Category: Fiji

Feast of the Holy Name of Mary

…It is my wish and the wish of my Son,
that there be another Society, one consecrated to me,
in which they will bear my name,
which will call itself the Society of Mary
and whose members will call themselves Marists…
(Le Puy revelation)

The feast of the Holy Name of Mary, 12th September, is a special day for Marist Sisters. On this day the sisters recall they have been “called by a gracious choice…to bear the name of Mary”.  It is also the day the sister renew the commitment they made on their first profession day…

…I renew my vows of chastity, poverty and obedience
in the Congregation of Mary
according to the Constitutions of this Congregation.

With Mary, our Mother, as guide,
I desire to remain faithful to my calling to follow Christ,
by living the Gospel as Mary did
in this Congregation which bears her name.

You are invited to join with the Sisters in honouring Mary on this day and giving thanks to God for Mary who is our Mother, our Model and our Guide.

Synodality – Participation, Communion, Mission

On Saturday 26th March the Marist Sisters of Raiwaqa, Lami and one sister from Levuka met together in Lami for the process of Synodality. The process was facilitated by a trained couple from the Raiwaqa Parish, Ben and Maria Lee.

To begin the facilitator explained  the image of the Holy Spirit hovering over the people of God in the Synod2021-2023 logo. The importance of discerning the work of the Holy Spirit in this process was emphasized.

The sisters worked through the topics at a leisurely pace with each sister responding to the questions “What are you hearing?” and “What is your response?”.

Remaining focused throughout the session the sharing of the sisters was positive, enlightening, faith-filled, and gratuitous. The summary of responses will be written up by the facilitators and sent to the Archdiocesan Office.

New Leadership in Fiji

Marist Sisters in Fiji gathered recently to ritualise the change of leadership in Fiji. On 8th December, during a Mass at the end of their annual retreat, Sr Lavinia Henry passed the symbol of leadership to Sr Mariana Tevurega.

The sisters prayed in gratitude for Sr Lavinia’s service and asked blessings on Sr Mariana as she begins her three year mandate as leader. Sr Mariana will be assisted by Srs Lora Adikakai and Raitiera Teiti.

Season of Creation

Marist Sisters in the Asia-Pacific region celebrated the Season of Creation in various ways. The Season of Creation provided us with an opportunity to reflect on our common home, the Earth, and commit to ways of respecting and protecting it into the future.

In Fiji the sisters do this simply by planting their own vegetables, keeping their environment clean, pot planting, planting root crops and composting.

In the Raiwaqa community Sr Rosemary put together a display depicting creation from the beginning and the current devastating state of the earth -the natural and man -made destructive forces brought  about through the effects of climate change. Many of the psalms sing in praise of God’s creation. As Bearers of Hope, we believe the Earth is alive and vibrant and wish to do all in our power to protect it.

 

 

In the Sefton Community in Australia, Srs Gail and Kate celebrated the Congregation feastday, the Holy Name of Mary, with a practical response to the Season of Creation. They did a make over of their garden.

Ministering to Women in Fiji

Fijian Marist Sister, Sr Mariana Tevurega, is Coordinator for Women’s Ministry on behalf of Caritas in the Archdiocese of Suva. Through the Women at the Well programme Mariana leads workshops and prayer sessions for women as well as working with parishes on the issue of violence against women and children. The following links will lead to to reports on some of the activities Mariana has been involved in.

Golden Jubilee Celebration in Fiji

Sr Rosemary Simon made her first Profession as a Marist Sister in the Merrylands Chapel on 6th March 1971 with Sister Carmel as her Novice Mistress. Rosemary still remembers that day with great clarity as both Sisters David and Carmel were present with all the Sisters in Merrylands at that time.   Also present was her mother who travelled from Fiji for that special day.  This wonderful  occasion was celebrated with great dancing in the community room with Father Kevin Kehoe at the piano.  Auntie Bonita Rounds and her mother danced the Tongan and Samoan Siva.

50 years later, on the anniversary of the day,  Rosemary recommited herself to Jesus by renewing  her vows during a special Jubilee Mass in the Mount St. Mary’s Church, Nadi.  The Church was beautifully decorated with white orchids  and pink antheriums. The main celebrant, a good friend of Rosemary, was Father John McEvoy scc (Columban), the friendship going back to the 1970’s when Rosemary was teaching at Xavier College, Ba.

