The Piglet that Wouldn’t GrowJan 28, 2022
20/7/2010, I did a funeral in a small village near Labasa a few months ago. The villagers very generously offered me a thanksgiving ‘vesu waka’ (yaqona) and with it some mats, dalo (taro) and a live piglet. The mats could be sold for the Labasa Parish ... Read more
The Pundit's AdviceJan 27, 2022
I called on a Hindu couple today in a rural settlement. The wife welcomed me with a cup of tea, as usual. Her husband was pottering around the compound but he came over to chat ... Read more
Alternative MedicineJan 25, 2022
May 8, 1996, Sukh Deo is a Hindu married to a Catholic wife. They live in an interior settlement far from town. As we chatted after prayers he told me of an incident when he was a boy. At that time there were very few doctors, transport to town was difficult and money was hard to come by ... Read more
Missionary Zeal Meets RealityJan 24, 2022
I am back in a rural settlement after seven years away from Fiji to refresh my Hindi language ability ... Read more
A Brush with the LawJan 23, 2022
The drive from Ba, where I am stationed as assistant priest, to Suva takes well over 4 hours. Load-carrying lorries are one of the obstacles on the way, as I found out today ... Read more
St Anthony’s Feast at RaviraviJan 20, 2022
June 13th, 1984, St Anthony is a favorite saint of South Indian Catholics. Today I celebrated his feast with the mainly Indo-Fijian congregation at Raviravi, a rural settlement on Fiji’s main island. A South Indian Catholic ... Read more
Indo-Fijian Fire-walking at Nadera TempleJan 19, 2022
June 18th, 1983, On this day, I went to take photos of the fire-walking at the Hindu temple at Nadera, a few miles from Suva. In the early 20th century the British colonial government brought indentured laborers from to Fiji from South India. These brought their ancient practice of fire-walking with… Read more
