By Fr. Will Matthews SDB, Provincial
Auckland, New Zealand, 2 July 2022 -- United in the Risen Lord, I inform you of the death of our brother and friend, Fr James Adayadiel SDB, at the Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Auckland, New Zealand, at 8:15pm on 22nd June.
Fr. James was 90 years of age. He was a professed son of Don Bosco for 66 years, and a priest of the Catholic Church for 56 years.
Born in 1932 in Kerala, India, James completed Salesian novitiate in 1954. After making final profession on 24th May 1960, James was ordained a priest by Bishop Marianayagam in 1964.
Fr. James was among the Salesian pioneers who came to Samoa in 1979 to begin Salesian mission with the young. He was a master builder who established several churches in Samoa. Under the leadership of the late Cardinal Pio of Samoa, he served as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese for five years. All together he spent 30 years in the islands of Savaii, Upolu and in American Samoa.
In 2010, Fr James came alone to New Zealand to begin another Salesian presence. He was then joined by a number of other Salesians - Fr Mika (RIP) and Fr. Matthew VZ. As a Salesian priest, he served in Massey and Avondale parishes for nearly eleven years before moving into a clergy retirement home in Auckland in 2021.
A requiem Mass for Fr James will be celebrated in Auckland in the middle of the first week of July.
Please remember Fr James in your prayers!
The Requiem Mass for Fr James will be celebrated at St Paul's church in Massey, Auckland, New Zealand on Wednesday 6th July at 11:00 am.
The remains of Fr James will be taken back to Samoa on the following day.
On Friday 8 July, another Requiem Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Alapati at the cathedral in Apia (Samoa) after which Fr James will be buried at the clergy cemetery in Moamoa alongside with our brother Salesians.
On a separate note, the ashes of Fr Mika Leilua have arrived back in Samoa that will be buried at the same cemetery.
