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January 2015
Volume 1, Issue 1

Inside this issue

St. Joseph Parish

Newsletter

A Fresh Start ......................... 1

Prayer .................................. 2
Holy Hour ............................. 2
ECL....................................... 2
Family Day ............................ 2

60th Anniversary .................. 3

Christmas Party .................... 3
Sessions with Fr. Finau .......... 4

A Fresh Start!

Thank You, Fr. Francis ........... 4

Happy New Year, everyone! Fakaalofa lahi atu and welcome to our first-ever
newsletter a fresh newsletter for a brand new year!

December Highlights............. 5

We are taking our preparations for the 60th Anniversary of the arrival of the
Catholic faith in Niue very seriously and this is one of the many things we would
like to put in place. We want to be able to highlight important events leading
up to the anniversary, and to recognise individuals who, in a very special way,
have generously helped us in one way or another.

An Appeal ............................ 7

This is also our way of keeping in touch especially to those of us who are not
connected virtually and are unable to follow us on Facebook or on our WordPress website.

30/01

BINGO Fundraiser

25/08

60th Anniversary

Central to our preparations is the renewal of families and individuals life -- spiritually and in all aspects of life. Let us all work on this one parish, one family.
Fenonga he monuina, one and all!

Welcome, Sister Mouga ....... 4

In Memoriam ........................ 6

Important Dates

Prayer in Preparation for

the 60th Anniversary
To you Blessed St. Joseph,
our protector and patron,
we have recourse in our afflictions. We now, with hearts
filled with confidence,
earnestly beg you to take us
under your protection
as we prepare for the 60th
anniversary of the arrival of
the Catholic faith in our country.

By the love that united you to

the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and that fatherly
love by which you cherished
the child Jesus from the
depth of your heart,
we beseech you and humbly
pray, that you graciously look
down on us, the inheritance
that Jesus Christ purchased
by his most precious blood,
sustain us in our need by your
power and strength.
Defend, O most watchful
guardian of the Holy Family,
the chosen offspring of Jesus
Christ. Keep us all free of
error and corruption.
Aid us from on high as we
battle against the forces of
evil and from all adversity.
Shield us ever under your
patronage, that, following
your example and strengthened by your help,
we may live a holy life,
die a happy death,
and attain everlasting life in
heaven.
Amen

Holy Hour
The Holy Hour is just one of the
spiritual activities that was started
last year to prepare us for the 60th
Anniversary. This is an hour of
mostly quiet prayer a Eucharistic
Adoration where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the altar in a
monstrance, a special vessel in
which the Eucharist can be viewed
and adored.

You are very much welcome to join us on Tuesday evenings. It begins at 5 oclock and
ends an hour later just in time for the Eucharistic Celebration (Mass) which starts at 6
in the evening.

ECL
ECL stands for Education for Christian Living. This is our own version of Sunday
School where some of our select catechists teach our young ones the values and
teachings of the Catholic Church.
This is closely monitored by our very own Sister Siena Muasika. With her is our very
energetic and generous volunteer teacher Mrs. Rosebud Akeimo. We are very
grateful to these truly wonderful people.

Family
Day
Mondays are
days for the family here at St.
Joseph Parish.
Every Monday,
everyone is encouraged to
spend quality
time with family
in a prayerful
way.
Some not so old photos of St. Joseph Family

The 60th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Catholic Faith in Niue

In August 1955, Bishop John H. Rodgers sent Rev. Fr. Joseph
Therriault (Patele Iosefa) with two Tongan part Niuean boys
to Niue Island aboard M.V. Tofua to plant the seed of Catholicism in Niue. Today, we reap the fruits of their labour.
In commemoration of Patele Iosefa and the countless people
who have made sacrifices and have chosen to help build our
Church in Niue, this year, we will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the arrival of the Catholic Faith here in Niue.
This will be held on the 25th of August 2015, exactly 60 years
after Patele Iosefa first set foot on Niue. There will be a Eucharistic Celebration on that day, and you are all cordially
invited.
If you want to know more about the history of Catholicism

here in Niue, please

visit our WordPress
website. You will
find a link at the last
page of this newsletter.
We are also renovating the chapel this
year, and we need
monetary and any
other help we can
get in fixing the said
chapel. Please feel
free to contact us.

