Ni sa Bula Vinaka! Malo e lelei! Greetings!

I am an ordained minister in the Anglican Church Diocese of Polynesia. I am currently serving in the ecumenical space as deputy moderator to the Pacific Conference of Churches and as general secretary to the Fiji Council of Churches.

My late husband Patemosi Buekilagi and I came to study at Bishopdale College in 2017, having learnt about it through meeting Bishop Richard Ellena.

Patemosi and I returned to Fiji in December 2017, to serve in our diocese under the leadership of the Archbishop Emeritus, the Most Reverend Dr Winston Halapua. Upon my return, I was ordained as a priest in December 2017 and served as an assistant priest in my home parish, while fulfilling my fulltime role as diocesan secretary and registrar (DSR) to the Diocese of Polynesia.

Having completed two terms in the diocese as the DSR, I was elected as the deputy moderator to the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) in 2023 to serve a four year term. I am also serving ecumenically in my current role as General Secretary to the Fiji Council of Churches (FCC), a role I took up in January 2024.

My role in the ecumenical space, whether it is within Fiji or in the Pasifika region, involves working with churches and those of the Christian faith, as well as with other faith-based organisations and people of different faiths – for example, Hindus, Muslims, Bahá'ís, Jehovah’s Witnesses and so forth.

My role also involves serving in spaces where there is gender-imbalance, and a need for inter-generational, cross cultural leadership. I also serve in spaces of vulnerability – amongst the voiceless, the vulnerable, and as the Church continues to be a prophetic voice that fosters ecumenism, and advocates for the dignity of all creation, for social and ecological justice and integral human development. 

In all of this, my formation at Bishopdale College has taught me, as a follower of Jesus and as a young woman in leadership, to value the people God calls us to serve, to be an encourager to the vulnerable, especially women and youth, and to always stay humble just like Christ teaches us through his servant-leadership.

Coming from a Pasifika context, Bishopdale helped change my mindset to appreciate the beauty of studying theology. It also challenged me to open up to value broader perspectives while still appreciating my own – skills that serve me well in my role today.

Also importantly for my spiritual formation, at Bishopdale I learned in a deeper way to understand and appreciate Scripture, tradition and reason. I learnt to read the Bible according to the context it was written in, and also to be able to apply it and communicate its relevance in my own context. Participating in the Bishopdale community also reminded and encouraged me to think more broadly and deeply across the Christian tradition – especially embracing servant leadership while I am in a leadership role. My time with Bishopdale College taught me to value people, to be an encourager, and to always stay humble.

Bishopdale is a community that embraces us as a family in learning spaces. Not only do we learn in classroom mode, but also in the morning worship sessions, the informal lunch gatherings, and the conversations that take place, as well as through engaging in the community.

Bishopdale College transformed my way of thinking as a servant leader and follower of Jesus. Our studies reminded me that a few are called to lead, many are called to follow, but all are called to serve.