CIRCULAR OF HIS LORDSHIP DR. VIDAL, S.M..

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 6, 5 February 1903, Page 4

CIRCULAR OF HIS LORDSHIP DR. VIDAL, S.M..

To his Missioners on the Conversion of the Province of Namosi, Fiji.

Reverend Fathers and beloved Co-operators, — We have just returned from our pastoral visitation of the vilIngp* recently converted in th*> Province of Namosi and the district of Soloir.i. We spent two whole weeks there, accompanied by Fathers Rongier nml T><> Mirzan, who have generously spent themselves in evangelising this mountain popalation, many of whom had never seen a priest. But if hitherto the priest was unknown in their country, their country was not unknown to the priest, for th«ir prent chitf, Matanitabua, had always prohibited our entrance into it. As.d lo 1 that prohibition is now removed ; nay, by a change which it would be humanly difficult to explain, the same Matanitabua has called us to himself and asked us to receive him and all his people into the Catholic Chnroh. At his appeal we hastened towards the well-nigh inaccessible mountains ; we there planted the cross and opened to all those n- ophytes the Lord's fold, in which they find peace and salvation. We hasten also to say that the number of converts is over 1100 at Namosi, and 400 at Soloira. Moreover, we have had the happiness to baptiae about 400 children. Bat let us relate The Particulars of this Conversion which yon want to hear, and which will doubtless thrill your apostolic hearts with great gladness. Rather more than three months ago, we learned that the Roko or head obief of the province, Matanitabua, desired to embrace the Catholic religion, and that probably all his tribe would be converted with him. At onoe Fathers Rougier and De Marzan, whose districts bound that province, were sent to ascertain and further this religious movement. The Roko gave them a hearty welcome, and made no secret of his wish to become a Catholic As regards the motives of this unexpected conversion, we will shortly let the chief tell them himself. suffice it to say for the present that, in the course of a few weeks, the greater part of the Namosi villages became Catholic, and that from the outset these neophytes declared themselves determined to carry out all the practices of our holy religion. They assisted regularly at the morning and evening prayers, accepted a medal and a rosary, and asked that a oateohist should be sent to each village. In Namosi the largest villages have not over 100 inhabitants, while some have only 50. We had to find oatechists for all these villages, for it was most important to instruct the catechumens without delay. Towards the middle of October we appealed to the oatechists of Rewa, aud 20 of them undertook to fill a post in this new country. The others were procured from the district of Lomarv. About this time we received two visits from Matanitabua. He beeped of 'is to give a missioner for his province, and invited na to come iv person to his tribe. We hastened to accede to his desire, and on Saturday, November 15th, at five o'clock in the morning our boat tailed with a fair wind from Suva towards the village of Vi-ivatu'oi, the acual residence of the Ruko. Shortly before noon we came in sijrht of the village, which wan upland idly adorned with flitfs. A litt'e chapel just erected dominated the village huts and was gaily arrayed with wreaths and banners. We were still over 200 yards from the shore when we saw mere than 150 stalwart men advancing towards us. One of them proffered us the traditional wbUf's trnnk to bid us welcome ; then suddenly thtir brawny arms took the boat and triumphantly hauled it into the middieof tne village, ner.r a pavilion of foliage in the form of a triumphal arch. Tneie the Roko stood to greet us ; there also we vested in p ntificals for the procession to tbe church which was to be blessed. During the ceremony our dear neophytes reoited their prayers and sacg their hymns like Catholics of long-standing. So earnest had they b en in getting instructed that a few weeks enabled them to answer in the prayers an.j tike part in the singing. Their z.al deeply impressed us and prompted our hearts to repeated Act 6of ThatkFgivirg tc God for this extraordinary conversion. We must also state that in all the speeches delivered during the distribution of victuals they invariably emphasised their denire for the conversion of all their province and that of the whole Fijian Archipelago. May God fulfil their wishes and ours, tool Alter the blessing of the chapel, we took our meal in the Fijian fashion, and a'ter the repast the evenii g was spent in vaiinus classes and instructions, and a ! so in preparing for the morrow's festivity, in which thtre was to be Solemn Pontifical High Mahs iv the new chapel dedicated to the Holy Angfln. To enhance the epleudor of the fcit-t \*e had brought oar pontifical vei-tuneirs with us at the special request of the chief and all his people who had i.ever bcloie setm anything like it. Moreover, tbe Rewa Brass liavd h.»d also comr . It played itn best (-elections and raised the enthusiasm of tbe natives to the highett pitch, while their admiration was unbounded. After the function one of them told me he thought h* w<ts in heaven during the ceremony. In the evening v, c had the Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Hapdfin of many children, aa ong whom were the chiefs two s ns. It i* netdle>>s to add that between the services, and even to a late hour of the night, all conversations were about r hgion ard piety. We had to explain to these people all the oeremouiei which they had so much admired and the Christian meaning of which they longed to know. What we did at Yoivatuloa in the firt-t days of our visit was renewed in the o her villages of the province, right to the end of our pastoral circut. The day after the festivities held at Veivatuloa we rowed up tl c river Navua aa far aa the fi Bt rapids. You have