Rev. Fr. Joseph Therriault

In Patele Iosefas account, he stated, It sounds life undertaking a trip to a remote

post 100 years too late.

Christmas Party
On Thursday, the 11th of December 2014, St. Joseph Parish
held the annual Christmas Party
for the Elderly and People with
Special Needs. This wellattended Christmas party was
held at Matavai Resort from 10
in the morning until 2 in the
afternoon.
It was a wonderful occasion
filled with laughter. They were
all serenaded with lovely songs
by local musicians. Thank you so
much to Chris and Ngatu for
organising the party.

Sessions with Fr. Finau

In light of the central focus of renewal and change, Fr. Anaua
Finau held two workshops last year one for the Special
Ministers of Communion, and the other for the married couples.
The first workshop focused on training the to be installed
candidates as Special Ministers of Communion. Fr. Finau
introduced them to the basic theology of the Eucharist whilst
also orienting them about the proper way to give communion during Eucharistic Celebrations and especially to the sick.
The second workshop zeroed in on the renewal towards a
more enriching marital relationship. This workshop tapped
on the experiences of the participants and oriented them
about the human adult formation skills. At the end of the

Thank You, Fr. Francis

We thank Fr. Francis Chandra Nayak for spending Christmas
and New Year with us while Fr. Finau was away. His kindness
and generosity has been an inspiration for many parishioners
of St. Joseph Parish.
Fr. Francis is based in Tonga. He is the Outreach Officer for
Caritas Tonga.

Welcome, Sister Mounga

We welcome Sister Mouga Taula of the Sisters of Our Lady
of Nazareth. She has just arrived on Saturday, 10 January
2015. Just like Sister Zita and Sister Siena, Sister Mouga is
going to be with us to help us out in the parish. We are delighted to have you Sister!

workshop, it was hoped

that the participants
found more encouragement and the strength
to work towards freeing
themselves from habits
that stop them from
freely expressing their
love for one another.

Fr. Finau celebrating Mass

December Highlights

Midnight Mass on 24 December 2014

Youth Christmas Party

Feast of the Holy Family

Advent 2014
Christmas Party for the Elderly

In Memoriam ...
Sister Malia Zita Ali
5 May 1939 -10 October 2014

An Appeal to Your Kind Hearts

Peace in Christ!
On the 25th of August this year, St. Joseph Parish Niue is going to celebrate the 60th
anniversary of the arrival of the Catholic Faith in Niue. It will be a grand celebration
which hopes to include everyone who has been and will always be part of this community of believers. Everyone, therefore, is invited to this remarkable homecoming.
The celebration has already started. Various spiritual activities have already been put in
place in preparation for the day of remembrance as central to our celebration is the renewal of families and individuals life spiritually and in all aspects of life. We have
ECL for kids on Sundays, family day on Mondays, and the Holy Hour on Tuesdays aside
from the regular masses all throughout the week. We also have held workshops and
seminars for married couples on family life and living.
One of the major things that we are hoping to achieve is the renovation of the St. Joseph
Chapel. It has been quite a time since we made a move to fix the chapel. The asbestos
roofing, especially, needs to be changed as it is posing danger to the health of our parishioners. Inhaling asbestos fibers can cause asbestosis or lung cancer. It is also particularly
important to work towards retaining this chapel as one of the historical monuments in
Niue.
It is in this light that we are writing to you. We need financial support in renovating our
chapel, and since it is the season of giving, we thought it timely to write to you now and
ask for the needed financial support. We are putting up a Facebook page, a website, a
quarterly newsletter, and a magazine should you need us to help you advertise
(especially for businesses). All sponsors will be thanked respectively in our above mentioned media.
If you want more information, please feel free to contact us. Your sponsorship and support would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support in advance.

Yours in Christ,
Catholic Mission
St Joseph the Worker Parish
Parish Priest: Father AnauaFinau
P O Box 26, Alofi North, NIUE ISLAND
(South Pacific)
Phone no: + (683) 4164
Mob.
+ (683) 5441
+ (683) 5717
Email:
anauafinau@niue.nu
anauafinau@yahoo.co.uk

Fr. Anaua Finau, SM

Parish Priest

and

Sefeti Fatiaki
Chairperson,
60th Anniversary Steering Committee

Please visit our Facebook Page and WordPress Website:

https://www.facebook.com/st.joseph.catholic.niue
https://catholicmissioninniue.wordpress.com/