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The harvest is great but the labourers are few

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The harvest is great but the labourers are few

Columban Fr. William Lee writes from Kiribati

 

Fr. William with the communicants in Kuria - Photo: Fr Willie Lee 

I have been in Kiribati since in March 2020, just before the Covid 19 Lockdown.  I went to Kiribati to do Columban vocation promotion in the schools. 

Usually during Christmas, priests are asked to go to the outer islands to celebrate Mass. It was Christmas Eve of 2020, I left Tarawa for the Island of Kuria.  The only means of transportation to the island of Kuria is by plane. They don’t have a priest on the island. I was looking forward to my two weeks on the island. The people were also looking forward to my visit. 

The catechists assigned to the island of Kuria and other islands in Kiribati do a great work in keeping the Catholic Faith alive in their communities and parish. It was a blessing for me to see how the people of Kuria have kept their faith and are living it out in the absence of priests. 

Fr Willie Lee visiting the sick in Kuria - Photo: Fr Willie Lee 

Kuria has more than 12,000 in population. There are six communities. We celebrated the Feast of the Nativity where all the communities came together. We celebrated the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Baptism on the Sundays of the Epiphany of Jesus and the Baptism of our Lord. The people had the opportunity to renew their baptismal promises to their priestly, prophetic and kingly vocation. 

I used the example of St. John the Baptist’s message for the people at the St. Anthony’s Parish, Kuria that is to prepare the way for Jesus in our families and communities and to know Christ better with a deeper faith and commitment. We usually gather at the Maneaba after the Masses. Maneba is centre or heart of any Kiribati community. It is a sacred place where the people find comfort and a have sense of belonging. 

During my time in Kuria, I have come to know the people better, learn more about the Kiribati culture through daily interactions. I have a Mass book in Kiribati, this has also enabled me to improve my pronunciations with the help of the catechists and other parishioners. I have improved my language skills by celebrating the Mass in Kiribati. Some people who had left the Catholic faith are now returning to church. The people really appreciate hearing a foreigner speaking their language.  I still continue God’s mission here in Kuria e.g. celebrating community Masses and visitation to the sick and elderly. One of the things I learnt during this Covid lockdown is that, I had to go back to the to the basics of a simple lifestyle. 

Fr Willie Lee with the parishioners of Kuria - Photo: Fr Willie Lee 

This is something not new for me. Fetching water from a well in Kuria is something similar to fetching water from the river in the farm back in Fiji. I have learnt a lot from these experiences in Kuria. It will be useful for my future Ministry as a Columban Vocation Director in Kiribati and among the Banaban community back in Fiji or working with Banaban Tertiary students. 

My two weeks on the island have now became two months. I was told that the plane has broken down. 

All I can do is to wait patiently. I just have to be thankful to God, for he had other plans for me. I am happy where God has left me and I am so grateful to the people of Kuria for looking after me well. 

The harvest is great but the labourers are few.