admire both his dedication to mission and his focus. He is able to return to the house after being out on some job and then switch off whatever might be happening around him and turn
to the reading or writing that he wants to do. Fr. Leo passed away in Feb. 2014 but continued to pursue his interests in our mission and his hobbies of writing and painting throughout his retirement from active mission work. There seems to be a balance in these men that challenges me to give myself some time. I am inclined to be forever outgoing and don’t give time to myself. Now I have come full circle and am back in Fiji, beginning to work in the seminary teaching missiology and church history. I want to share with you, the reader, some memories of significant family members, now long dead, but alive in me. My grandfather was captain of the diocesan boat that ferried priests and religious to the 32 mission stations in Fiji. For this service he received only pocket money and a scholarship for his children to go to school. In those days there were few roads so most travel around our islands was by boat. On one occasion a nun fell overboard in rough weather, and
he dove in to save her. On another occasion the boat capsized at night after hitting a reef. He was ferrying the bishop and two priests, all of whom were resigned to dying in the capsized boat, but my grandfather (Josefo Dau Gukibau) told them to wait saying: “If I don’t return in ten minutes that means I’m dead.” He dove to find a way out, returned and rescued them one by one but insisted that they take off their cassocks before attempting to swim out with him. He was a hero model for me, and Mum and Dad used to tell me stories about him. He received a medal from the Vatican for his valiant service to missionaries. My great-great grandfather also lives on in family lore. His name was Dionisio Dau and was a catechist who accompanied a French priest in a boat visiting the missions along the coast of our island. CM
Columban Fr. Iowane Gukibau lives and works in Fiji.
Fr. Iowane (black shirt) and James Dass, parish volunteer
Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff (center, blue shirt) with the Gukibau family. www.columban.org
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Fr. Iowane (black shirt) and his brother
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Challenging and Enriching Moments in My Life By Fr. Felisiano Fatu
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y only contact with Columbans before going to the seminary in Suva, Fiji, was when Fr. Frank Hoare visited my home in Tonga to interview me and administer the required psychological tests. So, for me, all was new when I entered into the Columban initial formation program in Suva, Fiji. The priests in charge were Irish. I found myself living in a community of Tongans, Fijians and Indo-Fijians. It turned out to be a great experience of living with other cultures and races. Being only nineteen years of age I was open to learning new things. A new place, new languages, new horizons, all gave me a sense of excitement. 14
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I found the four years in the seminary in Suva to be positive and enriching. Sharing life with other young men searching for their way broadened my appreciation of human diversity. I realized that I could learn a new language, that I could make friends with people who were not Tongan. This process of cultural and personal enrichment continued for me during my spiritual year in Manila, the Philippines, which was a time of intense focus on our relationship with Christ, His love for us and His call to mission. I was 25 years old when I went to Peru for two years on my first mission. I worked in a Columban run parish in a poor area on the east
side of the city of Lima. This time was key in my discernment process for deciding to commit my life to Christian mission as a Columban. I had the good fortune of having as my spiritual director a Marist Sister from Tonga who had already worked for many years in Peru, both in grassroots mission in the Andes mountains and in the preparation of young Peruvian women for mission as Marist Sisters. She was a very practical woman whose advice to me was always firmly based on experience. I found her most helpful as I struggled to deal with a variety of situations that were new to me. My next port of call was Chicago, Illinois, where I spent two www.columban.org
