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Fiji

Our Elephant House

By Jennifer Chan

Jennifer Chan is a Columban lay missionary assigned in Fiji. Here she shares with us what it is like to live in an “elephant house”.

It’s true! Home is an elephant house for me and my fellow lay missionary, Cynthia, for 11 months now. This unique, architectural wonder is called a ctesiphon (pronounced as tesifon, a type of thin-shell catenary-curved concrete building). My parish priest told me it was patterned after the low-cost housing in Iraq. Back in the late fifties, Columban Father Dermot Hurley built several ctesphons and ours is the lone surviving elephant house in Suva. Its historical value is increasing and becoming an unusual conversation piece of both locals and foreigners alike.

Paradise Of The Pacific

Laborers from India were brought in to Fiji in 19th century by the British who colonized this country. The British wanted to grow sugarcane. Since Fijian were not willing to do this backbreaking work, they had to import laborers from Indian laborers settled between the Fijians and the Indo-Fijians. Six Filipino Columban Lay Missionaries are now in Fiji. As they celebrate their second Christmas in this faraway land, let us pray that they may bring peaceful Christmases to this divided paradise.

Small Houses, Big Heart

By Maria Nariva, a Fijian lay missionary in the Philippines

I arrived in the Philippines in October 1996. Coming from a small country like Fiji, everything is kind of a shock for me to see. Apart from that I was surprised to see the number of people at the airport and along the streets as we made our way to the Lay Mission House in Cubao. I asked myself, “I wonder what the population of this country is?” I was not only shocked at the number of people, but also at the pollution and the heat.

Clash of Culture

Vincent Ratnam, an Indian from Fiji tells about his journey to being a missionary priest. Part of his time involved a stay in the Philippines. The interview was conducted by Fr. Francisco Hoare.

An Interview with Vincent Ratman

Francisco: Where and when were you born?

Vincent: I was born on 31st March, 1966 in Lautoka Fiji islands. I have five brothers and two sisters. As the youngest in the family my parents, especially my dad, had emphasized hard work and being well off because we had experienced poverty. Dad work for an Australian company as a stone crusher operator and Mum used to supplement the family income by doing house work for neighbors.

From Fiji to Philippines

By Fr. Francisco Hoare, SSC

Sr. Pushpa is a 30 year old Missionary Sister of the Society of Mary. She is the first Indian Sister from Naleba, Labasa. Her father, Arjun, presented Pushpa, her three brothers and younger sister Shakuntula to Fr. McCaffey for instruction and baptism when Pushpa was about 7 years old. She joined the SMSM order in 1985. She has been appointed to work as a missionary in the Philippines. Fr. Frank Hoare interviews her here.

Fiji

By: Sr. Francisca Talibutab, DC

We Daughters of Charity first came to Fiji in 1979 upon the request of the Archbishop of Fiji through the initiative of our brother Congregation, the Vicentian Fathers to help them in their mission work.

257 Pinoys
Fiji, as you know is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious British Crown Colony in the Pacific, lying to the East if Australia and North of New Zealand with a population of just over half million people. About half of the total population of Fiji came from India bringing with them their very own cultural and religious valued and background. Most of them are Hindus, Muslim and Sikhs. A number of Europeans, Chinese and other Pacific Islanders also live there. During the recent gathering of Filipinos to commemorate the Philippines Independence Day last June 11; Fiji’s President and former Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamiese Mara told us in his speech that there are 247 Filipinos  now residing and working in Fiji, mostly medical personnel and factory workers.

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