Filipino priest Fr. Eliseo Napiere has formally assumed the role of ecclesiastical superior of the Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti on the island nation of Tuvalu in Polynesia.

Napiere, a member of the Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP), was installed in his new ministry during Mass at Christ the King Parish in the country’s capital on Sunday, Sept. 8.

His installation took place in the presence of Fr. Joshua Bogsti, chargé d’affaires at the apostolic nunciature in Aotearoa New Zealand, and MSP Father Moderator Fr. Reginaldo Lavilla.

Napiere succeeded Bishop Reynaldo Getalado, who now shepherds the Diocese of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

Pope Francis on June 3 appointed the 58-year old priest as the head of the mission Church.

Prior to his new assignment, he has been serving as the pastor at St. James the Less, part of the US diocese of San Bernardino in California, since 2018.

Tuvalu is a small country consisting of nine islands located near Papua New Guinea and Australia.

A Mission Sui Iuris is an independent mission established by the Church in places with few Catholics, who face persecution or live in a very remote area.

The Church in Tuvalu consists of one parish, and about 110 Catholics.

It also does not belong to a specific diocese but is instead under the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Evangelization of Peoples.

As superior, Napiere will be a member of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific.

Vatican taps Filipino priest to lead papal mission to Pacific nation of Tuvalu