Fr Mosese Tui appointed Archbishop of Samoa-Apia

Staff Reporters/

Apia, Samoa, 13 June 2024 – Pope Francis has appointed Fr Mosese Vitolio Tui SDB – the parish priest of St Paul’s Parish in Massey in West Auckland – as the new Archbishop of Samoa-Apia.

The announcement was made in Rome at 10pm Samoan time last night, Noon in Rome.

Archbishop-elect Tui (pictured) replaces Archbishop Alapati Lui Mata’eliga, who died in Auckland in April last year.

Born in Samoa in 1961, Archbishop-elect Tui is a priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He was ordained in 1994 at the St John Bosco Church, Sinamoga, Apia.

Following his ordination, Archbishop-elect Tui was a school principal and parish priest in Samoa from 1995 to 2017. He was appointed parish priest at St Paul’s Massey and Ranui Parish. West Auckland in March 2018.

Bishop of Auckland Stephen Lowe said Archbishop-elect Tui was a popular parish priest with the spirit of Don Bosco who was much loved by the people of the parish. He had served on the Auckland Diocese Council of Priests and been a popular priest among the local clergy.

Following Archbishop Mata’eliga’s death, Pope appointed New Zealand-born Bishop Emeritus Peter Brown – the Bishop of Samoa-Pago Pago in American Samoa from 2013 until 2023 – as apostolic administrator in Apia, pending last night’s appointment of Archbishop-elect Tui. Bishop Brown will now return to Auckland.

The Archbishop-elect Tui will head the 36,096 Catholics in Samoa, the second-largest Christian denomination behind the Congregational Christian Church Samoa, with 55,411 adherents.

Fr Mosese Tui SDB, Archbishop-elect of Samoa-Apia

Following is Archbishop-elect Tui’s CV

FORMATION
Postulancy [Pre-Novitiate], Novitiate [1985—1986]
Auxilium College, Lysterfield – Victoria, AUSTRALIA. First Profession as a Salesian of Don Bosco 31st January 1987.

Educator/Teacher Formation: [1987 and 1988)
Australian Catholic University: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA.

Pastoral Formation:
[1989 and 1990] Don Bosco Youth Centre & Hostel. Melbourne, AUSTRALIA & Moamoa Theological College. Apia, SAMOA.

Priestly & Seminary Formation:
[1984] Pacific Regional Seminary. Suva, FIJI
[1987-1988 and 1991-1994] Catholic Theological College and Salesian Theological College. Melbourne, AUSTRALIA.

Priest Ordination: 3rd December, 1994 St. John Bosco Church, Sinamoga – Apia, SAMOA

SERVICE
Acting Parish Priest 1995 – 1996 St. John Bosco Parish. Sinamoga – Apia, SAMOA Principal [1997 – 2006] Don Bosco Technical College. Alafua – Apia, SAMOA
Rector and Novice Master 2007 – 2010 Don Bosco Formation House. Suva, FIJI
Founding Principal 2011 – 2017 Don Bosco College. Salelologa, SAMOA
Parish Priest 2011 – 2017 St. Francis de Sales Prish. Salelologa, SAMOA
Parish Priest 2018 – July, 2024 St. Paul, Massey and Ranui Parish. West Auckland, New Zealand.

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