FIJI: SALESIAN PRESENCE FORMALLY OPENS
SUVA: 31st January -- On the evening of 31st January, 14 Salesians in the presence of Fr. John Murphy, Provincial of the Province of Mary Help of Christians (now comprising the Australian Continent and the South pacific Islands of Samoa and Fiji) took part in a ceremony which formally declared the Salesian presence of 'Don Bosco House' in Suva a reality. The decree from Fr. Juan Vecchi, giving canonical status to the community, and appointing the first Rector, Fr. Julian Fox, was read out and the relevant papers signed. Eleven Pacifican Salesians in postnovitiate formation, hailing from Samoa and Tonga, gathered in the chapel with their formators which include Fr. Mika Leilua, also of Samoa. Earlier in the day, Religious and diocesan clergy from around Suva gathered at Don Bosco House and joined the community for a meal and the traditional yaqona (kava) 'libation' which is a feature of many Pacific cultures. The Archbishop of Suva, unable to be present on that day, met with the formation team on the following day and offered his own warm congratulations to the Salesians.
The city of Suva has a population of 140,000 - a predominantly young population with high unemployment and poverty. The Salesians are living in the poorest and most industrialized sector of the city, where they are presently renting accommodation from the Marist Brothers of the Schools. They have already begun the search for land and a place of their own, most likely along the busy corridor that stretches out from Suva towards the airport. The eleven men in formation have begun their studies at a unique theological institution serving twelve Pacific nations. They have already discovered that their presence is most welcome amongst the young people of Suva who crowd the schools, streets and playgrounds of surrounding Vatuwaqa and Raiwaqa, especially in the hot evenings when the whole nation seems to turn out into the open spaces and along the reef-fringed shores.
