Ponsonby Samoan Community 2000

President: Lofipo and Sita Peilua.
Vice President. Patea and Silia Niupopo.
Secretary Tunai and Mele Siamoa
Treasurer: Fai'ifa'i and Kalolina Collins.
Choir Master: Tuataga and Fatima.
Choir Leader: Mailo and Tuala Tuala.
Women Leader: Afamasaga T.McDonald.
Men�s Leader: Lemalu and Fa'afetai Lemalu.
Teo and Sua Niumata.
Aigamau and Melesete Roach.
Fataloto and Fou Savelio
Faumui and Toomata Ioane
Ailupotea and Susi Afele
Tunai and Sai Sala
Manase and Lagi Toluono
Aimiti and Kilisi Pau
Leilua and Malia Vitale.

 Wider Auckland Samoan Catholic Community

1950 - Catholic Samoan Community in Auckland was formed.
1957 - The first chaplain for the community arrived in Auckland from Samoa. Father Lui Schwer.  
1960 - Because of the growing size of the Samoan community it was divided into two groups. Ponsonby Samoan Community and the Grey Lynn Samoan Community.

Ponsonby Samoan Community

1963 - The community adopted St Therese as their patron saint and continue to celebrate her feast day every year on October 4.  There is a mass and then a community gathering and meal; sometimes at someone's home, sometimes at a beach. There was a statute of St Therese in the old church in O'Neill Street. Its whereabouts now is unknown. There is now a glass mirror celebrating St Therese at the rear of Sacred Heart Church in Vermont Street.

SAINT THERESE , THE LITTLE FLOWER
(click photo to read more)

1965 - The community started The Legion of Mary which continues today though not as large and active as it once was. This group was very important to the community. They visited Samoan people new to Ponsonby, particularly those who did not attend church. They visited hospitals, jails, and sick people in their own homes. It was a centre of the community's activities.
1975 - A Samoan youth club was formed and continues today.
1997 - The community celebrates the 30th anniversary of their celebration of the Feast of St Therese.
2001 - There are 17 families associated with the Ponsonby Samoan Catholic Community.  Of those 17 families only four still live within the parish. The remainder live as far afield as Avondale and Papatoetoe, but because of the fellowship within it, they remain as members of the Ponsonby Catholic Samoan Community.  Many have been involved for 10 and 20 years. Leilua and Malia Vitale are both founding members and the longest serving members of the community.  They still live in Ponsonby.  The community remains active with a women's fellowship and a men's group on a monthly basis.  In the early days of the community it tasked itself with looking after Samoan priests serving in the area.  This meant cooking and washing and the like.  They still care for their priests though many Samoan priests are now serving in Jamaica.

Ponsonby, Catholic Community Choir

The choir is very important to the community. They sing at Sacred Heart Church every third Sunday, and at St. Joseph's every second Sunday at the Samoan Mass.
 

It also performs at weddings for not only its own community but also at palagi and even a Chinese wedding.

WESTERN SAMOA

Western Samoa is an independent island nation in the southern Pacific Ocean, about 2900 km (or 1800 miles) northeast of New Zealand.  It occupies the large western portion of the 480 km (300 mile) long Samoan archipelago which is divided at longitude 171 degrees West; the Samoan Islands east of this line form the United States territory of American Samoa.  After World War II (1939-1945), Western Samoa was a United Nations trust territory administered by New Zealand.  It became independent in 1962. Apia is the country's capital, largest town, and commercial centre.

People of Western Samoa

The population of Western Samoa is 209,360 (1995 estimate), giving the country an overall population density of about 73 persons Per sq km (190 people per sq mile).  The population is unevenly distributed, however, and about two-thirds of the people live on Upolu, primarily in ocean-side villages of less than 500 people.  Apia, with a population of 34,126  in the 1991 census, is the only urban area.

More than 90 percent of the population are Samoans, a Polynesian people. Only about  7 percent  of the population consists of other Pacific Islanders, Europeans, and Chinese.  English and Samoan are the official languages, although Samoan is preferred.-English is normally only used in business and government.

More than 99 percent of Western Samoans are Christians, with about 60 percent of them belonging to Protestant denominations, primarily the Congregational Christian and Methodist churches- Roman Catholic make up the next largest Christian group.