Fr Sone: Living in a Tradition of Faith and Brotherhood

The immediate impression speaking to Fr Sone Tominiko is Pacifika friendliness and vitality. He is a priest of All Saints Liverpool, an important hub in the south-west of Sydney. He is also a proud Old Boy of La Salle College Bankstown.

His motto today harks back centrally, not to his Lasallian education, but where it fits into the ‘mission of Christ’:

“St John Baptist De La Salle built this mission on educating the poorest students, especially boys, and to enhance their faith. Therefore, Christ shall and will always be the motto. For without the Lord, the La Sallian Mission and Vision and my own faith, would not be possible.”

His extended Samoan family of aunty and uncle, and grandmother raised him in Sydney from 2001. They were educated by the Marist Brothers, Sisters, and priests in New Zealand Aotearoa. His cousins, from a devout Catholic family, attended De La Salle Mangere, and “it was fitting for us to attend (Lasallian schools)…and keep this tradition.”

“The Lasallian tradition of faith and brotherhood, is what drew us to the school. I felt that it was a brotherhood, a close-knit family, hence having this relational tie to the Lasallian tradition.”

Fr Sone remembers the joyfulness of his youth, but also the challenges. At La Salle the teachers, “especially the Brothers” with their desire to educate, and their knowing students’ names, were reciprocated with respect: “we saw them as role models of De La Salle himself.”

Spiritual Values / Life Discerned

He notes that the motto of commitment, confidence and success were enlivened by teachers with a sense of brotherhood and family. And “God was never far from our daily education.” He believes his vocation to priesthood was fostered by the Mission, “as Lasallian boys” to help others. Becoming a Brother, or a good father and having children was part of his discerning his faith journey.

A key was the faith of his grandmother and other family – keeping him out of trouble. “Family bond and brotherhood, which I built up, was all too familiar” His parents were active in the Samoan community as leaders. He remembers his proclamation of the Lasallian prayer: “I will continue O my God, to do all my action for love of you.”

“The values of commitment, confidence and success came back. Commitment to the faith and serving others. Take confidence in our faith and in whom we serve and success in making Jesus known.”

Formation and Vision Today

Finally, the desire to serve others as a priest was attractive, as a way to be his “authentic and true self.” Seminary life challenged and built his Jesus and Church relationships. Formation also gave understanding of youth ministry especially, and also regular opportunities in parish placements to learn how to pastor. Experience at Menai, Miranda and Concord West as seminary appointments allowed him to develop his gifts - presence to young adults, relationship with high school students and support and witness to hospital patients: making Christ present.

One’s vision can be tricky to describe. Fr Sone as assistant priest at All Saints Liverpool sees, as goal, to “allow…(young people) to encounter my own joy of my faith, that they can rely on their own faith;to be there for new life, to guide…back to the creator, and to be a voice for the voiceless.”

Lasallian education speaks at times of goals of- “Transforming Lives, Energising Mission, Sustaining Faith.” Asked about where his personal stance might resonate with these goals, Fr Sone says:

“Indeed. Transforming lives back to Christ and His Church. To allow them to see that even in their weaknesses they may come to Him, wounds and all. This transformation requires the energising heart that pushes the mission. The mission to not only preach Christ in truth, in love, in faith and in hope, but to also be that person to sustain the faith handed down to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is eventually at the centre of transforming and changing our lives, that energises HIS mission and helps us to be sustained in the Christian faith.”

Pretty insightful theology!

Source: Br Gary Wilson FSC