11/05/2016 - Fiji

The Marist Sisters in Fiji have been helping their people in many ways following Cyclone Winston which devastated many villages across the island nation. Indeed the Catholic Church under the leadership of Archbishop Peter Loy Chong has been active from the start.

More recently Mariana Tevurega, director of the Commission for Justice and Development, went with a small team to the island of Koro. They stayed for a week and worked under difficult conditions, supporting the traumatised families and organising relief aid.

Of one village Mariana wrote:  Trauma counselling is a priority and they need it badly to bring them back to new life.  It was vivid to see the power of God working as they begin conversing, laughing and sharing jokes again after the cyclone.  We saw there was life and they were appreciative of the Team’s work. 

About another village, Mariana explained that the site for their workshops was  a damaged home belonging to an ex Catechist who is now living in a tent.  Despite of the poor conditions we accepted the situation and carried on with our training.  The Mass was celebrated ... and it was a source of strength for us as a Team helping us rise above our own frailties ... we noticed good response from the participants as they shared their stories even though they were emotional about them.  

The photos give some idea of the situation.

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