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years completing my theological studies. My previous experience of education was one of learning what the teachers taught and giving that back to them in examinations. The teachers in Chicago challenged us to think for ourselves. They would explain the issues but also invite us to bring our own minds to bear on the questions raised. This approach opened me to a variety of social, justice and theological issues. Having completed my initial theological studies, I was ordained priest in Tonga at the age of 29 years, and then spent a year in Fiji waiting for a visa to Pakistan, my next mission assignment. Christians in Pakistan are a very small minority and as such are always on the back foot and often persecuted, Pakistan being officially an Islamic Republic. Our presence among them is a witness of solidarity, and the perseverance of the Pakistani Christians is in turn an inspiration for us. I knew a catechist in Badin, Master Tony Kajoo, a Parkari Koli, who has been an active catechist for
over 30 years. He walked and cycled many miles visiting the villages of his people to instruct both children and adults. Very few of his people are literate; they seldom own the land where they live and work. Their ancestors were members of a very low class Hindu group and are traditionally looked down on by both Hindus and Muslims. That did not prevent Tony being a shining light to many, including myself. He was retired when I asked him if he would like to continue as catechist, to which he responded with an enthusiastic, yes. In his work with illiterate people he could not use a written text so he wove pedagogical banners depicting the mysteries of our faith. I said goodbye to our Pakistan mission after six years when I was asked to work in the initial formation program in Suva. After some short courses in Sydney, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois, I have taken on the role of rector of our program in Suva. So, 20 years after first arriving in Suva to join the Columbans, I am back again
but this time to help other young men from the Pacific region to navigate their way through the initial formation program. Being from this part of the world I feel that I am well placed to understand and work with aspects of our culture that might puzzle outsiders, e.g. passive aggression is common among us. Instead of speaking out and stating our case we tend to be silent and uncooperative. I can spot this when it happens and help our young men respond to situations in a more proactive and creative way. For me, being a Columban missionary has been, and I hope it continues to be, both challenging and personally enriching. CM
Columban Fr. Felisiano Fatu lives and works in Fiji.
The Gift of Deafness A God-given Vocation By Fr. Tom Rouse
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t was to the credit of the Columbans that I was accepted as a candidate for priesthood. That was back in 1969 when I was completing my seventhform in high school at St. John’s College, Hastings, New Zealand. I was accepted despite the fact that I was not only deaf, but I also suffered a serious speech impediment which was a consequence of my hearing WWW.COLuMBAn.ORg
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disability. My deafness was more peculiar rather than pronounced. I cannot hear high-pitched sounds. As a result, I cannot hear many of the consonants in my own “native” English language. Nevertheless I was admitted into the seminary at St. Columban’s College, North Turramurra, Sydney, Australia. But, by the end of my first year, it was evident that my speech impediment would be a
serious handicap if I wished to progress towards ordained ministry since one of the principal tasks of an ordained priest is to preach. How could I effectively preach if people could not understand what I was saying? So I was advised to seek the help of a speech therapist at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. There I was fortunate to receive the help of a young female therapist May 2014
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who gave me a set of charts which indicated where I should place my tongue, lips and teeth in the pronunciation of each of the consonants. So I devoted a year to this program of intense therapy. It meant spending roughly an hour each morning and an hour in the afternoon standing in front of the mirror in my room and practicing the different consonants. I gradually got the impression that this simple habit of constant practice in the pronunciation of the consonants resulted in a significant improvement in my speech. It also helped to boost my confidence in public speaking. However, a couple of years later, I became aware that members of the teaching staff at St. Columban’s were also concerned about my ability to learn another language which is an essential prerequisite for anyone seeking to take up work as a foreign missionary. I was advised that I would probably be better off becoming a diocesan priest and working in my own country or an English-speaking environment, because I would find it very difficult to learn another language. After some discernment, I informed the rector that I wished to continue on in formation for Columban missionary priesthood. Again, it was to the remarkable credit of the Columbans and the staff of St. Columban’s that I was allowed to continue on. In my ordination year, Fr. Dave Arms, a linguist from Fiji, came to 16
