Synodality and Formation for Mission

Synodality and Formation for Mission

Columban missionary Fr Frank Hoare spoke to the Federation of Conferences of Catholic Bishops of Oceania (FCBCO) earlier this week. Synodality and formation for mission were two of the three major themes of the bishops’ assembly along with the effects of a...
A Christmas Surprise

A Christmas Surprise

Last Christmas Fr Frank Hoare took a break from life in the Fijian capital, Suva, to return to a rural parish where he had worked previously. But his attempt at Santa Claus did not get the reaction he expected. Maybe it was because I wasn’t wearing the required red...
First Pacifican Columban Takes Charge in Fiji

First Pacifican Columban Takes Charge in Fiji

Fr Donal McIlraith reports on a major development in Columban leadership. On St Columban’s Day, 23rd November 2022, Fr Felisiano Fatu became Vice Director of the Columban Region of Oceania and became the first Pacifican leader in Fiji in 70 years. “You did not chose...
Interfaith Week: Interreligious Dialogue in Fiji

Interfaith Week: Interreligious Dialogue in Fiji

Fr Frank Hoare explains why Fiji needs interreligious dialogue and how Columban efforts are a small contribution towards working for peace in the world. On 14 May 1987, people in Fiji were shocked when the army overthrew the elected government in a coup d’etat. The...
Would You Do It Again?

Would You Do It Again?

Fr Frank Hoare, a Columban missionary in Fiji, reflects on his decision to become a missionary priest when he was seventeen and has no regrets about his choice. I was standing by the bed of a Hindu ascetic dying of cancer in a monastery in North India. He shared with...