OUR OWN LITTLE PINARDI SHED
Julian Fox
SUVA: 21st March -- The Parish of Nadera, Fiji's
largest parish in terms of population, lies just outside the Suva city
boundaries. Called the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima it nevertheless has
St. John Bosco's School as its centrepiece and two Churches - the Parish Church
centre at Nadera itself, not very far from the present Salesian residence in
Vatuwaqa (we are right ont he border of the two parishes), and the mass station
at McCoy, hardly a Fijian name, but it's real enough to be the centre of a
population of some 60,000. This Sunday we were asked to celebrate the Mass
at McCoy. What a surprise that turned out to be. The 'Church' is in
fact a large corrugated iron shed, no different from that which may be found on
any Australian farming property. But at least 600 of the flock had turned
up - not to be fleeced, one hopes, but to be 'fed'. The leader of the
parish sector (there are 11 sectors in Nadera parish because of its size, and 4
clusters within the McCoy sector) welcomed the Salesians with the comment that
their children have been coming home this month past with stories about 'the
Brothers', and now the adults had a chance to see just who these men were!
Of the 600 massgoers, it seemed that 300 of them were the children, and they
were making it clear before, during and after Mass that they knew very well who
these men were, and liked their presence. Despite the appalling heat under
the corrugated iron roof, and the numbers who just could not fit and had
overflowed onto the apron of lawn in front, Mass was duly celebrated and the
after-Mass celebrations too. This meant the kids clamouring after 'the
Brothers' for some games and a chance to go for a swim in the afternoon, while
'Father' and a couple of unattached Brothers were invited to the work-cum-grog
(kava) session of cluster leaders and a meeting of the older youth (sans
grog).
The Pinardi Shed theme goes just a mite further
than some remarkable physical similarities to that important moment of Salesian
beginnings. The Salesians here now find themselves followed most weekends
by hopeful youths wanting to gather, but we have been 'moved on' from at least
one gathering place. At McCoy, the adults made it clear we would not be
moved on, indeed we were invited to stay. Up behind the Church land there
is another area of open land posing as a rugby ground. It's a sort of
village green a little rough around the edges. This property, one
parishioner proclaimed, might well be 'Salesian' one day soon if Government
could be urged to consider - it has been set apart for Religious and educational
use. It just depends which of the religions presently invading the Fiji
Islands gets there first and who wins the elections now that parliament has been
prorogued and a caretaker government in place till May! If the Colonial
explorers could claim simply by hoisting their petard, maybe this lot of
Saleisans can claim by flinging a medal or two into the long grass. In the
meantime we have our oratory, and indeed, noting Fijian style of youth
gathering, the good old Don Bosco slant on that institution seems even more
appropriate than 'youth centre'. The kids come to play, pray, meet, even
sleep, and some of the parents come too. The latter are happy to drink
'grog' (which, by the way is harmless. It really is the cup that cheers
and not inebriates). We have our shed which can triple for play, pray and
sleep, our little apron of land for volleyball and up the road, plenty of room
for a game of 'touch'. It is for us the real
McCoy.