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see me at St. Columban’s to assess, given my hearing disability, what language or languages I would be more likely able to learn. In his judgment, I could more easily learn Fijian because many of the sounds in that language are low-pitched and well within my hearing range. After ordination and the completion of my formation program, I went to Fiji in January 1977 and commenced language studies the following month. What I learnt, apart from a new language, was that deafness would prove to be a great gift in learning another language. I came to realize that one of the greatest difficulties for any adult in learning a new language is to be a like a little child again as you struggle to express new sounds and to put sentences together so as to make yourself understood. This would also include, what is for many, the humiliating experience of people laughing at you because what you said sounded funny and awkward. For me, this was an experience I had grown to live and cope with throughout most of my early life because of my speech impediment. When people laughed at what I said, they would be informed that I was deaf. This would mean that they would get embarrassed and say, “I am sorry. I did not know.” And I had learnt to turn such potentially embarrassing situations into very humorous ones by means of a funny comment and by assuring these people that no offence was taken and that there is something funny, awkward or
unusual about each one of us. As St. Paul once said, “It is when I am weak, it is then that I am strong.” As I was learning Fijian, I remember the delightful experience of watching people laugh as I struggled to put words and sentences together. Because, according to indigenous Fijians, shame is a terrible burden to inflict upon anyone, they have the traditional practice of placing their hands over their mouths when they are laughing, particularly when they are laughing at what someone is saying or doing. But I would have no difficulty in simply saying, “Oh no, what have I just said? What should I say?” My hosts would giggle and gently correct me. And, unlike many of my fellow foreign missionaries, I found the whole experience a source of great enjoyment. And, I became a reasonably fluent speaker in the major indigenous Fijian language. I believe that God intended me to be deaf, because God was calling me to be a missionary. And it was to the great credit of my Columban vocations director and the members of the staff at St. Columban’s, during my years of priestly formation, that I was allowed to pursue what I believe was my God-given vocation. And the rest has been a wonderful and oftentimes fun-filled experience. CM Columban Fr. Tom Rouse lives and works in Fiji.
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Enjoy Peace of Mind with a Mass Trust with the Columban Fathers “The faithful who make an offering so that Mass can be celebrated for their intention(s) contribute to the good of the Church and by that offering they share in the Church’s concern for the support of its ministers and its activities.” ~ Canon 946 of the Code of Canon Law What is a Mass Trust? A Mass Trust is a sum of money that you entrust to the Columban Fathers for Masses to be celebrated for you after your death. The Columbans are obligated to arrange for these Masses to be celebrated immediately upon notification of death.
How many Masses are included in a Mass Trust? The number of Masses is determined by the usual and customary stipend for Masses at the time of decedents passing. Example: If the customary stipend for a Mass is $20 and the value of a Mass Trust is $200 – 10 Masses will be celebrated upon your death.
What does a Mass Trust cost and who can have one? The minimum amount to establish a Mass Trust is $200. When a Mass Trust is established, a certificate will be sent to you. This certificate should be kept with your important papers with the instructions that it be returned to us with notification of your death. You can establish a Mass Trust for a person other than yourself.
What are the advantages of a Mass Trust? A Mass Trust provides for the immediate offering of Masses for the repose of your soul upon the notification of your death. This avoids the delays encountered in the process of probating a Last Will and Testament. Having this assurance will give you peace of mind in this important matter. A Mass Trust does not become part of your estate, and it relieves your family or your executor from the responsibility of seeing that Masses are offered. Return form to: Columban Fathers • P.O. Box 10 • St. Columbans, NE 68056-0010 Toll Free: 1-877-299-1920 • Email: mission@columban.org • www.columban.org Please Print Clearly and Completely q Enclosed please find $
for a Mass Trust ($200 or more).
