Salesian Missions in Fiji

By Bro. Sinapati Ioane, SDB

Makoi, Fiji, 14 September 2018 -- While the people of Fiji were busy celebrating their Constitution Day (September 07, 2018) public holiday, the Don Bosco Formation community together with the Altar server boys and girls from the St. John Bosco Parish were on a mission, cleaning the road side from our Parish Church at Makoi towards the new parish land site.

One of the most memorable and unforgettable missions that we have ever done since our presence here amongst the people of Fiji, helping to keep our local area clean. We spent two hours on the road side picking up rubbish, with the aim to keep our environment nice and clean. It was fun, enjoyable, lesson learnt and challenging as well. But we were humbled with the support of the parents who were there to help us. There were heart-filled moments indeed that day seeing these young children doing something very extraordinary for their own community at their very young age. The month of September the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Suva launched a new season for the diocese which is called: “A Season of Creation: Care for our common home; Laudato Si.” So, our cleaning up is our way of supporting the Archdiocese in caring for our environment. We were so thrilled with the enthusiasm of the kids in carrying out such a mission for their own environment.

We planned to end our cleaning at our site aiming to have some fun games for the kids, to celebrate the Constitution day and at the same time celebrating the One Year Anniversary since we begin levelling the land for our new parish. Thus it was a triple celebration for us during that day. Indeed, everyone enjoyed the day and we see the spirit of our founder in the celebration when everyone contributed to the joy of the day, sharing happiness with these young ones in our fun games.

As a Salesian Congregation and Salesian Family we dedicate this month for all our Salesians MISSIONARIES around the world. Offering petitions and prayers for them as they dedicate their lives for the mission. In our community we have two great missionary’s Fr. James Khaw Hoe and Br. Stan Rossato, they have dedicated their lives as missionaries serving our Salesians family here in Fiji. As our provincial Fr William says, “we are all missionaries in our own way of serving the young in our Salesian mission.”

So, in honouring all our missionaries, especially those who dedicate their life missioning here in the Pacific, as mentioned above like Fr. Jim and Br. Stan amongst the many, we conclude the month for the mission with a Eucharist celebrated by Fr. Jim himself the well-known missionary here in the Pacific.

He strongly emphasized the importance of the Cross in our lives and how the cross helps us in our mission. He continued by saying that our mission is to bring the victorious Christ of the Cross to the people especially the youth and the young. He reminded those that had come to celebrate the occasion with us that everyone was involved in the mission of bringing the victorious Christ to all and was not the work on religious only. He reminded all that each day we would be challenged to carry our cross.

Our Eucharistic celebration was followed by a mini celebration with our invited guests those whom we call our Salesian families and friends here in Don Bosco Formation House on September 14th, 2018.

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