Lanterns of Faith in the Coconut Wind: An Orthodox Fijian Pilgrimage
In a quiet Fijian dawn, before the sun lifts its golden veil across the lush hills of Vanua Levu, a small lamp flickers beside an icon of Christ in a village home. The scent of coconut smoke curls through the air, mingling with the chant of morning prayers spoken in gentle voices. Here, far from the marble temples and city cathedrals, the Orthodox Church breathes with the rhythm of the Pacific. It is within this sacred rhythm that a small group of faithful from Adelaide found themselves during the past week. They walked along village paths, prayed in humble chapels, blessed homes, and broke bread beneath open skies.
With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Myron of New Zealand, the canonical shepherd of the Orthodox Mission in the South Pacific, a small group of faithful from Adelaide, South Australia participated in a grace-filled journey to Fiji this past week. It was an encounter that strengthened the faithful, encouraged catechumens, offered pastoral support, and continued the visible work of love and unity within the Body of Christ.
The blessings and encouragement of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia were also conveyed to our siblings in Christ in Fiji. His Eminence has shown steadfast assistance and support for the Mission in the South Pacific, which continues to inspire both clergy and laity. For many years, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia has offered consistent support to the missionary efforts of the Holy Metropolis of New Zealand. This has taken many forms, including the provision of clergy, financial assistance, material aid, and educational opportunities for the faithful.
Among those present on this trip were Amphilochios, Iliana, Anastasia, Polytimi, Carlos and Claudia, who served with joy and dedication in outreach and fellowship. Amphilochios, a young Fijian-born Orthodox Christian, was raised from childhood at St Tabitha’s Orthodox Orphanage in Saweni. His journey has come full circle. With the blessing and sponsorship of the Archdiocese of Australia, he is now halfway through his second year studying theology at St Andrew’s Theological College in Sydney, preparing himself for future service to the Church. His participation in this missionary journey was a living witness to the fruit of the Church’s care. His story is a reminder that mission is not only about going outward, but also about nurturing and raising up future workers for the vineyard, as the Lord Himself instructed when He said that the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. Therefore, we must pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest (Luke 10:2).
During the visit, the travellers from Australia were blessed to meet Fr Timothy Triantafyllou, a newly ordained priest of the Holy Metropolis of New Zealand from Melbourne, who now ministers to the faithful in Fiji together with his Presvytera Dimitra and their children, Alexios and George. Their presence in Saweni, Fiji, reflects the continuing pastoral assistance of the Archdiocese of Australia to the Mission of the Holy Metropolis of New Zealand in the South Pacific.
The supporters of the Mission from Adelaide, South Australia also carried with them over 120 kilograms of hygiene and first aid items donated by the faithful in Adelaide. A further 300 kilograms of food and essentials were purchased locally in Fiji with donated funds. More than 100 family and individual care packages were prepared and distributed, including food vouchers for essential household needs. These offerings were not acts of charity alone. They were acts of mercy and communion with Christ, for when we give food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then our light shall rise in the darkness, as the prophet Isaiah teaches (Isaiah 58:10).
With the help of Orthodox youth from the Holy Trinity Parish in Saweni, Fiji, the team of travellers from Australia visited homes, offering prayer, encouragement, and catechesis. Homes were blessed, and the group was received with great warmth and spiritual thirst. These encounters echoed the simplicity and power of apostolic ministry, in which the faithful continued daily with one accord in the temple and broke bread from house to house, eating their food with gladness and simplicity of heart (Acts 2:46).
A meaningful youth fellowship gathering was also held in Saweni. Orthodox youth from the parish shared openly about their spiritual and practical challenges. This encounter gave the visiting members, many of whom were in Fiji for the first time, a chance to listen and learn first-hand about the unique realities faced by their brothers and sisters. It was a sacred exchange rooted in empathy and mutual love, truly bearing one another’s burdens, and thus fulfilling the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). Through these conversations, deeper relationships were formed, and new paths of support and understanding began to emerge.
A particularly moving visit took place at Koroipita Village, a model community near Lautoka created to support families displaced by poverty. The village, whose name means “Peter’s Village,” stands as a witness to dignity and hope. In this setting, the visitors from Australia encountered both need and grace. In those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness, the Beatitudes were lived, and the promise of being filled was experienced (Matthew 5:6).
The trip also coincided with the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist. The Divine Liturgy was served in Holy Trinity Church, Saweni, surrounded by faithful from the local community. This liturgical celebration was an ecclesial fulfilment, a glimpse of what the Church looks like when tradition and mission are held together in prayer. The words of the Forerunner echoed through the experience of the mission, as he said of Christ: He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).
Later that evening, the visiting group travelled to St Tabitha’s Orphanage, where Carlos and Polytimi lovingly prepared and offered a meal for the children and parishioners. After the meal, the children sang traditional Fijian songs and offered dances of thanksgiving. These were not mere performances, but heartfelt expressions of love and reverence. In Fijian culture, gratitude is often expressed through movement and melody, and as the Psalmist proclaims, everything that breathes is called to praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6).
