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FIJI
FROM THE HEART
    John Aqulala comes from Tailevu and is a member of a strong Catholic
    Fijian family.  He is a teacher by profession and has taught for a number of
    years at the Institute of Technology but is now retired.  John is very involved
    in his parish of Nadera and is a great support to the Parish Priest and the
    Parish community.  He is also very active member of the National Board for
    Christian Meditation which meets regularly at the Nazareth Prayer Centre
    Wailekutu.  In July 2003, John was one of the main organizers with Mika
    Gukibau and Tiko Matagi of the first Christian Meditation Retreat  day in the
    Fijian language that was held at the Nazareth Prayer Centre.  John explains
    how he first learned of Christian Meditation:  

    “We decided to form a Prayer Group in our area with a sick neighbour.  We
    held our first meeting at the end of February, 2001 and met regularly
    afterwards on Wednesday at 10 am.  The format of our meeting followed
    closely on the Sunday Liturgy of the Word beginning with an opening hymn
    and ending with shared prayer and the Novena to the Divine Mercy.  

    One Wednesday morning, Sr Torika Wong, a Marist Sister now serving in
    the Philippines, came to visit her sick brother and decided to join our prayer
    group.  She thanked the group for the support given to her sick brother and
    gave us some words of encouragement.  She told us that there is another
    type of prayer known as Christian Meditation and if  we would like to know
    more about that to contact Fr Denis Mahony at the Nazareth Prayer Centre.

    It was a precious moment and no time was wasted.  Fr Mahony invited the
    group to the Prayer Centre on the following Tuesday.  We spent two and a
    half hours listening to the dedicated Fr Mahony.  By the second half of 2001
    we were meeting regularly every week and each one striving to be faithful
    to the recitation of the mantra and the twenty-five minutes of meditation
    every morning and every evening.  We now have a flourishing meditation
    group in our Nadera Parish.”

    John Aquala
    Fiji
    December 2005