Pio Taofinuʻu,
S.M. (December 8, 1923 – January 19, 2006) was a
Catholic cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
and
Archbishop of Samoa-Apia.
Born in the village of
Falealupo on the island of
Savai'i in
Samoa, he was the first
Polynesian bishop and cardinal. He was made a Cardinal by
Pope Paul VI in the Consistory of 5 March 1973, of the Title of St. Onofrio (St. Humphrey).
[ His father was Taofinuʻu Solomona and his mother, Mau.]
Education
Taofinuʻu was born on December 8, 1923, in Falealupo on Savaiʻi island's west coast and attended the village catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...
school before entering Moamoa Theological College. He continued his studies first at the Seminary of Lano, on Wallis Island and later at the Society of Mary (Marists) Seminary in Greenmeadows (near Napier Napier may refer to:
People
* Napier (surname), including a list of people with that name
* Napier baronets, five baronetcies and lists of the title holders
Given name
* Napier Shaw (1854–1945), British meteorologist
* Napier Waller (1893–19 ...
, in New Zealand).[
He was ordained a priest for the ]Society of Mary (Marists)
The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM, commonly known as the Marist Fathers, is a men's Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right. It was founded by Jean-Claude Colin and a group of seminarians in L ...
on December 8, 1954, by Bishop Giovanni Battista Dieter Msgr. Giovanni Battista Dieter, S.M., D.D., Vicar Apostolic of the Navigators' Archipelago, was born in Kleinhausen (Germany) on 30 September 1903. He professed the evangelical counsels on 17 April 1929 for the Society of Mary (Marists). He was ...
, S.M. He made his profession in the Society of Mary on September 8, 1962.[
]
Priesthood
After ordination, Taofinuʻu worked at Leauvaʻa and Palauli district in Samoa, before going to New York and later returning to Samoa in 1962. Father Taofinuʻu accompanied Bishop George Hamilton Pearce
George Hamilton Pearce (January 9, 1921 – August 30, 2015) was the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Apia, Samoa, and the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva, Fiji. , S.M., the then Bishop of Apia (which was later to become the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia) to the Second Vatican Council in Rome. He remained in Rome for three months, taking advantage of his time overseas to visit the Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
. After serving as Vicar to Bishop Pearce from 1964, Father Taofinuʻu became Vicar General of the diocese in 1966.[
]
Bishop
On January 11, 1968, he was named Bishop of Apia, becoming the first Polynesian bishop in history. He was consecrated as Bishop of Apia, Samoa by his former bishop George Pearce, who was the new Archbishop of Suva, Fiji
Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divis ...
. One of his first duties as the new spiritual leader of Samoa's Catholic community was as one of the organizers of Pope Paul VI's November 30, 1970, visit to the Samoan Islands – the first and, to date, the only visit by a Pope. During his time as Bishop of Apia, Catholic schools increased as he put an important focus on education throughout his diocese. He established a Theological College for Catechists and Deacons in an effort to evangelize the Faith to all the islands. His work contributed greatly to an increase in priestly vocations in Samoa. As bishop, Taofinuʻu was active in leading the reforms within the Catholic Church in Samoa in which some aspects of Samoan culture were blended with the existing practices.
Archbishop and cardinal
Taofinuʻu was created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in the consistory of March 5, 1973. He participated in the 1978 papal conclave
A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the Apostolic succession, apostolic successor of Saint ...
s of August, and October. He became the first Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of Samoa-Apia, when the Diocese of Samoa-Apia and Tokelau (as it was then), was elevated to the rank of archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
.[
]
Liturgical reform
Cardinal Taofinuʻu presided over the first Synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
of the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia, which began on December 7, 1990, and ended on December 14, 1990.[ After careful discussion and consideration, Taofinuʻu approved six synodal acts from his Commission on Worship, Sacraments and Inculturation.The second of these six acts states "''O le faaaganuuga o le Tapuaiga auaufaatasi i le Puleaga Faaakiepikopo o Samoa – Apia ia faaauauina le tilotilo toto‘a i ai ma le toe iloiloinaina ma o lona faatinoga ia lanutasia i le puleaga atoa''" or " e inculturation of the Liturgy in the Archdiocese of Samoa – Apia is to be continually reviewed and reevaluated, and its implementation should be uniform through the archdiocese." As a result of these acts, the liturgies in the archdiocese were vibrant, become more meaningful to the people by making use of the signs and cultural symbols of the people of Samoa. During his episcopate, a new hymnal incorporating old and new hymns for the liturgy was also prepared and published for use through the ecclesiastical province of Samoa-Apia.
]
Retirement and death
He retired as cardinal on November 16, 2002, at the age of 79,[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taofinuu, Pio
Samoan Roman Catholic archbishops
1923 births
2006 deaths
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Oceania
21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Oceania
Samoan cardinals
Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI
People from Vaisigano
Seminary of Lano alumni
Roman Catholic bishops of Samoa–Apia
Roman Catholic archbishops of Samoa–Apia