After their Arrival

Bishop Foley with, from left Frs. T. Heneghan, D. Fitzpatrick, J. Mahony and S. O’Connor and some Xavier College Students [early 1960s] 

Fr. Dennis Fitzpatrick. He was the team leader of the First Columban group in 1952. Fr. Denis and Fr. Rod Hoult took over the Lautoka Mission Station without any language study. Fr. Charles O’Mahony was sent to Ba. He was in charge of Ba Catholic Mission, Varoka. Frs. Martin Dobey.  P.J. Kelly and Jim Gavigan were sent to Fr. Griffin SM in Taveuni to learn Fijian there. Frs. Doyle and O’Connor were to learn Hindi at Varoka and Fr. Fleming at Nadi. The other three, Frs. Michael Cryan, Gerry Hurley and Arthur Tierney were sent to St. Johns College in Cawaci to become familiar with the Fiji education system. Fr. Dermot Hurley arrived in Fiji at the beginning of September 1952, after spending 4 years working in Coburg parish, Melbourne. He joined Fr. J.J. Loughlin in Savusavu to study Fijian language until he was appointed Parish Priest of Ba in January 1953. He arrived in Fiji just in time to replace Fr. Charles O ‘Mahony who was sent from Fiji to teach Theology at the newly founded Columban Major Seminary at Wahoonga, N.S.W. Fr. Hurley had Frs. Seamus O’Connor and P.J. Kelly as his assistants.