The funeral of the late Emeritus Archbishop is still in our minds and hearts. The cathedral of the sacred heart could not handle the ‘faithfuls’ who came from all over Fiji and abroad. It has been a time of prayer and farewelling a good humble leader who believed in the local church and its clergy. The mass celebrant, Archbishop Peter Loy ensured that the prefaces, the prayers of the faithful, the readers were all done in Fijian, Rotuman and Hindus. The current Archbishop,gave a wonderful homily,
Below are a excerpts from Archbishops homily:
“In your 1975 Pastoral Plan, Your Excellency was diligently committed to implementing the Council’s vision of the particular or local Church. You envisioned a Church that is self-ministering, self-supporting, and self-propagating. The Church would be self-ministering when the local people provided for all the essential services needed for the life of the Church. Your Excellency campaigned that the immediate challenge of the Church in Fiji was to increase the number of local priests, religious brothers and sisters, and foster the active participation of the laity. The Church would be self-propagating when the local people were actively involved in the mission of the Church, rather than being dependent on foreign missionaries. Finally, the Church would be self-supporting when she can sustain herself in terms of finances and human resources. You strongly proposed that to establish the local Church, Fijian Catholics must be made aware that they are the local Church……….The 1990 Archdiocesan Synod was a milestone for the Fiji Catholic Church. In retrospect Your Excellency said that the Archdiocesan Synod as a moment of grace and a “peak moment” in the history of the local Church in Fiji. It was an affirmation to your vision that the Church was becoming self-propagating as the local people showed that they wanted to be a Church committed to mission…”
We as church/family we mourn the passing of the late Archbishop and will continue pray that we move on with the graceful courage to face the challenges of today.