Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Punaauia (Agenzia Fides) – It was June 7, 1981 when the first Poor Clares arrived from Canada on the Polynesian island of Tahiti. In 1972, the monastery in Lennoxville (Canada) began thinking seriously about founding another contemplative monastery in missionary lands, especially thanks to the encouragement of Archbishop Michel Coppenrath of Papeete. An initial trip was organized in 1973 to see the area and prepare the mission. The first Poor Clares were welcomed in the Diocese of Papeete, on the feast of Pentecost.
At first, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny lent the newly-arrived sisters their recently-built Novice House. The culture of the island was marked by the French language and the motto “fraternité et joie” (“fraternity and joy”) that characterized the relationship among the island’s inhabitants, who were anxious to learn more about the charism of Saint Clare of Assisi. Two years later, the Poor Clares welcomed their first two Tahitian postulants. On December 8, 1984, their first provisional monastery was opened in Pureora, opening the way to inculturation through prayer and the various agricultural activities.
In 1990, some of the Poor Clares from the Philippines came to the island to help out in the foundation of another mission. The second monastery in Punaauia lasted one year and on August 11, 1993, the new house, with a greater capacity of people, was finally opened, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the birth of Saint Clare. That same year, in November, Rome granted the Decree of Canonical Erection for the monastery.
Today, after 27 years in Tahiti, the community has 12 sisters (2 Canadians, 2 Filipinos, and 8 Polynesians). The Monastery has become a center of prayer, capable of bringing together people of diverse cultures and religions, a place of silence and solitude that attracts even the young people. (AM) (Agenzia Fides 22/7/2008)
