Ordination new step for Tongans

Elenoa Mancini (centre) at her ordination in South Auckland yesterday as the first female Tongan priest. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

Eleanor Mancini has a rich heritage in the Anglican Church, but was determined not to follow in her family's footsteps.

That all changed yesterday after "10 years' hard work and my decision to fall back into the family role".

At a ceremony in South Auckland, Mrs Mancini became the first Tongan woman ordained an Anglican priest. She follows her father, the late Bishop Fine Halapua, who was the first Tongan priest.

"There's a very strict Tongan culture and this is breaking that down," she says, "but hopefully it can open the doors for other women.

 

"It's a historic day for me and for the Tongan people, but particularly for the recognition of Tongan women in the church."

Born in Tonga, Mrs Mancini moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s with her Italian husband.

She brought the family back to NZ a decade ago so her children could experience "the Pacific way of life".

The church roles women played in the US persuaded Mrs Mancini, whose brother Dr Winston Halapua is principal at St John Theological College, to follow the family path.

The 58-year-old mother-of-three studied for a theology degree and became a lay reader before becoming a priest in the diocese of Polynesia, part of the Three Tikanga (cultural streams) Church encompassing Maori, Pakeha and Pasifika.