Your Name Address City State
Zip
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q I would like a Mass Trust for myself q I would like a Mass Trust for Please send a certificate to: Name Address City State
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B
I Was Invited A Member of a Fijian Chiefly Family Joins the Catholic Church By Ratu Meli Lewaravu
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orn in 1963, I am from a chiefly family in the highlands, up from Ba, Fiji. My father and grandfather were chiefs, my elder brother is presently the chief, and I am next in line. I went to school at St. Thomas with the Marist Brothers in Lautoka. On completing high school I joined the Fijian army in which I served for 20 years. I met my wife, Teresia, when stationed in Labasa in 1991. She was a Catholic and worked as parish secretary. We became involved and within six months had decided to get married. Teresia asked me to have the wedding in the Catholic church but I was not in favor of this. However, the priest in Labasa at that time, Martin Dobey, had taught me catechism in primary school in the early 1970s, so when he spoke to me about my wife’s wish I agreed. We married in the Catholic church, but my wife’s family was not supportive as I was not a Catholic. There were only ten people at our wedding, none from my family and my wife’s parents were not present. My family—in fact one might say, my tribe—was strictly Methodist. My grandfather was chief of seven villages and decreed that the French Catholic missionaries could visit only two of these villages. The rest were Methodist and only Methodism was to be permitted. My wife always prayed morning and evening, and I constantly spoke to her of coming over to Methodism. Like many army officers I used to drink a lot and when drunk would become abusive, and at times threw the Catholic statues and pictures out of the house. I was not a happy man, www.columban.org
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and I also stopped going to the Methodist church. The first child came along and then two more. We remained in Labasa until 2000, moved to Lautoka until 2005 and then to Ba. In Ba I began to feel a wind of change in my life. I could see that my children were becoming devout Catholics. One day Columban Fr. Paul Tierney, our parish priest, came to my house to ask me if it would be okay for Teresia to work in the parish as secretary. He had known her in Labasa when she was single and working as parish secretary. He invited me to come to Mass with my wife, so I did. I did not know the first thing about the Mass, but knew how to say the rosary and also knew all the Catholic hymns as I had had to learn all that at school in Lautoka. However, my wife and children going up to communion and me left sitting down in the back of the church did not feel right. Columban Fr. Donal McIlraith arrived in the parish after Fr. Paul returned to Ireland to be with his dying mother. Fr. Donal used to visit our house, and he told my wife that he wanted to talk with me. That was during the hurricane season in 2012 when Ba was flooded. He asked me to help him with the distribution of emergency food relief, so I began to work with three men (all Catholics) from the parish. Then, soon before Easter Fr. Donal invited me to his house for lunch; it was the first time I had been in the priest’s house for a meal. He gave me a copy of The Catechism of the Catholic Church and suggested I read it to find out more about the Catholic church. www.columban.org
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He made it clear that the decision to become a Catholic must be mine and mine alone; others might invite me, but only I could decide and do so in absolute freedom. I had to use an Oxford Dictionary to look up many words in order to read the catechism, but I slowly worked through the whole book over the period of one month. Then, one day I woke up and asked my wife, “How do you become a Catholic? Is there some test you have to do?” Another priest, Fr. Jaime, came to my home to speak to me as my wife told the priests that I’d said that I wanted to become a Catholic. He asked me if that was so and I said, “Yes.” He said that he would come back the next day.
I have been truly inspired by Fr. Donal’s simple and direct way of explaining things to people in our parish and by his kindness to me. Fr. Donal then arranged for Fr. Jaime and a catechist to talk with me every day for five weeks about what it means to become a Catholic. They wanted me to be ready to be welcomed into the Church at the Holy Saturday night Mass celebrating Christ’s resurrection. I have been truly inspired by Fr. Donal’s simple and direct way of explaining things to people in our parish and by his kindness to me. Now, each evening when I pray I look at the statue of Mary and
remember how I used to get angry and throw it outside, and how afterwards I would feel remorse. Also, having come to realize the value of being a Catholic, I regret that I did not join the Catholic church a long time ago. Soon after that Easter I went to my village to visit my brother with a recently ordained priest, Fr. Petero Nimilote, whose family is from our parish. At first, my brother was quite upset that I was bringing a Catholic priest into our village; it was the first time ever. But I said that the rule had been man-made and so could be changed by men. I then told him that I had not come with the representative of just any church but of the “mother” church, as the Methodists in Fiji recognize that they come originally from the Catholic church. I explained everything slowly and calmly and they accepted it. In fact, there were already people of other religions in our villages as they had married into families of our tribe. In our village there are ten to fifteen women who are born Catholics; I saw that they were crying when they saw me arriving with the priest. To help strengthen the Catholic faith among our Fijian people I would like the parish to organize renewal workshops in the villages on a regular basis, especially for the youth. CM
Ratu Meli Lewaravu lives in Fiji.