CIAL" CYCLES.

all heard how dangerous this passage is and how many oanoes have been wrecked in it. Oars proved quite successful, bat all oar baggage had to be removed from the boats and carried by men alone the ragged shore. After the great rapids we went in oances up the river to the village of Namnamaa, recently converted also. Then oame the turn of Nonkoa, Beqa, and other adjacent places. True, our reception in these latter villages was less brilliant— in fact, it could not come off At all owing to torrents of rain, which wet our vestments and forced us to hurry into the first house of the village. But this slight inconvenience was quickly counterbalanced by the seal with which the people listened to the Word of God and responded to the call of grace. Meanwhile our vestments were drying ; nor was it their first contact with the watery elements. From Noukou we retraced our course to Namuamua, and thence walked to the nearest village, called Laeelaee. None of you, Rev. Fathers, have yet entered these passes and deep narrow gorges in which the path is slippery and dangeroup. We may add that here and there you come upon splendid waterfalls and noisy oasoideß which make this region the most picturesque part of Fiji. It is verily The Switzerland of Oceania, barring the snow which never falls in this zone. But on that d; v it was continually raining, which made the paths worse than usua and caused us to miss many of the finest landscapes, We must no* forget to say tbat in an extremely deep and narrow gorge we sd* mired a still narrower stream, into which rushes one of the tribu* taries of the Wailevu. This stream so compresses the water that no fish can work up it ; and shortly tbe river flows out with extraordinary violence and again spreads into a broad expanse, on which the oanoes oan move at their ease. After stopping for a while to admire this marvel of nature and rest our tired limbs, we walked on to the village of Laselase, where the same cordial welcome a waited us, and where we preached and cateohised as usual. It was now the 20th of November ; we were nearing the village of Namosi, built on the top of the mountains, and the capital of the ancient religion of the country. Tbe rain wbb gone ; bright sunshine enlivened our journey and beautified our prospects ; nothing more had we to fear for our clothes and vestments. So we had to prepare for a most Bolemn entrance, for the Reko is particular in snob, matters ; he had made up his mind to receive us himself in the ancient Fijian fashion. This is his true oapital, his favorite plaoe, the witness of his many former exploits. For he was once a renowned warrior before the annexation ; and since the annexation he has been instrumental in putting down disturbances ; so bravely did he fight that the Queen of England presented him with a swotd of honor inscribed with the words ' Roko Matanitabua ' The township of Namosi has given its name to all tbe province, and, though not large, it has a suburb where the common people of the tribe reside, Namosi being the residence reserved for the ohiefs and their families. From the suburb we shall start in procession for Namoßi, to carry out our solemn entrance. In former days there were many solemn entrances into this township, but how cruel and sanguinary 1 When, at the close of a war with a neighboring chief, the warriors returned to their stronghold, they came loaded with human victims and were welcomed in triumph with the loud din of the native bells or ' lalis.' There are still visible marks of those horrible hecatombs, in the shape of long oval stones Bet in the ground over a field now cultivated. Each warrior had to plant as many stones as the men he had -eaten. A visit to this field is ample proof of the many and great cannibal feasts at Namosi, How different our Triumphal Entrance 1 it is wholly pacific. The orosc, symbol of peace and love, oper s the march. Then our necphytes come in long lines in a splendid avenue made of foliage and flowers. We cloFe the procession, accompanied by the two Fathers aod a number of choir boys. But the Bishop was not permitted to walk ; he was raised on an immenee litter carried by forty strong young men, and, amid the singing of hymns, for a distance of nearly a mile, we reached the church of Namosi, once a Wesleyan place of worship. The church was first blessed and then we all entered the spacious building, in which henceforth the Sacrifice of the Mass will be celebrated. Ibe next morning a provisional altar was erected and adorned with wreaths and flowers, and, after Solemn High Mass, here as elsewhere, Baptism was administered to a number of children. In the evening after the religious exercises and a grand repast in the native fashion, the Roko assembled all bis subordinate chiefs and the whole population of the place. Before this large gathering he thanked Almighty God for the important act which had ju&t been accomplished, the conversion of all his tribe, stating The Principal Motive which Led to it. After reminding his audience that he had several times prevented the Catholic missionaries from entering his province, he added : ' I bo behaved through ignorance, believing the Catholic religion to be bad, for much evil had been told me about it ; besides, I thought that the Wesleyan sect was good and I required all of you to follow it. But since then I have travelled ; I have seen Suva and its fine cathedral, I have seen Levuka and its splendid belfry ; then we have bear of the grand Catholic schools of Cawaci and Rega and many other monuments raided by the Catholic religion in Fiji. We have also witnessed the goodness and devoted ness of the Oatholio priests, and of the nuns who teach the schools and tend the sick, and we have concluded that Catholicism is the religion of charity and the love of souls. The Wesleyans, on tho contrary, have done nothing for the welfare of the Fijians ; nothing, not one fine church, not one really efficient school. So that if that sect were to disappear from Fiji, after three quarters of a century, hardly a trace of it would remain. And yet the Wesleyan ministers have collected much amongst them : they have taken our money. What have they done with it ? vTVe don't know. But what we see perfectly well with

