I did a funeral in a small village near Dogoru a few months ago. The villagers very generously offered me some mats, dalo (an edible root similar to taro) and a live piglet. The mats could be sold for the parish and the priests and sisters could eat the dalo but what to do with the piglet? One of the catechists volunteered to take it home and fatten it up for me. About three months later he told me that, no matter what he did, the piglet wasn’t growing and I had better take it and sell it. I asked him what price I should ask. He said that $60.00 would be about right.
A few days later I said Mass in Naleba and afterwards I mentioned to the men there that I had a piglet that wouldn’t grow and that I was going to sell it. Babu pricked up his ears immediately and asked me how much I would want for the piglet. ”$60.00,” I said casually.” “I’ll buy it from you,” he responded. “O.K.” said I, “I’ll bring it next Sunday when I come for Mass. You have the money ready.” “It’s a deal,” he said, and we completed the bargain the following Sunday.
Six weeks later, I met Babu again. “How is the piglet?” I asked him. “Oh, I sold it a couple of weeks ago,” he answered. “How much did you get for it?” I inquired. “$120.00,” said he with a great big grin! I don’t know how he managed it!
Columban Fr. Frank Hoare lives and works in Fiji.
The Columbans are a society of missionaries, including priests and lay people, who minister to people of various cultures as a way of witnessing to the universal love of God.