From a career in banking to a life as a Missionary – it’s been a long and winding road for Paulo Vatunitu SVD, and as he celebrates the Profession of Final Vows, Paulo is aware of both the blessings and the challenges that lie ahead.
“I’m a bit nervous about it,” he said, before taking his Vows on Saturday, March 9 at St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill.
“I feel a bit inadequate. It’s a huge office, especially in light of what’s happening in the Church today. I hope I will be able to rise up to the expectations of people.
“But it’s a bit like the saying which says ‘the darker the night, the brighter the stars’.”
Paulo was born and raised in Fiji, on the second biggest island of Vanua Levu and is the second eldest of eight children.
After school, he made a career as a loans officer in the banking industry.
“I started to discern my way during that time and to realise that life is much bigger than just getting a salary,” he said.
After three years with the Vincentians, Paulo left religious life for a period before joining the Society of the Divine Word.
“I initially came into contact with the Divine Word Missionaries through an SVD member who was on the faculty of the seminary in Fiji,” he said.
“But it wasn’t until Fr Asaeli Raass and Fr Henry Adler came to Fiji to do vocations promotion work in 2005 that I joined them.”
Many of Paulo’s family and friend were able to join him to celebrate the Profession of Final Vows at St Paschal’s Chapel, which was celebrated by the Australian Provincial Superior, Fr Tim Norton SVD. The following day, Paulo was ordained to the diaconate by Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, Vincent Long OFM Conv.
As he looks forward, Paulo says he is looking forward to really getting into whatever ministry he is called to within the Society.
“I really would like to see myself working in a parish and taking up ministries at the grassroots with people,” he says.
“I am also looking forward to taking up the Biblical apostolate. My interest in that stems from my experience working on my thesis about Basic Christian Communities in Latin America.
“From that, I really came to understand that the Bible speaks differently to us, depending on context. So I look forward to really being able walk the walk and talk the talk according to the Scriptural imperative. I hope I can contribute to that.”
Paulo says that despite the challenges of religious life, it also has many “rich and positive” aspects.
“I believe that we owe a lot to the foresight of St Arnold Janssen and that the Divine Word Missionaries are a powerful symbol today of inclusiveness.
“Despite our differences, what holds us together is much, much stronger.”
