The Unique and unorthodox men’s group of Mount Saint Mary Parish-Nadi

By: Tukini Cama

Edited by: AOS Communications Department

Saint Peter and Paul men’s Society (PNP) of Mount Saint Mary’s Parish in Nadi was co-founded in 1997 by then two residing priests Reverand Father Emiliano Lasaqa and the late Reverend  Father Ipolito Bakaua Teburea.

The men’s club was founded to help the parish in uplifting and teaching liturgical music for the church. Back then, there were only a handful of musicians who played for all 3 masses, seeing that the response from men in the parish was quite weak towards Hymn practices, area, and sector meetings, and parish get-together, one of the priests challenged the men of the parish during his one of his homilies to a meeting the next day and founded the Society.

Current members of PNP

Saints’ Peter and Paul was formed bringing men of the parish from all walks of life, pilots, future and current priests, musicians, and male youths. The group at that time was known as Saints Peter and Paul’s men’s association before being changed to Saints Peter and Paul’s men’s society by Fr. Dominiko Daurewa.

The club was unique in comparison to other men’s groups in the church as they had their own unique own set of rules and regulations, having a sort of a “knights of the round table concept”.

Rule no.1 was Respect for each other must always be paramount..and the emphasis that during a St. Peter & Paul gathering, your chiefly, priestly, work or wealth was hung at the door before entering the premises. Everyone was equal during these meetings, new members and visitors would often be offended by seeing either priest mixing the grog or spilling the kosa. The Patron for the Society until he passed was His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Petero Mataca who often came down for Feast Day celebrations and wore his blue Saint Per and Pauls Men Society shirt with pride.

PNP sharping their music skills

In the group members were taught to play music, sing, conduct meetings, traditional veiqaraqaravi vanua, and often back then helped other schools within Fiji and the Pacific. Today most of the group members are now leaders in their different communities, most of them are also serving in the traditional arm of the Mount Saint Mary parish.

PNP at Father Ipolito’s resurrection mass

The Main Aim of Saints Peter and Paul was to stand by their PRIESTS and to realize how vulnerable they are and help them up in any way they can, and acknowledging that there are just as human as they are.

The story of the Saints Peter and Paul Society is a challenge to us men in our various parishes to help our priests and parishioners; for as leaders and role models in Society, we called to lead the way to Christ.