Funeral services for the longest serving priest in the Catholic church in both Samoas, Monsignor Etuale Lealofi, are being held today and tomorrow at the Holy Family Cathedral Fatuoaiga. Monsignor Etuale passed away January 28 at the LBJ Hospital, with Bishop Peter Brown, several brother priests, deacons and family members by his side. He was 82.
Ordained a priest in Apia in 1969, his prayer card of ordination said, “Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.”
He was one of the first priests in the South Pacific to become a canon lawyer, a lawyer of the church.
Before he moved to American Samoa about 40 years ago, Monsignor Etuale was Rector at the Moamoa Theological College and also the Pacific Regional Seminary in Fiji.
After the Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago was established in the early 1980’s, Monsignor Etuale was one of the core staff of the local diocese in its infancy stage.
He was a key staffer at the Fatuoaiga Pastoral and Cultural Center where he was a lecturer for diaconate formation and directed seminars and retreats, and planned the first diocesan synod in 1990.
But his love was working as a parish priest, serving the people. His mastery of the Samoan and English languages and his wit came through in his homilies.
Monsignor Etuale became bed ridden nearly ten years ago and has been cared for at Hope House.
Vicar General of the local diocese, Monsignor Viane Etuale said, “Monsignor Etuale was a very gifted Priest. He had a brilliant mind as evidenced in his being the only Samoan Canon Lawyer (Juris Canonical Doctor or JCD). He was fluent in several languages and taught in higher educational institutions off island. With all these academic accolades and achievements, Monsignor Etuale never boasted about them but used them as gifts to serve God and the Church. It was a sign of his humility and that was admirable; a humble priest who was always there answering God’s call to serve His People. He will be sorely missed.”
A prayer service will be held at the LBJ Chapel at 3pm, this afternoon, after which the funeral procession will make its way to the Holy Family Cathedral for a Mass at 4pm. Wake Services will begin at 7pm this evening, where parishes, diocesan organizations, priests, deacons and catechists will pay their respects.
Monsignor Etuale’s Mass of Resurrection will be held at 9am tomorrow morning, at the Holy Family Cathedral followed by burial services at Fatuoaiga.
