MELBOURNE: 25th November '04 --  Within a few hours of this news item, the Australian Province of Mary Help of Christians will welcome three new deacons into its midst: Mikaele Luamanuvae, Will Matthews and Sefo Mulipola.  The diaconate ordinations will take place in the Salesian Parish of St. Margaret Mary's, Brunswick North, an inner suburb of Melbourne.

 

The three ordinands are members of the Clifton Hill Salesian Community, a recently established (2002) theological formation community for the Australian province, which also comprises communities in Samoa and Fiji.  A second formation community of the kind, a postnovitiate and theological training community is in Suva, Fiji.

 

As the names of the ordinands suggest, they represent the multicultural aspect both of the Australian continent and of the province.  Will Matthews is originally from Myanmar, where he took his very first steps to join the Salesians.  His family then subsequently migrated to Perth, Western Australia, and Will continued his association with the Salesians there, via the Salesian Parish, then eventually in Melbourne for his novitiate and other formation steps.  Mika and Sefo are both from Samoa.

 

A little later, just before Christmas in fact, five confreres from the Formation House in Suva, Fiji, will make their Perpetual Profession.  The five candidates include one Tongan (the only Tongan Salesian currently), Aleki Piula.  The remaining four are from Samoa.