Island Achiever
Fr Qalovi's Calling Takes Him to Rome
A first for a Pacific Islander
At age 18, Father Rafael Qalovi knew he's calling was to be in the priesthood. Now he's gone from serving a community, a region, to the worldwide Catholic network of the Society of Mary, under the Marist Order. He's the first from the Pacific or Oceania provincial chapter, as they¹re referred to (excludes Australia and New Zealand), under the Marist Order, to be elected to the general chapter based in Rome.
Under the principal chapter, Qalovi undertakes the demanding post of a general assistant, managing the administration of the principal chapter for a four-year term.
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The post becomes effective December. He joins three other newly elected assistants from New Zealand, France and the United States. They will be allocated countries for visitation, implementing policies appropriate to the 21st century, and dialoguing with fellow Marist brothers and fathers worldwide.
The only apprehension he feels is tackling the language barrier. He needs to have some degree of fluency in French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. But he has four years or more in Europe and constant immersion in appropriate environment will reduce the language anxiety.
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The Society of Mary is one of many Catholic divisions. The Sacred Heart Order, Jesuits and Franciscans, for instance, all come under the Catholic banner, but managed differently. Why a Pacific representative? "The Society of Mary is realising that in the next 10 years there will be more Pacific Marists who will join the religious order compared to other provinces in the Society of Mary," explains Qalovi.
"The belief is that there will be more religious vocations available in the Oceania region. We still have a strong sense of religiosity. "We can¹t say societies outside Oceania aren't religious, they are. But I guess a society¹s affluence affects a person's vocational choice."
Prior to Rome, Qalovi was Vicar Provincial for the Society of Mary. Male members of the society work in eight countries - Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Wallis & Futuna, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. As Vicar Provincial he managed the general administration of the Marist priests and brothers in the Pacific region. He worked as part of a team performing administration work and visitations.
Qalovi had only served two years of his three-year term as Vicar Provincial, assuming responsibility for peers in Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. A former geography teacher and principal, he was ordained in 1983. He completed a post-graduate degree in Australia in educational leadership, thinking he would continue in the education field. But he was chosen to be Vicar Provincial for the Pacific region. Now he¹s taking the Pacific to the world.
