Pope Francis has appointed Fr Mosese Vitolio Tui of the order of Salesians of Don Bosco as the new Archbishop of Samoa – Apia. The announcement was made in Rome last night.
The son of catechists, Fr Mosese, who turns 63 in November, was ordained a priest in 1994 as the first Samoan Salesian. He is currently the parish priest of St Paul’s Parish in Massey, New Zealand.
He is perhaps most well known as the founding Principal of the Don Bosco Technical College Alafua. He later founded the Don Bosco College at Salelologa, Savaii.
Fr Mosese is a charismatic priest with a sense of humor that always comes out in his sermons.
His formation as a teacher was at the Australia Catholic University in Melbourne Australia and his pastoral formation was at the Don Bosco Youth Center and Hostel in Melbourne and Moamoa Theological College in Apia.
He attended the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva, Fiji and the Catholic Theological College and Salesian Theological college in Melbourne, Australia.
Since the death of Archbishop Alapati Mata’eliga in April of last year, Bishop Emeritus Peter Brown who headed the local Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago has been the apostolic administrator of the Catholic Church in Samoa.
Commenting on Fr Mosese’s appointment Bishop Brown said, “We thank the Holy Father Pope Francis for the appointment of a new Shepherd for the Archdiocese of Samoa – Apia. We congratulate Archbishop-elect Mosese Vitolio Tui SBD and pray the Holy Spirit will guide his leadership. We also take this opportunity to thank Archbishop Alapati Mataeliga for his many years of service. May he rest in peace.”