The journey then extended to Savusavu, on the island of Vanua Levu, where the Agiasmos (Blessing of the Water) service, blessing of homes and catechism was conducted and carried out. The gatherings were humble but filled with grace, manifesting the promise that where two or three are gathered in Christ’s name, He is there in their midst (Matthew 18:20).
The journey continued through villages along the route to Labasa, where more aid was delivered to families along the way. These villages included Savudrodro, Urata, Saivu, Nabavatu, Tabia, and Seaqaqa, where the travelling group encountered diverse needs and responded with compassion and practical assistance.
In Labasa, at the parish of Saints Athanasios and Nicholas, the group was warmly received by Fr Alexios Nand, along with Presbytera Sevastia and Presbytera Maria. Their hospitality reflected the deep familial spirit of the Orthodox Church. The services of Matins, the Sacrament of Holy Unction, and the Divine Liturgy were served in honour of St Samson the Innkeeper. These services, filled with prayer and spiritual healing, became a visible expression of the life of the Church in Vanua Levu.
Particular honour was due to Presbytera Maria, the wife of the late Fr Barnabas, who was the founding force of Orthodoxy in Vanua Levu. It was through his labours that the parish of Saints Athanasios and Nicholas was established. Presbytera Maria remains a steadfast presence: gentle, wise, and nurturing. She is like a comforting grandmother of the Mission, continuing the legacy of her late husband and ministering lovingly to the flock that was once entrusted to them both. Her enduring presence affirms that the Church is not simply built of wood and stone, but of living faith passed on in love. As Scripture says, she opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness (Proverbs 31:26).
Fr Alexios’s service in Labasa is a testament to the selfless devotion of a true shepherd. Every Sunday, he travels for more than three hours, often through treacherous road and weather conditions, to gather parishioners from remote and isolated areas and bring them to church. He prepares and serves the Divine Liturgy, ensures they are fed, tends to their spiritual and material needs, and then drives hours more to return them to their homes. In addition, he manages food vouchers, supports children in their schooling through tutoring and resources, and even takes responsibility for the costs of funerals for families in need. He actively ministers to women in domestic violence situations, collaborates with women’s shelters, and navigates the challenges of child welfare in the absence of an orphanage in Labasa. He also ensures that displaced children are placed with trusted families or guardians and continues to follow up on their welfare with pastoral sensitivity. With limited resources, he continues this work tirelessly, embodying the love of Christ in all he does, truly letting his light shine before others so that they may see his good works and glorify the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
The missionary work carried out on this trip bore a striking resemblance to the virtues of St Samson the Innkeeper, a physician and ascetic who dedicated his life to serving the poor, the sick, and the stranger. In the distribution of aid, the blessing of homes, the offering of consolation, and the healing prayers of the Church, the life of St Samson was made present again. Just as he opened his home and hospice as a place of refuge and mercy, so too were the hearts and homes of the Orthodox faithful in Fiji opened to one another, remembering the teaching that we should not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so, some have unwittingly entertained angels (Hebrews 13:2).
After Matins, Holy Unction and Divine Liturgy, a farewell meal was held in the humble common area of Saints Athanasios and Nicholas, where tears and smiles were shared freely. Although the visit was brief, the spiritual bonds formed during the journey remain enduring. The Church in Fiji continues to grow, not as a temporary endeavour, but as a lasting presence of Orthodoxy in the South Pacific, both in Vanua Levu and in Viti Levu.
The experience had by the travelling group was a glimpse into the continuation of the Gospel’s spread to the ends of the earth, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. The Church, in prayer and in service, breathes with the Holy Spirit, bringing life wherever Christ is proclaimed, for how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (Romans 10:15). The Mission in Fiji is a living example of this good news taking root in the hearts of the people.
The Orthodox Mission in Fiji reminds all the faithful that the Church is truly universal, not bound by language, culture, or land. In the rhythm of village life, in the laughter of children at the orphanage, in the silent tears of widows whose homes are now sanctified by prayer, Christ is present. Beneath the sway of palm trees and the hush of the coconut breeze, in the rustle of the cassava leaves and the chant of evening prayers, the Church breathes. Every shared meal beneath open skies, every act of compassion offered from calloused hands, every child who now speaks the name of Christ with innocence and wonder are the treasures of the Kingdom. The Orthodox Church in the South Pacific is doing what it was always meant to do: to reveal the love of the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit, calling all into communion with the Holy Trinity through worship, sacrament, and service.
Our prayer is that the Lord, who has planted this vineyard in the fertile soil of Fiji and the South Pacific, will continue to bless it with growth. Let every whispered prayer rise like incense under starlit skies. Let every step taken on muddy tracks to visit a distant family, and every tear wiped in the name of Christ, be remembered in heaven. Let the light of Orthodoxy shine not only from chandeliers above holy altars, but also from oil lamps flickering in humble Fijian and South Pacific homes. May the fire of faith be kindled in every heart, and may the waters of the Pacific carry the Gospel like living waters streaming from the throne of the All-Holy Trinity, bringing the good news of salvation to the ends of the earth.