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On Being a “Kettle” A World and Church Much Changed By John Roa
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am now over 90 years of age; I was born in 1922 when the caste system was still prevalent. My mother was a Raju from the ruling class, and my father from the Girmit section of the community. My birth name is Venkat Rama Rao. While I was an infant a cousin named me Sadhu and, for my family, I have always been Sadhu, even though I was baptized John. I was born in Suva. My religious background was orthodox Hinduism. My father was a businessman, and my mother was a simple person, mostly engaged in housework. My father had a good working knowledge of the English language and a command of Fijian and Telugu, the language of Andhra Pradesh, a state in southeast India. Our house was close to the Marist Brothers’ schools, and in the early days segregation was normal. St. Felix College was set aside for Europeans and part-Europeans, and the other school was meant for Indians and Island races. It was Brother Claudius who opened the doors for Indian children, probably in 1920, following the abolition of the Indian Indentured Labor System. Students came from all parts of Fiji. At this stage, people were converting to Catholicism, and children were baptized. Many children from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds were converted. My
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eldest brother, Vincent, (earlier known as Venkat) was converted and baptized. He was about ten or eleven years of age. My parents later allowed us to attend Mass and other services, not really knowing what it was all about. I insisted that I did not want to become a “kettle,” unable to pronounce the word Catholic. The parish priest started visiting our home to convince my parents that Vincent should be sent to New Zealand to be a priest. This was not readily accepted by them. Later my mother agreed on condition that
I think our Church will always be enriched by internal diversity, sharing and creative debate. For that and all that I have lived I thank God. Vincent complete his studies and became a Catholic priest, or he should not return home. He was an ordained deacon, but for some reason not known to us, he decided not to continue to the priesthood. He made his life in New Zealand. I will describe how I entered the Church. It was not that I truly believed in the teachings of the Church. There was a Catholic family, the Rajalingams, who lived nearby. They were ardent Catholics, attending Mass every Sunday and
praying at home. John’s first wife died, and he remarried. His second wife became a Catholic and they began visiting our home. Mrs. Rajalingams had no children, only stepchildren. They kept insisting to my mother that they wanted me to be their godson. Mother refused time and again, but when I was about ten or eleven years of age, she agreed. I was brought up by these good people in my new religion. Brother Alphonsus brought me closer to my religion. He was a master of the English language and a poet. I used to serve Mass in the Cathedral and spent long hours reading the lives of the saints. St. Aloysius was my favorite. This reading gradually led me to a deeper appreciation of the Mass. On one occasion I was seriously ill and lost a lot of weight. I thought my end was not far off. One of the Brothers brought me Holy Communion. As soon as I received the sacred host, I opened my eyes and saw my mother and relatives crying. I recovered and regularly recited the Penitential Psalms for two years. In 1943, the New Zealand Armed Forces in Fiji established an Indian youth club at St. Felix College. A priest gave us equipment such as billiard tables, boxing gloves, etc. We had a recreational hall, and the Marist Brothers were our spiritual directors. Things went well for a while, and then a directive www.columban.org
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came from Bishop Foley that the Brothers were to be replaced with a priest. This and other incidents put me off the Catholic Church for a while, but my experience with the Brothers brought me back to my faith. I qualified as a schoolteacher and taught with the Brothers from 1944-45. After teaching for five years I traveled to England where, along with other students from British colonies, I lived in a building in the center of London that had been used to billet U.S. officers during the war. I studied courses in education, public health and law, joined the Conservative Party and became active in student politics. It was a time of ferment in many British colonies as they prepared for independence. Most of the students in our building were studying law. I wanted to complete my law degree but on three occasions the Fiji government wrote to offer me a job as a public health officer so I decided to accept as the conditions were good. I discovered on returning to Fiji that the Fiji government was not so happy with my political activities in England. One must remember that Fiji did not become independent until 1970. Our ship went via the Suez Canal and Australia, where I visited my sister who was in the Marist Sisters’ novitiate. I unsuccessfully tried to persuade her to leave www.columban.org
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I used to serve Mass in the Cathedral and spent long hours reading the lives of the saints. St. Aloysius was my favorite.
