THE contribution of senior citizens who journeyed with the Catholic faith from the 1960s was celebrated yesterday at a special mass.
Residents of the Golden Age Home in Labasa joined the festivities at the Holy Family Primary School in Labasa.
The celebration was part of the 55-year emerald anniversary of the Catholic Church in Labasa.
Parish chairman Filise Vuki said the senior citizens included four founding members who were born and brought up in Labasa.
“They need to be recognised and we need to appreciate their efforts in working with our priests and parish leaders of those days to build the Holy Family parish,” he said.
“That is why we included them in the program and invited the residents of the Golden Age Home as they need to be thanked.”
A founding member, Joseph Lee, said he had sweet memories of the past, especially remebering how priests worked with communities to build the church.
“I was in my 30s and we worked together as one big family and supported our priests with whatever they needed,” said the 82-year-old.
“The Columban priests who started the parish had a different level of commitment and they travelled as far as Dogotuki to visit the members of the church.”
Solomone Seruiratu, 84, said he used to travel from Seaqaqa to attend mass in Labasa.
“This event has become an emotional one for me.” Catholic head Archbishop Peter Loy Chong will close the week-long celebration this weekend.
“Then the priests decided to split up the parish and they started Vudibasoga because Nabala was always there as a parish,” he said.
