Bishop Silva ordains Sacred Hearts priest, instructing him ‘to bring healing, peace and love in the name of Jesus’
Newly ordained Father Esitio Niuliki recites part of the Eucharistic Prayer for the first time during the Liturgy of the Eucharist at his ordination Mass on Nov. 23. Standing at his left is Bishop Larry Silva, who presided at the Mass and ordained him, and Sacred Hearts U.S. provincial superior Father Herman Gomes, at right. (HCH photo | Anna Weaver)
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
“What a wonderful gathering this is!” Bishop Larry Silva said, beginning his homily at the Mass for the ordination to priesthood of Deacon Esitio Niuliki of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
It takes several “villages” to raise a priest and all were represented at the ordination the morning of Nov. 23 at St. Ann Church in Kaneohe.
The bishop pointed them out: the Sacred Hearts Fathers, Brothers and Sisters who brought the faith to Hawaii and under whose care Deacon Niuliki had trained, the priests and deacons of the diocese who supported him, the “dear people of St. Ann Parish” whom he served as deacon and “who have played a special role” in his formation, and his “beautiful family” who served as “instruments of God, giving you life and nurturing that life in wisdom and love.”
“We thank God for this wonderful gathering of people from various walks of life who have come to witness this beautiful day,” Bishop Silva said.
The bishop then listed those who were not there: The homeless, those in prison, those suffering from depression, grief and persecution, those who never heard of Deacon Niuliki, “or worse, never heard of Jesus Christ” — all future sheep of the shepherd-to-be.
Bishop Silva lays his hands on the head of Brother Niuliki during the key moment of his ordination. (Photo courtesy Dann Ebina)
The bishop addressed his homily directly to Esitio “Tio” Niuliki. The rest of the congregation, listening in, gained a catechism lesson about the gift of the ministerial priesthood.
“Today Jesus calls upon you, Esitio, to be a sacrament of his living presence in the midst of his beloved,” the bishop said, “making him physically present in the Eucharist so that, through you, he can make love to his beloved bride.”
“You will bring the good news in your homilies … the living word that is Christ himself, so that his people will be consecrated with the truth,” he said.
“You will lay your hands upon the sick and anoint them with healing oil so that Jesus can continue his healing ministry,” Bishop Silva continued.
“You will sooth the sinful soul with the ointment of reconciliation as you become an instrument of the mystical and merciful Lord,” he said.
Bishop Silva gestures toward Deacon Esitio Niuliki during his homily at the Nov. 23 Mass. (HCH Photo | Anna Weaver)
“You will be given an exalted place,” serving in the person of Christ, “not because you deserve it,” but only “to the degree that you humble yourself before the Lord,” he said.
The bishop advised the future confessor to “avail yourself of frequent confession,” to exercise authority that is not self-serving, and to pray for vocations.
“If all who are not here are going to be touched by the Good Shepherd, alive and active, here and now, you must dedicate your life to calling all who gather around this altar to build a living body of Christ; in every town and village, in every school and place of work, in every home and community, to bring healing and peace and love in the name of Jesus,” Bishop Silva said.
Ordination rituals
The Mass was the context for a set of ordination rituals, the apex being the silent laying on of hands by the bishop, the essential act of ordination.
First, the candidate was formally presented to the bishop by a representative of the Sacred Hearts Congregation: “Holy Mother Church asks you to ordain Deacon Esitio Niuliki, SS.CC., our brother, to the responsibility of the priesthood.”
“Do you know him to be worthy?” the bishop asked.
A response in the affirmative was accepted by the bishop and acknowledged by the congregation with a “Thanks be to God” and long, loud applause.
Father Niuliki’s mother, Pelenatita, was asked to stand and be recognized by Father Gomes in his closing remarks at the Nov. 23 Mass. Her husband, Setelo, passed away in 2016. (HCH Photo | Anna Weaver)
The other rituals included instructions of the candidate by the bishop; five promises to be faithful to his vocation; and a lengthy litany of the saints while Niuliki lay prostrate before the altar.
Then came the laying on of hands on his head by Bishop Silva, by which, accompanied by the invisible outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Deacon Niuliki became Father Niuliki.
In turn, all 28 priests present laid their hands on the new priest.
Bishop Silva then recited the nearly four-minute-long prayer of ordination over the newly ordained. Father Niuliki then exchanged his diaconal vestments for the stole and chasuble of a priest. The bishop anointed his hands, presented him with his chalice and paten, and culminated the rites with the “kiss of peace,” a fraternal embrace.
Again, the priests all followed suit.
Father Niuliki joined Bishop Silva at the altar for the rest of Mass, reciting for the first time parts of the Eucharistic Prayer.
Bishop Silva and Father Niuliki embrace after his ordination rites. (Photo courtesy Dann Ebina)
At the end of Mass Father Niuliki gave his first priestly blessing to the bishop and his second to Father Herman Gomes, provincial superior of the Sacred Hearts Fathers and Brothers.
Esitio Niuliki, 38, was born in Alo, Futuna, one of the main islands of the small French territory Wallis and Futuna located between Samoa and Fiji. He is the second oldest of nine children of Setelo and Pelenatita Niuliki.
Wallis and Futuna is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, the fruit of the martyrdom of St. Peter Chanel, Polynesia’s first saint, on Futuna in 1841. It was the missionary spirit of St. Peter Chanel that attracted Father Niuliki to the religious life.
After spending a few years with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, he joined the similarly named Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 2014, professing his temporary vows in 2015 and final vows in 2019.
He was ordained a deacon on Feb. 9, 2019, by Bishop Edgar da Cunha of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, in St. Mary Church in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, where the Sacred Hearts East Coast province had been based until its merger with the Hawaii province in 2011.
The ordination Mass was attended by a contingent from Wallis and Futuna sitting in the front pews that included Father Niuliki’s mother, several siblings and other relatives.
A group from St. Mary also traveled from the East Coast to celebrate with their former deacon.
The bishop and others with special roles in the ceremony wore unique Wallis and Futuna leis, large, fluffy, multi-colored garlands made of a raffia-type material. The bishop miter, his pointed Episcopal hat, appeared to be made of tapa cloth and finely woven lauhala. The ordination took place on large lauhala and tapa mats.
Three choirs enhanced the liturgy, the St. Ann Choir, the St. Ann Youth Choir and a small group from Wallis and Futuna.
Father Niuliki wrote the offertory song, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” a lilting Polynesian melody sung in the Futunan language by the Wallis and Futuna choir, accompanied by a guitar, with the men singing counterpoint to the women in the chorus.
After a visit to Futuna to celebrate Mass at his home parish, Father Niuliki will return to Kaneohe to serve as parochial vicar of St. Ann Parish, his first priestly assignment.
