Bishop farewells first priest he ordained

Fr Malo Nun Toon was the first priest Bishop Patrick Dunn ordained — and now Bishop Dunn has preached at the priest’s funeral.

Fr Nun Toon died at Mercy Parklands in Auckland on February 9, aged 73.

In his homily at a requiem Mass at Holy Cross church in Henderson on February 13, Bishop Dunn said Fr Nun Toon, who spent the first half of his life in Samoa, had a “deep sense of vocation”.

This was shown in his persistence and determination during his seminary days at Holy Cross College, Mosgiel, Bishop Dunn said.

“He did have a struggle with English, and at one stage the rector spoke with Bishop Denis (Browne), who sent him to the seminary, and said, we are not sure about the English. Bishop Denis spoke to Malo and Malo said — well, I will stay here forever, until I have got there,” Bishop Dunn said.

“It was certainly a one-way ticket. He was responding to a call deep in his heart.”

Bishop Dunn recalled that, in 1995, Fr Nun Toon was the first priest he ordained.

“So I always felt a special bond with Patele Malo. And I was thinking in some ways his CV is a very simple one for a priest. He was ordained at Christ the King parish, and served there for five or six years, then Holy Cross, Papatoetoe, and then Otahuhu and Middlemore Hospital. He had the stroke in 2011, and then that fall in 2017 that led to him being hospitalised at Mercy Parklands.”

Bishop Dunn went on to link Fr Nun Toon’s life with the mystery of the cross, which is at “the very heart of the Gospel”.

“None of us is very keen on the mystery. It is part of all our callings, but I often felt with Fr Malo, with the stroke, the sickness and the struggles, that is the mystery, part of the secret of the Gospel.

“Fr Malo let Jesus work through him.”

Speaking on the Gospel reading at the Mass, Bishop Dunn added that “each one of us, no matter how talented we are, we have just got a few loaves, a few fish, not much. If we can offer our gifts as generously as Malo offered his life, then we can leave it to Jesus to do the rest. That’s what Malo did.”

At the start of his homily, Bishop Dunn noted that Fr Nun Toon’s sister, Sr Akenese Nun Toon,RSM, had earlier read out a message from Archbishop Alapati Lui Mata’eliga of Samoa-Apia, in which the archbishop expressed his sorrow at the death of his “dear friend”, calling Fr Nun Toon a faithful and cheerful son of the church of Samoa and a blessing to the many people the priest had met.

Fr Malo obviously had friends in high places, Bishop Dunn said, adding that Apostolic NuncioArchbishop Novatus Rugambwa had sent a message promising that prayers would be said.

Sr Akenese, in a reflection given before the Mass, recalled that, as a young person in Samoa, Malo had felt a strong call to the priesthood, but their father would not allow him to pursue it then. Instead, the young Malo worked to support the family, and spent 20 years as the “right hand man” at the Chan Mow supermarket in Samoa, before going into business for himself as an owner-operator taxi driver.

“There was an upside and a downside to Malo’s business sense,” Sr Akenese said, with a smile.

“Firstly, most of his passengers were poor priests and religious, so no money was asked. He lived the vow of poverty, but then so did we, because he never made any money, which was the purpose of having a taxi, to support his family.

“But he was paid tenfold with the prayers of his passengers, who also encouraged him to reflect more deeply on his faith and how he could best live it.

“I think it was this that really started him on the journey to priesthood.”

Sr Akenese also spoke about her brother’s struggles with seminary studies, but, with prayer and encouragement from those around him, he persevered.

“I think my brother, when he went to the seminary, he went one way. There was no u-turn.”

Speaking of her brother’s life as a priest, she said he “brought numerous qualities to his ministry, such as compassion for those who were poor and needy. He was known for his generosity, and people in need knew to come to him. In their desperation, he would always respond with compassion, and not turn them away”.

“He was a humble man, quietly serving people without any great fuss or fanfare. And indeed, he would not be too pleased to hear me speak of these things publicly.”

Bishop Patrick Dunn with Fr Malo Nun Toon when the latter was ordained in 1995.

Sr Akenese added that her brother loved his family deeply, and he was loved in return. His family was very proud of him.

She also thanked the doctors and nurses at Mercy Parklands for the care given to her brother in his final years.

Among the concelebrants at the requiem was Hamilton Bishop Stephen Lowe, a seminary classmate of Fr Nun Toon’s. Bishop Dunn noted that Bishop Lowe and his classmate priests celebrate 25 years of priestly ordination this year. Bishops Denis Browne and Michael Gielen were also among the concelebrants.

Fr Nun Toon’s mortal remains were interred at Waikumete cemetery.