Fr Frank Hoare appeals for solidarity and prayerful support for the families of the Nanuku Nine – a group of men who disappeared at the beginning of May on a fishing expedition in Fiji.
One morning at the beginning of May, nine men ranging in age from 20 years to 57 years, said goodbye to their families in Nanuku, an informal settlement in Suva, Fiji. They readied the boat they had hired from a local lady and set out towards the island of Kadavu to fish in waters frequented by them. They rested at a lighthouse on the way.
One of them phoned a friend from there who advised him to get permission from the local owners of the area they would fish in. “No, we don’t need to do that because we often come to this place to fish”, was the answer. None of them have been heard from since. The boat was found in waters off the main island of Viti Levu a few days later. There has been no sign of the men.
The Families
The nine men were closely related. The eldest was Osea and with him were his three sons, a nephew and other relatives. All the men except the youngest of Osea’s sons were married. Two of the wives are pregnant. Other wives have multiple children. Nanuku is an informal settlement in low-lying marshy ground close to the sea. The houses are mostly tin shacks built close together. A few people who have electricity share it with their neighbours.
The Fiji naval service and a helicopter searched the area where the men were last heard from and the area towards which they were going for three days. They had no success and regretfully gave up.
Fr Vincent Ratnam and Columban Fr Frank Hoare saying Mass for the Nanuku Nine on 9th May 2026.
Community Prayer
Ten days later a special commemorative Mass was held in the Columban parish of St Pius X, Raiwaqa. All the wives, children and families of the nine men were present, bringing framed photos of their lost ones. The large congregation heard Fr Vincent Ratnam, the parish priest, speak words of consolation and hope. The choir and people sang touching hymns from their hearts. Afterwards a large crowd packed the Methodist Hall in Nanuku to drink kava, the traditional drink, and eat together as a community.
The parish community invited the grieving relatives to the parish hall for a commemorative function about a week later and parishioners gave generously to a collection for the families. Some parishioners requested a team from the Department of Social Welfare to visit them.
Trauma Counselling
I invited a group of counsellors to visit the families in Nanuku with me on two successive Saturdays. The trauma counselling was to them to support each other by sharing their grief. The wives, some with babies in their arms, shared in one group. Three men, two of them brothers and fathers of some of the missing men, shared in another group. A third group was made up of supportive relatives and friends.
Some of the wives cherish the hope that their husbands are still alive. Others told of neighbours speculating about what traditional taboos the men might have broken for this tragedy to have happened. Grandparents spoke of the pain of seeing the effect on the children – some young ones waking up asking where their dads are. The three men said that they no longer felt like attending social functions. They just drank kava and shared among themselves.
A week later I listed some of the common signs of trauma to normalise their experience. I advised them to pay no attention to speculations about why the tragedy had happened. The wives all shared about how they were trying to cope. Some said they prayed a lot, others that they cannot pray. One twelve-old-girl, with tears in her eyes, asked who would now help her through secondary school.
Photos of the Nanuku Nine as their their families pray for them in St Pius X Raiwaqa.
Hardship and Love
With their breadwinners gone, the families are finding it hard to survive. Osea’s wife told me that she is selling her husband’s tools in order to provide food for her children. We distributed some money to the men’s wives.
I wrote to the Minister of Women, Children and Social Protection, who is a friend of mine, asking her help to encourage a speedy registration of the families. She replied immediately assuring me that she has a team working on it.
What brought most joy to the faces of the women was the gift of a beautiful hand-made rosary in a pouch which one of the counsellors gave to each one. The rosaries were made during the previous week by her aunt. This aunt is suffering from stage four cancer, is barely able to walk, and spends her time making rosaries from materials bought on the internet. Her only condition in giving out the rosaries is that they are not sold.
The families of the Nanuku Nine are going through a heart-breaking journey. But they are being accompanied and supported by a community spirit that remains strong in Fiji. They need and deserve this support.
If you would like to support the families of the Missing Nanuku Nine you can do this by donating online here: https://columbans.ie/donate/ Alternatively, call the Mission Office at 00353 46 9098275 or you can send a cheque payable to ‘Columban Missionaries’ to the Far East Office, Dalgan Park, Navan, Co Meath C15 AY2Y – please add a note stating it is for the families of the Nanuku Nine in Fiji. Thank you.
