Early this year, I had the best holiday of my life when the Sisters in New Zealand invited me to join them for two celebrations, one in Auckland and the second in Samoa. The occasion was the forty years of Mercy ministry to schools and clinic in that small country. For me the whole experience was like a retreat because I had time to revisit the places where I had been for fifty years. I spent most of the time at St. Mary’s where the first celebration took place. One month later we celebrated in Samoa.
It is difficult to find Samoa on a map of the world because it is small. However to the people who live there it could have been “the Garden of Eden”. Things grow easily and no one needs to be hungry but ready cash is scarce. It was governed by New Zealand for some years so Samoans speak English and Samoan.
Srs. Edwina Ulberg, Judith Leydon and Nora O’Neill cut the cake
One hundred and fifty-four years ago the French Marist priests arrived in the very important village of Leulumoega. There they established the Catholic Church and built up the parishes with the help of the catechists. To mark the Jubilee of the Church its status was changed to that of a Minor Basilica and the buildings were upgraded. Now it is beautiful with new stained glass windows some done by local artists.
In 1970 the Holy Father, Pope Paul VI, visited Samoa and said Mass in front of the old church. Crowds of people from all parts of the country attended and during the Mass the Pope sent out a message to the whole world. To the Religious he said:-
“To you, religious, whose life is totally directed to imitation of the Lord, join the valiant generations of missionaries, who for centuries have become, each in his turn, messengers of faith, peace and progress, by proclaiming Christ, their model, their teacher, their Liberator, their Saviour.”
The Auckland Sisters of Mercy answered the challenge and went to Samoa in 1972.
The first four Sisters of Mercy in Samoa 21st January 1972
When Pope Paul asked about the needs of the village, Bishop Pio told him that a school for teenage girls was badly needed. Money was given by the Pope and then a search for Sisters was begun. Some time later Bishop Pio was a patient at the Mater Hospital in Auckland. There he was nursed by Sr. Mary Claver and they became friends. He told her about the church in Samoa. Sr. Claver was appointed to be the Sister in charge and was asked to set up a small clinic. That was a great blessing to the school children and to the elderly of the surrounding villages. The other members of the foundation group were Srs. Judith, Edwina and Nora. Plans were borrowed from the Sisters in the town and a builder was hired. The plan was to be ready for the school year in February.
In 1971 the Parish Priest of Leulumoega was Fr. Tom Williams and he spent many long hours working with the local people making concrete blocks and clearing the land. By the time the Sisters arrived there were two classrooms ready and the first two classes enrolled by Fr. Tom. Later he became a Bishop and then a Cardinal. We jokingly say that we trained him for those positions. He has been a loyal friend to us ever since and we owe him a great deal of gratitude. That is a brief background to the school which was called Paul VI College in memory of the visit of the Pope.
My arrival in Auckland in January was like arriving home. The mini bus drove through the suburbs that I had not seen for years. I was delighted to see so much greenery. Then I realised that I had come from winter in the northern hemisphere to late summer in the south. Auckland is a very beautiful city. The harbour on that sunny day was sparkling. The name Waitemata means Sparkling Water so it was well named by the Maori people. Dun Laoghaire harbour is almost as beautiful but there is no extinct volcano here.
I was very excited at the prospect of meeting all the Sisters again. We had many topics to discuss. Why does meeting old familiar people make one feel like crying? Happiness and sadness must be very close in our hearts. Nine of the Sisters had died during the year and that fact made those who were still there so precious. My welcome was touching. They all knew me well and I knew them. Staying there with them was a real tonic for me. During the weeks that followed I appreciated the chats that I had with many Sisters. We visited the places where we used to go on holidays and I enjoyed the sunshine. New Zealand and the people there are very close to my heart.
Sr. Edwina under the fine mat
The Samoan Sisters were busy preparing for the Mass of Thanksgiving and the meal for the two hundred people who were due to attend. In the Liturgy the Samoan way of doing things was to the fore. After the Second Vatican Council the Samoans introduced some of their own customs to the liturgy. One of these that I find very moving happens during the Penitential Rite. A person, in our case Edwina, kneels at the altar and is covered with a special fine mat. She represents all of us – sinners. The choir sings a suitable hymn and the priest prays over her and says the words of forgiveness. The mat is removed and she returns to her place. It makes one think of the effect of sin and the grace of forgiveness.
The other touching part of the Mass is the reverent way that the Bible is carried to the lectern. A group assembles at the end of the church and the congregation turns to watch the procession. Some carry candles, others bring flowers, and the last person carries the Bible held above her head. All is done slowly and reverently. When the Book is in place an ula of flowers is placed all around it. During the procession again the choir sings a hymn reminding us to listen to the word of God.
The Mass, concelebrated by the Bishops was a memorable liturgy. Most of the Sisters who worked in Samoa did the readings or said the prayers. These were prayed in English, Irish, Maori, Tongan and Samoan. All the nationalities are connected to Mercy. One could keep thanking God for the unity that exists among us. During the sermon Cardinal Tom reminded us of the motto of the school. It is “Launch out into the deep” and from the reading of Isaiah: “Be not afraid. Both of these were significant during the years of the school’s existence. Life was hard at times but the Lord was there. Our worst trials were the cyclones. We were very frightened and needed the words, “Be not afraid”.
As is the custom with Samoans, there was entertainment provided by Samoan Sisters themselves. Each one wore a puletasi made from the same material but in a pattern chosen by the individual. We are one as Mercy sisters but we are also individual members serving the Lord in different ways. The time I spent at the Motherhouse went quickly and I enjoyed hearing about various works being done by I had to travel on.
We arrived in Samoa during the night so I did not see the village until the next day. The first thing I wanted to do was to visit the grave where Sr. Immaculata is buried. She died rather suddenly and according to Samoan custom she is buried near the Convent. I felt sad that she had been taken from us and could almost hear her lovely laugh. She was the first past pupil to reach Final Profession so we admired her. I met a former pupil weeding the garden so we chatted. I had forgotten that Samoans asked so many questions but that was why I liked the girls.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. (Michael Vance).
I had my breath taken away next morning when I left the house to go to 5.30 am Mass. It was very dark but overhead the stars were absolutely beautiful. I just had to stop and stare at them. Because there are no bright lights in the village, the stars are extra bright. Samoa has improved greatly over the years. We visited the town and saw all the new building in many types of architecture. I wonder if they had a Celtic Tiger too!
The children from the two schools prepared well for their special liturgy and on the day they sang beautifully. Before the Mass began it was wonderful to see a young boy stand in front of the congregation and blow into a shell to call us all to attention. For the psalm a teenage boy sang unaccompanied. All the men on the altar were Samoan and that was very good to see. The Samoans are now running everything their way. The hymns chosen were a mixture of English and Samoan and sung sweetly by the pupils from the three Mercy schools. The lunch and entertainment which followed made us proud of our connection with the school. We hope the happy spirit will last for many years.
A young Samoan woman in traditional dress leads the procession of gifts
To our own Samoan Sisters a big Malo lava for the way you all worked together to give us such wonderful celebrations. Manuia o le Atua to all of you. Fa’a fetai tele lava, Alofa tele.
Nora O’Neill rsm
South Central Province
