“‘May Thy Peace Abide Here,’” Global Histories: Samoa (2020)
“‘May Thy Peace Abide Here,’” Global Histories: Samoa
“May Thy Peace Abide Here”
In Sauniatu, an early gathering place in Samoa, two monuments mark a special relationship with David O. McKay. McKay first visited Sauniatu in May 1921, when he was an Apostle. At the end of their time together with him, the Saints’ farewell singing turned to weeping. As McKay rode his horse down an avenue of trees, he saw the Saints following him and felt prompted to return and pronounce an apostolic blessing. “Holy Father,” he prayed, “look down in love and tender mercy upon these good people. Protect them in their village from all evil influences. … May Thy peace abide here in the village of Sauniatu. … May Harmony abide in their hearts and homes.” This blessing so moved the Saints that they wrote it down and also built a monument on the spot. A place already sanctified by the sacrifices of its pioneers and now by an apostolic blessing, Sauniatu became a revered site for Samoan Saints.
Elder David O. McKay with the members of the Sauniatu Relief Society, 1921.
In 1955 McKay visited Sauniatu again as President of the Church. After this visit the Saints constructed a chief’s fale memorializing McKay. In this sacred fale, they bore testimonies and placed a smooth stone on the floor representing each witness. Other Saints stood on these “testimonies” as they bore their own.
“When President McKay blessed this place, there’s a difference,” said Mavaega Peresetene, who taught school in Sauniatu. “Sauniatu is different from all other places, even my village where I was born. … It’s another side of the heaven.”