Last Friday hundreds of people gathered at the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua in Nuku’alofa and then marched to the Royal Palace to present the traditional “hala” of the Diocese of Tonga and Niue to His Majesty King Tupou VI. Lau teau ne nau ‘i he fakatu’uta hala e Siasi Katolika The ceremony took Read more
Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi returned to Tonga on February 26 after what he described as a “humbling” experience in Rome. The Tongan cardinal was given his red hat by Pope Francis at the Vatican on February 14. On his arrival back in Tonga, Cardinal Mafi said he had not been given any permanent role Read more
Having a cardinal means the world to Tongans says the country’s fourth-ever bishop and now first cardinal, Soane Mafi. When he gets back to Tonga the good times will roll, Tongan-style, Cardinal Mafi told CruxNow. “Many pigs will be killed!” he told John Allen, quickly adding “I’ll try to save as many as I can”. Tens Read more
According to the latest statistics, Tonga is now the world capital of Mormonism – with the highest number of Mormons per capita of any country. Mormons now outnumber Catholics and the number of followers is continuing to grow Listen to interview on Radio Australia
More than 1000 Fiji Catholics have come together to commemorate one of the most famous battles in their nation’s history. They have gathered on Fiji’s fourth largest island, Taveuni, to remember the victory by Ratu Golea’s forces against invading Tongans in the 1860s. According to local history, before Ratu Golea went to battle against Ma’afu Read more
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is continuing to support Caritas Tonga to assist communities to recover and rebuild after Tropical Cyclone Ian devastated the Ha’apai islands of Tonga three weeks ago. It is estimated that 75 per cent of buildings in Ha’apai have been destroyed or have major damage. Crops, infrastructure and water supplies also having Read more
A four-month drought in the central Tongan island group of Ha’apai is putting stress on drinking water supplies already diminished by saltwater intrusion. Some people – especially women and children mostly affected by the water shortage – from the more remote communities are needing to travel long distances to get water from churches and schools Read more
“The kumara does not tell of how sweet it is” says an old Maori proverb. For Funaki Vehekite, 53, the sweet potato is all the sweeter because it allows him to support his family and keep his five children in school. At his farm in Tongatapu, Tonga’s largest island, he also produces food crops such as kape, Read more
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Auckland, as part of the 2013 “Assist a School Project” in support of schools in the Pacific, sent a large shipment of desks and chairs to Takuilau College in Tonga and also to colleges in Samoa earlier this year. These 200 sets of second-hand desks and chairs Read more
Two women from Tonga, Sister Malia Cecilia and Sister Malia Makalita, were among six novices who took first their first vows as as Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States at the beginning of the month. Cardinal Dolan presided at the Mass of Religious Profession at St. Ann’s Novitiate, Queens Village, New York. He Read more