pur own eyes, is that they have not used it for our welfare. Had they not also the support of the chiefs and the arms and hands of all the people ? With that they might have done wonders. Whereas the Catholic Bishop and priests have had only a limited number of faithful • instead of having the assistance of the chiefs they have persecuted them as I have been myself. And despite this weakness of natural means they have wrought marvels. They have, therefore, had in them the strength from on high, because they had in their hearts the love of souls. Is not that the mark of the true religion ? I have seen that myself, so have you, and our conclusion has been that we ought to emlbrace this religion of truth and charity. Hence we are all converted, and hence the Bishop, the envoy of the Pope and of Jesus Christ, has come to sco us on the tops of our mountains, whither the Wesleyan ministers never came. We are, therefore. Catholics, and I desire you all to be so, because a father loves to be followed by his children. Yet if any on© of you is unwilling to give up his error, let him say so, for I want to force no one. Religion must be embraced freely.' The chief ceased to speak, but the crowd spoke out ; all declared their determination to be Catholics like their head and father. And when the agitation subsided, the cross was handed over to the chief, the cross we had brought in procession. He said that he would erect it on the rocks of Namosi, and that there it should be to the end of the world ; and so faith would hold good in their hearts. Such, reverend Fathers and Co-operators, is the summary of the fine speech delivered by Roko Matanitabua. We must say that we never heard a native chief speak so ably, so truly, and with so much authority. We asked him to accompany us to the end of our visitation, and he readily agreed to do so. In all the villages we came to he spoke in behalf of our holy religion, which helped us much to convert 1 some villages of the district of Soloira. But it would be too long to ask your assistance at the various receptions, which were all much alike. We will conclude by saying that The Catholic Religion is Solidly planted in Namosi, and that it is there rapidly striking deep roots. Several villages of Soloira are also seriously converted, and that district asks for a missioner, just as Namosi did. Could we help promising to give it ? Else the children would have asked for bread and got none. So we have the new stations promised. But where are the missioners ? From France alas ! we are promised only one this year, and he is already marked out for an ancient station which requires one. And you are awaro that the future in France as regards vocations is becoming dark indeed. We shall, therefore, be obliged to appeal to your devotedness and lay additional work on your shoulders. We also want new establishments with a sufficient extent of land to support our schools. We want two presbyteries, two schools, two churches which must be provided with vestments and sacred vessels. And to obtain all that, and meet these large expenses, it is indispensable for us to make an appeal to the generosity of apostolic souls. Help us to make that appeal to persons whose zeal for God's work you know. And while we are expecting the sacred vessels and vestments for the two churches, we shall bo very thankful if you could part with something in their favor. We are aware that your churches have barely what is necessary ; but perhaps for a time you might spare a vestment or some candlesticks, a ciborium or & chalice. And when from France certain generous souls have responded to our appeal we will restore what you have put at our disposal, and we will add even something better if we are enabled to do so. Finally, we still earnestly ask you for the help of your prayers, so that The Grace of God may Confirm these Conversions and increase their number. Letters reach us from various directions stating that several other provinces are invaded by the same religious movement which has attracted Namosi. It is the moment for much prayer, so as to hasten Providence. And here do we not see that the hour of Providence is far from being always ours ? For a long time we have planted and watered. Sometimes, perhaps, we have let our heart open to discouragement at the sight of the scanty result of our toils and labors. And lo ! suddenly the unexpected conversions have come about. Let us bless the Lord a thousandfold for sending them, and let us take fresh courage to undertake new labors for the conversion of our dear Fijians. God will know how to reward us in due time. And all things seem to indicate that that time is near. We htave been told that Namosi has been first converted because it is towards that tribe that the statue of the Sacred Heart extends its arms from the top of th« Suva Cathedral. That is perhaps true, but what is equally true is that the Sacred Heart of Our Saviour is open to all the other provinces, and that He calls them all to Himself. Let us entreat Him, with all the fervor within our power, to shed upon all the Archipelago abundant graces which enlighten and convert, so that this desire of the Heart of Jesus and of all missionary hearts be realised : ' fiat unum ovile et unus pastor.' Given at Loreto on this 11th day of "December, in the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, 1902, >£■ JULTAN VIDAL, S.M. Bishop of Abydos, Vicar-Apostolic of the Fiji Islands and Administrator Apostolic of the South Solomon Islands.