Fr Teakare Betero’s receives a blessing at his ordination in Fiji. Photo: Missionary Society of St Columban
In the presence of fellow Columbans, family and friends, Fr Teakare Betero was ordained a Columban priest by Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, Archbishop of Suva, Fiji, on November 30, 2019 on his island home of Rabi.
In attendance was his mother, Kaitinano Tauakitari. Fr Betero’s father passed away while he was still in primary school. He has six brothers and three sisters and Fr Betero is the youngest. A week prior to the ordination, the Region of Fiji merged with Australia and New Zealand to create the new Region of Oceania on the feast of St Columban, November 23.
A group of 125 people, including about 30 Columbans, travelled the 14 hour journey from Suva to attend the ordination. Two boat rides got us to Rabi at about 5.00pm on Friday, November 29, 2019.
Fr Teakare was born and educated on Rabi island where the Banabans were the deprived people of the once phosphate rich “Ocean Island” in the Kiribati group. They were relocated in 1945 when they were promised a new island home in the Fiji group but the island they got was very remote and under-developed.
After secondary school, Fr Teakare worked in construction and fishing for some years before joining the Columbans.
Most of his theological education was done at the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva. His Spiritual Year took him to the Philippines and he spent two years in Peru for his First Mission Assignment where he learnt to speak Spanish and work alongside Columban priests. He has been appointed back to the Philippines and will return there after six months in a Fijian parish.
A crowd of more than 1000 people thronged the Church grounds of Fatima to witness the ordination. The leaders of many of the other Churches were also there in a place of honour and they were all given an official greeting by Fr Teakare during the ceremonies.
Seventeen priests assisted Archbishop Chong with the ordination rite and though the Mass was in English, the choir sang in Gilbertese, the official language of the Banaban people.
After the ordination ceremony all joined in a delicious island banquet prepared by Fr Teakare’s family. Being one of ten siblings certainly helps at times like this. Before blessing his mother, Fr Teakare asked her to also bless him - shades of Pope Francis!
The afternoon was filled with marvellous Banaban singing and traditional dancing. As a thanksgiving to all, Fr Teakare himself did a Banaban dance in traditional dress.
The first Mass was held on Sunday and this was again followed by feasting and dancing. The Suva group left at 6.00pm on Sunday evening and arrived in Suva 21 hours later with a profound appreciation of the hardships of travel undergone by the Banabans. This was a first for most of those travelling to Rabi. The experience of the ordination in the context of the Banaban culture and of the joyous welcome we received will be a lasting memory for us all.
Mariana Waqa was the former Editor of Columban Magazine, Kaulotu, Fiji.
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