FIJI: Welcoming a New Member into the Society
Welcoming a new member into the Society
A Letter from Fiji (April 16, 2008)
Fr Tom Rouse, ssc
Friday evening of April 4 was a family occasion as we gathered at the Formation House to welcome William Lee into permanent membership of the Missionary Society of St Columban. Members of Willie Lee’s family were present, including his parents, Joe and Unaisi, who have had long association with Columbans. (They are from Holy Family parish, Labasa, where Fr John Joe Ryan is the present parish priest.
Labasa is the major town of the northern island of Vanua Levu.) Present were also members of the two branches of the Columban family—Columban Fathers and Columban Lay Missionaries—along with our students for priesthood and the candidates for Columban lay mission. During the celebration of the eucharist, Willie made his oath of permanent aggregation. Fr Pat Colgan also preached a memorable homily comparing the boy’s offering on the occasion of the feeding the five thousand (Jn 6:1-15), and the transformative impact of that small and apparently insignificant offering, to Willie’s offering of himself to the cause of mission as a Columban.
Two days later, on the third Sunday of Easter (6 April, 2008), Willie was ordained deacon during the 10.00am mass at Sacred Heart cathedral, Suva. (Suva is the capital of Fiji.) He was ordained alongside two members of the Society of Mary (SM), a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) and a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB). Following the ordination ceremony, Willie had the honour of assisting Archbishop Petero Mataca at the altar. (His Grace, the Most Rev Petero Mataca, is archbishop of Suva, Fiji.)
The diaconate ordination was followed by a gathering and meal at the Columban Formation House in Suva. The meal catered particularly for those who had traveled from Ba to attend the diaconate. (Ever since he returned to Fiji after completing his theological studies at Catholic Thological Union, Chicago, Willie Lee has been working and gaining pastoral experience in Christ the King parish, Ba. Ba is located on the north-western side of the main island of Viti Levu. The presence of so many people from Ba was a tribute to Willie’s popularity.)
I thank Fr Pat Colgan, Fr Ioane Gukibau (the vice-director of the region) and our seminarians for being such gracious hosts on these two major occasions and for their generosity and hospitality. They did the Columbans proud. I also thank Katarina Lawa (the Columban Lay Mission co-ordinator), Losana Ve’ehala and the residents of the Columban Lay Mission house for their assistance.
In the background were another group that have become very supportive of the Columban communities in Suva and that is the Sacred Heart Cathedral parish sector of St Columban. We are very grateful to them for helping to prepare the food and serve the guests.
Finally we welcome Rev Willie Lee into the Missionary Society of St Columban and congratulate him on his ordination to diaconate.