MM 50 Years Ago

From Bishop John Rodgers SM, Bishop of Tonga

Just recently I had occasion to seek an audience with the King of Tonga who, I think, is the only reigning sovereign in the Pacific area. He is very much a king and can trace his unbroken lineage back before the Norman Conquest of England.

If one wishes to see him, one must contact his ADC, who at the moment is Sosefo Kalaniuvalu-Fotofili, a Catholic and an Old Boy of Silverstream. He is one of the highest chiefs in Tonga, tracing his descent from another royal line.

Promptly on time I was at the palace door. The palace is a fine old wooden building, nearly 100 years old and built after the pattern of an old English country house. The king received me very graciously.

Marist Maori Mission League

During August it was announced that the Mission schools at Jerusalem and Ranana, where the Sisters of Compassion are the teachers, would be closing at the end of the year. ... There is sadness in this, but one great solace is that the Sisters are not leaving the (Whanganui) river. Jerusalem will become a centre for catechetical and social work.   

October 1969