Pio Taofinuʻu, S.M. (December 8, 1923 – January 19, 2006) was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

cardinal and Archbishop of Samoa-Apia. Born in the village of

Falealupo Falealupo is a village in Samoa situated at the west end of Savai'i island from the International Date Line used until 29 December 2011. The village has two main settlements, Falealupo-Uta, situated inland by the main island highway and Falealu ...

on the island of Savai'i in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

, he was the first Polynesian bishop and cardinal. He was made a Cardinal by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

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 school before entering Moamoa Theological College. He continued his studies first at the Seminary of Lano, on

Wallis Island Wallis ( Wallisian: ''Uvea'') is a Polynesian atoll/island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'', or ''COM'') of Wallis and Futuna. It lies north of Tonga, northeast of Fiji, east-n ...

and later at the Society of Mary (Marists) Seminary in Greenmeadows (near Napier, in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

). He was ordained a priest for the Society of Mary (Marists) on December 8, 1954, by Bishop Giovanni Battista Dieter, S.M. He made his profession in the Society of Mary on September 8, 1962.

Priesthood

After ordination, Taofinuʻu worked at Leauvaʻa and

Palauli Palauli is a districts of Samoa, district and village of Samoa, with a population (2016 Census) of 9,300. It consists of two sections on the southern side of Savai'i. The capital is Vailoa which is also referred to as Vailoa i Palauli (Vailoa in P ...

district in Samoa, before going to New York and later returning to Samoa in 1962. Father Taofinuʻu accompanied Bishop George Hamilton Pearce, S.M., the then Bishop of Apia (which was later to become the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia) to the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He remained in Rome for three months, taking advantage of his time overseas to visit the Holy Land. After serving as Vicar to Bishop Pearce from 1964, Father Taofinuʻu became

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the diocese in 1966.

Bishop

On January 11, 1968, he was named Bishop of

Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

, 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. One of his first duties as the new spiritual leader of Samoa's Catholic community was as one of the organizers of

'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 Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

of March 5, 1973. He participated in the 1978 papal conclaves of

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

, and

October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the sixth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôc ...

. He became the first Archbishop of Samoa-Apia, when the Diocese of Samoa-Apia and Tokelau (as it was then), was elevated to the rank of archdiocese.

Liturgical reform

Cardinal Taofinuʻu presided over the first Synod 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, and died in Apia shortly after midnight on January 19, 2006, at the age of 82. His death was announced during a session of Parliament in Samoa while the Senate in

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

observed a moment of silence. He is buried in the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in Mulivai village, Apia.

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