Because of her Kiribati background, the hymns were a mixture of English, Fijian and Kiribati. The local blend of hymns sung by the Mission Choir of Lautoka was much appreciated by all who attended Mass. The members of the choir were made up mainly of Rosemary’s relatives.  The Offertory was a Kiribati cultural dance which accompanied those who carried up the bread and wine.  Concelebrating with Father John , were five other priests:  Frs Joe McHugh sj, Dennis Levy sm, Lewis Henry sm, Fr Sanele (pp of Nadi town) and Fr Veremo (pp of Lautoka).

Following the Mass the guests went to the school Square  for the formalities followed by the partaking  of the delicious meal catered for mainly by Rosemary’s family.  The venue was very convenient as the school verandahs provided ample space for people to sit, eat and enjoy the entertainment.  All in all, it was a very joyful, meaningful and memorable occasion.

We thank God for the gift of Rosemary and we thank her for the generous gift of herself as a Marist to the Congregation for the mission of the Church, and we wish her many more years of joyful and fruitful service as Mary’s Presence in the Church.

Click on images to see enlarged version.

Celebrating Marist Commitment

In Fiji a celebration was held recently to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Marist Religious Profession for Srs Raitiera Teiti and Terube Ata. Because of Cyclone conditions, the original date for the jubilee was postponed till mid February.   The two sisters had been in Rabi for their Christmas break so they had celebrated then with their close family, relatives and friends.

However, despite the rainy weather, the celebrations for Sisters Terube and Raitiera went off very well. On Friday, the choir from Lautoka braved the stormy weather and miraculously arrived in Suva, slept in the Lami classrooms and were ready to sing at the the next morning.

On the day of the celebration, the sun shone and we were filled with joy as we took part in the beautifully prepared liturgy. Mass in the Lami Parish Church at 11.00 am was full to capacity with sisters, friends, Religious and relatives. The main celebrant was Father Donal McElraith, Irish Columban who is closely associated with the Rabi Community. Rabi is the island off the coast of Taveuni where the Kiribati community from Ocean Island were rehabilitated because of Phosphate Issues.  At present Rabi has produced two priests to the Columban Society and quite a number of girls have joined either the OLSH or the Marist Sisters.  The Rabi Community is very proud of their Religious and in particular Sisters Terube and Raitiera. It was a touching moment when both the sisters knelt before the altar to renew their vows.

After the Mass, all the Marist Sisters and guests were invited to the school basement for the usual formalities, meal and entertainment. The decor in the basement expressed the feelings of joy and happiness for this auspicious occasion. The theme of the day was “Mary Going In Haste”. In Sister Terube’s speech, she explained the meaning of the theme…that is the Sisters are on mission with Mary in carrying out the work of Christ.

Following the meal in the school basement, the Sisters continued to mingle with friends and relatives and later we joined the Sisters as they opened their gifts. We finished the day with the Salve Regina. It was a great day and we thank God for the gifts of Terube and Raitiera, two very talented and hard working women in the Marist Congregation.

On the same day Lavenia Laweimoala began another step in her Marist journey when she was received as a novice in the presence of her parents and the Sisters.

A video of the event may be viewed here.

Jubilee Celebration in Fiji

A wonderful and joyful celebration was held recently at Mt St Mary’s parish, Nadi, Fiji, as Sr Margaret Sharma celebrated her Diamond Jubilee as a Marist Sister and Sr Marlene Giblin celebrated her Golden Jubilee.  Columban priest, Fr Frank Hoare, was the main celebrant and homilist with Marist Fathers John Crispin and Lewis Henry concelebrating.
Many Marist Sisters were present along with family members  and friends of the two jubilarians. Also part of the celebration was Sr Anna Rarasea, a Sister of St Joseph of Cluny and Sr Carmel Pilcher, a  Sister of St Joseph from Australia who is currently teaching at the Pacific Regional Seminary, Suva. It was a beautiful sunny day. All present enjoyed the Mass and the delicious meal that followed. Special thanks to Sr Lavinia and her team for a well organized celebration.

Renewing Marist Commitment

In the presence of her Marist community, her relatives, friends and parishioners Sr Valerie Ho recently renewed her vows as a Marist Sister for two years. Her community Leader, Sr Rosemary, received her vows .  The renewal of commitment took place in the local parish church in Nadi, Fiji. Following the Mass family and friends were invited to join the sisters for brunch at the convent.