In a recent "News and Information from the Provincial Office  (#7/2009,  July 21, 2009), Fre Greg Cooney CM provides an account of the recent celebrations in Fiji.   Fr Cooney also provided a selection of photos of the celebration.  

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Celebrations for the fifty years of Vincentian mission in Fiji were held at Natovi  from Friday  10 July to Sunday 12 July 2009. The Superior General, Fr Gregory Gay CM travelled from Rome to be present for all the celebrations and festivities. 

On the afternoon of Friday 10 July the Superior General was formally welcomed to Natovi. The welcoming ceremony included the presentation of the whale’s tooth (Tabua), the presentation of food and mats, and the ceremonial preparation and presentation of Yaqona.

Following this, various dances (Meke) were performed in which was re-told the story of the arrival of the Vincentians and their ministry in Natovi.

On the Saturday, Archbishop Mataca was formally welcomed, after which he celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving together with the Bishop of  Wallis and Futuna, and many local and visiting priests.

After the Mass, there was a procession to the small cemetery behind the Natovi Church where wreaths were laid in honour of the three priests buried there: Fr Louis Robert SM (died 1918); Fr Pelasio Vakararogo CM (died 1993) and Fr Arthur Bridgewater CM (died 1998)

On Sunday 12 July, the Superior General celebrated the Mass, after which there were further Meke until late afternoon.

Estimates of the number of people who attended the celebrations vary, but it is safe to say that on the Saturday there was a least 3,000 people in attendance, and on the Sunday about 2,000.

The confreres and our students in Fiji did an extraordinary job in organizing these celebrations, and take this opportunity to thank them all most sincerely for the efforts that they made to ensure that the celebrations were such a sucess.  Vinaka vakalevu!

On Monday, the Superior General had the opportunity to meet with our students at Wailkou, and to share a meal with them, with the Daughters of Charity and our confreres, before his departure. 

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