Fr Frank Hoare reading the gospel at Naleba - Photo: Fr Frank Hoare
This article is written by Columban Fr Frank Hoare from the pages of a missionary's diary - July 2nd, 1975
One Sunday every month, after saying morning Mass in my Naleba church, I used to travel about 10km by bus to visit three Catholic families, one indigenous Fijian and two Indo-Fijian. The families lived some distance from each other so I would take turns saying Mass in their houses. I would often stay overnight and catch the bus back to Naleba the following morning.
The Fijian family lived some distance off the road. One of the young daughters would wait for my bus and escort me through the bush to their house. The big challenge was a river with a tree across it as a bridge. Luckily I was young and fit. But I was always apprehensive stepping on to the log. I was immensely encouraged by the young girl crossing casually in front of me and offering her hand to steady me when needed.
One of the Indo-Fijian families was very poor. They didn’t have electricity or running water. They insisted that I sleep on the only bed in the house while the parents and children slept on the floor. I had mosquito coils with me which I lit before going to bed. The next morning the father exclaimed, “There wasn’t a single mosquito biting us last night. I never knew about this coil before.”
Unusual! Normally the locals, not the visitors, solve these problems.
Columban Fr Frank Hoare lives and works in Fiji.
