austraLasia #2514

Tongan Salesian's mother swept away in Tsunami
 
NUKUALFOA (Tonga): 1st October 2009 -- The Kingdom of Tonga is in mourning, along with the two Samoan nations, but so now is the Salesian Family of Australia-Pacific.  Bro. Nuku Lefai sdb, who comes from Tonga, has just learned that his mother was swept away in the tsunami that hit the northern islands of the Kingdom, those nearest to Samoa. This is indeed a great sorrow, one which we ask readers generally to share and pray about.  Brother Nuku is part of the Nakasi Don Bosco Community in Suva, Fiji.  It has taken a considerable time to learn this news.  We initially believed that there was no reason to be concerned, but as it happens, Nuku comes originally from a small island which is normally unreachable by anything but boat, and that takes three hours from Nuklualofa, the capital and sails just once a month.  Eight people were swept away on this island, including Nuku's mother.  He is being comforted by Fr Mose Vitolio Tui, the Rector in Fiji, and the community.
   We also have an eye-witness account of the tsunami as it approached the Samoan islands, by one of our confrere there, but this dispatch is not the appropriate place or time to offer it.  The next, possibly.
    We simply ask you to join with the Australian Provincial, the province community, in prayer for Nuku and his family, remembering too the rising death toll, the equal number of injured.  May we be spared further devastating news of this kind.
    I will put this news item in the EAO Blog which is widely consulted - if you wish to offer a thought, please put it there where it can be easily consulted by all concerned.

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 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Or be interactive with the EAO Blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org.

Title: australasia 2514
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces: death of Tongan SDB's mother.
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2514