Christ is Risen! Truly the Lord is Risen! With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Myron of New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, and with deep respect for the family of the reposed Fr. Bartholomew of blessed memory, I offer these words in humble remembrance of a priest, father, and brother to all who laboured … Continue reading Fr Bartholomew Senibulu: The First Native Fijian Orthodox Priest, of Blessed Memory
Tag: Orthodox Mission Oceania
Fa’aaloalo – Reverence That Knows How to Wait
Orthodoxy in Samoa When the Gospel was first preached on the Samoan islands, the story of the Triune God was received by a people already formed by reverence, communal life, and an instinct that life itself is received as a gift from above. This is why Christianity took root so deeply and so quickly. The … Continue reading Fa’aaloalo – Reverence That Knows How to Wait
The Courage of Christ -The Sacred Mission of the Church
The Church’s Sacred Mission is courageous precisely because it is cruciform. It goes where Christ goes: among the poor, the forgotten, the estranged. It does not seek safety or approval. It does not wait for the conditions to be favourable. It moves, quietly and fearlessly, into the places of death, to speak the word of resurrection.
Not Into Religion, But Into Life
The Orthodox Church in the Pacific Islands Over the past decade, something deeply significant has been quietly unfolding across the Pacific islands: many have entered the Orthodox Church through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. From Fiji to Tonga and Samoa, men and women, families and entire communities have stood before the Church, confessing their faith … Continue reading Not Into Religion, But Into Life
The Blossoming of Faith – Building a Mission Centre in Vanua Levu
In the quiet town of Vanua Levu, the second-largest island of Fiji, a quiet miracle has been unfolding for more than a decade. What began as a modest effort to plant the Orthodox Church in the soil of the Pacific has grown into a flourishing spiritual community. The story of the Church in Vanua Levu … Continue reading The Blossoming of Faith – Building a Mission Centre in Vanua Levu
Ierapostole: The Real Purpose of the Entire Church
Just a few days after the Sunday of Pentecost, which marks the birthday of our Church, the our thoughts run to the first days of the Church of Christ on planet Earth. Simple, unlettered people, without education or diplomas, with their only references being the “graduation ceremony” of the Holy Spirit, in regards to who … Continue reading Ierapostole: The Real Purpose of the Entire Church
The Good Shepherd
Father Varnavas, a former Hindu by the name Shree Chrisna Nair, is the vigorous, tireless priest of the formerly non-existent and yet now bustling Parish of Sts. Athanasios and Nicholas in Labasa of Vanua Levu here in Fiji. Full of strength and vigour, full of enthusiasm and fervent zeal for the prosperity and expansion of … Continue reading The Good Shepherd
Orthodoxy in Fiji: Missionary Journey
The flow of events, as the popular expression goes, but in reality, Divine providence, guided our steps to beautiful Savusavu of Vanua Levu, the second largest island of Fiji. Originally this journey had been set to take place the following month. However, due to sudden great testing (dokimasia) of our Orthodox brothers, Pantelis Baravilala, we … Continue reading Orthodoxy in Fiji: Missionary Journey