OUR OWN LITTLE PINARDI SHED
Julian Fox
SUVA: 21st March -- The Parish of Nadera, Fiji's largest parish in terms of population, lies just outside the Suva city boundaries. Called the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima it nevertheless has St. John Bosco's School as its centrepiece and two Churches - the Parish Church centre at Nadera itself, not very far from the present Salesian residence in Vatuwaqa (we are right ont he border of the two parishes), and the mass station at McCoy, hardly a Fijian name, but it's real enough to be the centre of a population of some 60,000. This Sunday we were asked to celebrate the Mass at McCoy. What a surprise that turned out to be. The 'Church' is in fact a large corrugated iron shed, no different from that which may be found on any Australian farming property. But at least 600 of the flock had turned up - not to be fleeced, one hopes, but to be 'fed'. The leader of the parish sector (there are 11 sectors in Nadera parish because of its size, and 4 clusters within the McCoy sector) welcomed the Salesians with the comment that their children have been coming home this month past with stories about 'the Brothers', and now the adults had a chance to see just who these men were! Of the 600 massgoers, it seemed that 300 of them were the children, and they were making it clear before, during and after Mass that they knew very well who these men were, and liked their presence. Despite the appalling heat under the corrugated iron roof, and the numbers who just could not fit and had overflowed onto the apron of lawn in front, Mass was duly celebrated and the after-Mass celebrations too. This meant the kids clamouring after 'the Brothers' for some games and a chance to go for a swim in the afternoon, while 'Father' and a couple of unattached Brothers were invited to the work-cum-grog (kava) session of cluster leaders and a meeting of the older youth (sans grog).
The Pinardi Shed theme goes just a mite further than some remarkable physical similarities to that important moment of Salesian beginnings. The Salesians here now find themselves followed most weekends by hopeful youths wanting to gather, but we have been 'moved on' from at least one gathering place. At McCoy, the adults made it clear we would not be moved on, indeed we were invited to stay. Up behind the Church land there is another area of open land posing as a rugby ground. It's a sort of village green a little rough around the edges. This property, one parishioner proclaimed, might well be 'Salesian' one day soon if Government could be urged to consider - it has been set apart for Religious and educational use. It just depends which of the religions presently invading the Fiji Islands gets there first and who wins the elections now that parliament has been prorogued and a caretaker government in place till May! If the Colonial explorers could claim simply by hoisting their petard, maybe this lot of Saleisans can claim by flinging a medal or two into the long grass. In the meantime we have our oratory, and indeed, noting Fijian style of youth gathering, the good old Don Bosco slant on that institution seems even more appropriate than 'youth centre'. The kids come to play, pray, meet, even sleep, and some of the parents come too. The latter are happy to drink 'grog' (which, by the way is harmless. It really is the cup that cheers and not inebriates). We have our shed which can triple for play, pray and sleep, our little apron of land for volleyball and up the road, plenty of room for a game of 'touch'. It is for us the real McCoy.
