Suva, Fiji Islands, 23 February 2020 -- On Saturday 22 February 2020, three young men - Sinapati Ioane (SDB), Aminiasi Ravuwai (Society of St. Columban) and Iosefu Wailoa (Archdiocese of Suva) - were ordained to the Diaconate by Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, Archbishop of Suva, Fiji, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Suva, Fiji.
Deacon Ioane Sinapati is a member of the Don Bosco community at Don Bosco house in Nakasi, belonging to the Australin-Pacific Province (AUL). He is studying in his final year (year 7) of theology at Pacific Regional Seminary (PRS) in Suva, Fiji Islands.
It was a wonderful and joyous celebration with many people present who came from many different congregations and parishes to support and pray for the new deacons. For Deacon Ioane Sinapati, SDB the presence of all the members of the community, his friends and especially his family - parents and sisters from Samoa - at the celebration, made him very happy. The Mass was very impressive at the Offertory, which was performed according to Samoan tradition. In the homily, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong addressed three responsibilities of deacons in the Church. He said a deacon had duties to proclaim the Gospel, especially by the homily, to assist the priest at the altar and to do charity work for justice and truth, for the common good.
The celebration was ended by the Sevusevu ceremony, the Fijian traditional celebration to welcome visitors, especially for the three new deacons.
With this new stage of their journey, we pray for them, particularlyour brother Sinapati (SDB), always passionate and enthusiastic in the new duties to benefit the young as Don Bosco always wished for.
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