the Sisters and she continues to this day to serve our people as a teaching Sister. On arriving in Suva in 1955 I was posted to Labasa (on the second biggest island in Fiji); it felt like going to the back blocks, but the people there were most generous. I later served in Nadi, Lautoka, Ba and Suva, winning the trust and appreciation of our government during my years in the Fijian public service. I have lived in Ba since my retirement. While in Ba, many Columbans felt most welcome in our home. Fr. Fitzpatick also helped my wife enter the Catholic Church. I was pleased to be able to support Fr. John Mahony who dedicated himself to the apostolate among Indo-Fijians. I did not always agree with priests’ ideas and policies but have no regrets about that as my faith in God has remained firm. I think our Church will always be enriched by internal diversity, sharing and creative debate. For that and all that I have lived I thank God. CM
John Roa is a friend of the Columbans in Fiji.
This reading gradually led me to a deeper appreciation of the Mass. May 2014
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Matters of the Heart
In buildings they now use girders made of layers of wood glued together, a weak basic material which in composite form turns out to be stronger than steel. I thought of that recently remembering my friends. A missionary is, by calling, a traveler destined to be uprooted and replanted, uprooted and replanted, in alien soils that gradually become home. Over and over, with faltering heart I start anew yearning for the friends I have left behind. Then time, physical distance, frequency or lack of communication, form a fine mesh which sifts the quality of those relationships until only the gold is left. At each uprooting, part of my heart remains behind yet I carry parts of other hearts within me. Do I give the impression of a heart in bits? Well, sometimes it feels that way, but, could it be that I’m growing a composite heart which may just turn out to be a stronger, sturdier, model for the journey? And there’s more... This sharing of life and love, this welcoming and letting go, this reaching out by virtue of the love given and received that lives on in us, could this be what is meant by made in the image and likeness of the Trinity? Columban Fr. Cyril Lovett lives and works in Navan, Ireland.
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Learning to Express the Beauty and Joy of our Christian Faith
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hile it’s generally true that Irish people love song and dance, once we go inside a church our tongues seem to be stiffen and our legs become rigid. Traditionally, we find ourselves solemnly self-conscious when we gather to worship: to express ourselves spontaneously before the Lord can seem irreverent. Generally, this means that it is difficult for us to freely express the joy that comes from our faith during a liturgical celebration. Despite this cultural background, as a newly ordained priest I had wanted my first Mass to be a truly joyful occasion. While I planned to celebrate it in the rural church where several generations of my family and neighbors had faithfully attended Mass, I was determined that it wouldn’t be another regular Sunday Mass. However, I was unsure about how to evoke a real sense of celebration in such a traditional setting.
FROM THE DIRECTOR By Fr. Tim Mulroy Soon after I began the preparations, providence intervened: five Columban lay missionaries from the Fiji islands in the South Pacific arrived in Ireland. Columban missionaries had first gone to Fiji more than forty years previously, and now this first group of Fijian missionaries was returning the favor by coming to rekindle the faith of the Irish. Their love for song and dance helped them to quickly form friendships. However, one surprising difference soon emerged: the Fijians loved to sing and dance wherever they found themselves, including in church. Perhaps, they could provide that extra ingredient for my first Mass!
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Columban missionaries had first gone to Fiji more than forty years previously, and now this first group of Fijian missionaries was returning the favor by coming to rekindle the faith of the Irish. During my first Mass they not only sang with deep fervor, but one of them, Katarina Diratu, danced barefooted up the aisle – to the beat of her companions’ drums – while holding aloft the book of the Gospels. Her poise was elegant; her movements were slow and graceful; her face was radiant with an inner light. By the time she placed the book reverently on the lectern so that I might proclaim the Gospel, the congregation was filled with an expectant joy toward hearing God’s word. Reflecting back on the intervening twenty years since my first Mass, I have come to a deeper appreciation of the gifts that those Columban lay missionaries from Fiji gave to the church in Ireland. They invited us to joyfully express our Christian faith both inside and outside our churches. Furthermore, they reminded us that our gifts of song and dance were not simply intended for our own enjoyment, but were also meant to delight God. Finally, they helped us realize that, despite our long Christian tradition, our church was in need of missionaries who would open our minds and loosen our tongues, warm our hearts and move our feet so that we might learn to express the beauty and joy of our Christian faith.
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