Early this year, I had the best holiday of my life when the Sisters in New Zealand invited me to join them for two celebrations, one in Auckland and the second in Samoa. The occasion was the forty years of Mercy ministry to schools and clinic in that small country. For me the whole experience was like a retreat because I had time to revisit the places where I had been for fifty years. I spent most of the time at St. Mary’s where the first celebration took place. One month later we celebrated in Samoa.
It is difficult to find Samoa on a map of the world because it is small. However to the people who live there it could have been “the Garden of Eden”. Things grow easily and no one needs to be hungry but ready cash is scarce. It was governed by New Zealand for some years so Samoans speak English and Samoan.
One hundred and fifty-four years ago the French Marist priests arrived in the very important village of Leulumoega. There they established the Catholic Church and built up the parishes with the help of the catechists. To mark the Jubilee of the Church its status was changed to that of a Minor Basilica and the buildings were upgraded. Now it is beautiful with new stained glass windows some done by local artists. Read more
Sources
- Sisters of Mercy
- Image: prtteamsolutions