3288 Salesians in Fiji embark on a catechetical initiative
austraLasia #3288
Salesians in Fiji embark on a catechetical
initiative
SUVA (Fiji):
26 September
2013
-- Fully
aware that Salesian work began all those years back with "a
simple
catechism lesson", the Salesians in Fiji, located at Don Bosco
House,
Nakasi, an outlying suburb of Suva, have embarked on a
catechetical
venture that has aroused great interest, not only for families
whose
children do not attend Catholic schools, but also in the local
Church.
Sunday
22 September 2013 was the starting Sunday for this venture,
run by the
novices and postnovices at Don Bosco House under the guidance
of their
Rector and Fr Jim Kyaw Hoe sdb - except that the Rector on
this
occasion had to attend a Rector's meeting in Australia, so
left the
initial event in Fr Jim's very capable hands!
Registrations
from interested primary and secondary school children, and
even older,
have been coming in thick and fast. Sunday 22nd happened to be
a day of
heavy rain as only the islands can produce, so the fact that
30
children turned up for the first occasion is regarded as an
excellent
omen. A bright sunny day could well see a 100 of them!
The community is offering six classes for specific groups on
Sundays:
one for 6-7 year olds, then others for the 8-9, 10-12, 13-15,
16-17 and
18-19 age groups.
While a Sunday school
venture does not sound so startling, it is a novelty for the
Fijian
Church - something that the Methodists have done very well up
to now
but the local Catholic Church had not thought of trying! Many
of our
young Salesians studying in Fiji have a different background,
from
Samoa where the Church is very much into Sunday sessions for
religious
instruction, so they bring their experience now to the Fijian
situation. Parents whose children do not attend Catholic
schools
are delighted with the new venture, and local parish priests
are
watching with interest. It looks like the idea will catch on.
