First Sunday of Advent

Fr. Marino Angostura, Pastor of St. Philomena Church

Fr. Marino is known to many as the "singing priest"

He was later joined by Fr. Peter Dumag,

Vocations Director of the Diocese of Honolulu

Pictures were taken at St. Philomen Church on Sunday, November 19,

when I was there to promote and sell my book Serving God Joyfully Right Here in Hawaii

A joyful First Sunday of Advent to ALL OUR PRIESTS and Spiritual Mothers! My special greeting goes to Esther, my dear SM partner in the Lord, the one who put together this lovely blog that we may have a "place" where we can honor our Most High Priest Jesus Christ who is present in our priests, find information, and recognize the efforts of our beloved clergy and encourage one another to pray for and support them.

One of the things I would like to do personally for our priests is offer Mass for them on a regular basis. Though my family remembers them at our daily evening prayers and at daily Mass, I thought I'd start a tradition of offering Mass not just for my Spiritual Sons but for clergy in general. The first Monday of the month to do this would be ideal for me.

It all started when I met a Catholic pro-life lady on Facebook - her name is Karen Taylor - who offers Mass regularly for unborn babies; the idea to offer Mass for pastors was born.

I'd have to set the third Monday of the month as my day of pro-life Mass offering. Why Monday? Because it is the start of the week; most likely, I will have a more continued sense of prayer for these two major concerns.

I praise God for his marvelous ideas!

E Pule Kakou

The next E Pule Kakou, Hawaii Uniting in Prayer is scheduled for Thanksgiving Week, November 25-29, 2009. I encourage all parishes to register and participate in this event.

To register and for more information on what your parish can do, go to
http://www.epulekakou.com/register_church.html Answer the call of “E Pule Kakou” for all PASTORS AND CHURCHES who believe in the Lordship and salvation of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible to open their doors and set aside a time for prayer and repentance in their services on the week of November 25 to 29, and to invite ALL of the PEOPLE of Hawai’i, EVERY BELIEVER of Hawai’i, to go to participating churches to pray on November 25 to 29.

Timothy 2:1-5: “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in authority . . .

Source: E Pule Kakou

In this video: Vicar General of the Diocese of Honolulu, Fr. Marc Alexander,

and Pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Fr. Gary Secor.

What transpired after the dinner

I invite you to read my post on A Tribute to Our Priests.

What Your Priest Wants You to Know

Thanks to Father Daren for sharing the following which he got from another priest on Facebook. Fr. Daren has added his own comments. With regard to #5, my son once remarked that when he is a priest (he must have been 12 or so at the time he said this) he will not be presiding at any weddings or funerals...even confessions were a maybe.

1. The absolute worst time to tell us anything important is in the receiving line after Mass. Don't expect us to remember... [He's right, you know]

2. We are very flattered that people think of us when they go to Mass on their vacation, but we don't collect bulletins from other parishes.

3. We don't have anyone cook for us. Most of us tend for ourselves [and most of us don't mind this].

4. We aren't offended when people swear in front of us. "I'm sorry, Father," isn't necessary [or if it is, it ought to be necessary in front of anyone].

5. Celebrating all the sacraments is a joy but, given a chance, 9 out of 10 priests would rather do a funeral than a wedding [there's a lot less paperwork involved].

6. We go to confession to other priests, usually outside of the Diocese or to a spiritual director. We can't go to ourselves.

7. We have one weekday that is our day off. The most popular day off is Monday [I prefer Friday because the parish does not have a Saturday morning Mass]. Obviously, we're busy on weekends.

8. We don't sleep in clerical garb [and we often wear "normal people clothes" around the house]. Nor do we bathe in holy water.

9. Words of support and encouragement are much appreciated. So is honest feedback. "I didn't understand your homily" would be a most welcome critique [along with an idea of where we lost you, otherwise the critique isn't of much use].

10. We like other people saying a meal prayer from time to time.

11. We don't remember most of everything that's said in the confessional because we hear so many [and we don't want to remember]. They all sort of run together...

So what was served at the Bishop's Home?

Parial view of Bishop's residence

My son Joseph has a tone of eagerness in his voice as he relates to me what foods were served at the Dinner with Bishop:

There were softdrinks, cheese and grapes for starters. Then they all moved to the dining area were they were served salad, then kalua pig with cabbage (Yummm!), rice and noodles; and for dessert, rhubarb pie!

Dinner with Bishop

Check out my post on A Tribute to Our Priests.

I am ecstatic about sharing with you the

Dinner with Bishop that my son Joseph attended.

I hope to post more about it later

to tell you what the boys and young men

ate at the Bishop's home and

what they talked stories about.

The only thing I can say for now is that

it was a successful event, well-attended

and a warm evening to be cherished

by budding men who were either curious

or called to attend the special evening.

New Vocations Blog Added to Sidebar

Roman Catholic Vocations

This is a great resource for vocation discernment!

The Sacrifice of the Holy Mass in Prison

...“If you truly believe that Christ is actually present in that tabernacle in your church,” he said,
“how can you just go about your day knowing that He is there?”...

A Protestant minister once made the above remark to Father Gordon MacRae, a falsely accused and convicted priest who has been imprisoned for over 15 years. I hope you take a moment to read his very moving post here

Even though Father MacRae, is not a priest in the Diocese of Honolulu, I would ask you to spiritually adopt him as I have done, during this Year for Priests.

First Thursday of the Month - Pray for the Souls of Deceased Priests

Check out the details over at the the Dominican Nuns of Summit, NJ's blog

World Priest

Please visit The World Priest website as an excellent resource during this Year for Priests.

Divine Mercy Inspires Vocations

Aside from promoting Eucharistic Adoration and the devotion to The Divine Mercy, the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy (EADM) also strives to support, promote and pray for religious vocations. For the past 5 years, EADM Hawaii has made every effort to carry out these missions. The apostolate in Hawaii is pleased to report that a couple of seminarians have been inspired to enter the priesthood after attending Divine Mercy conferences it has organized. In addition, a few men who previously attended Divine Mercy events are now discerning on religious vocations.

Seminarians Inspired by Conferences

The Diocese of Honolulu (Hawaii) recently has seen an increase in priestly vocations. With the latest addition of Makana Aiona, the son of Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor James Aiona, the count now comes to a total of 9 seminarians, a number the diocese has not seen in many years. The Hawaii Catholic Herald reports on two seminarians’ decision to enter the seminary and mentions Divine Mercy conferences as sources of inspiration for their calling.

Entire article here

Recommended Book for Year for Priests: MARY AND THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY

This is from my friend Brother John Samaha:

J.M.J.

October 2, 2009

Attached is information about a new book that I think you will find enlightening. I have given copies to several priest friends for the Year of the Priest. Although addressed to clerics, the message is applicable to all Christians.

MARY AND THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY was released recently by the publisher. The late Father Emile Neubert was a beloved rector at the former Marianist International Seminary at Fribourg, Switzerland, and a noted author in the fields of spirituality and Mariology.

This book is a classic in France and in other European countries, since the original French was translated into several languages. This is its first appearance in English, and seems very appropriate for the Year of the Priest. I hope you and others will also find it interesting and helpful. Please do what you can to publicize this Marian gem.

Every blessing of our Lord and every assistance of our Blessed Mother for you!

Mary-ly,

Bro. John Samaha, S.M.

MARY AND THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY

Father Emile Neubert, S.M.

Translated by Father Thomas Stanley, S.M.

Academy of the Immaculate, 2009

266 pages, 4 x 6 inches

Laminated paper cover, $5.00

For information about discounts and bulk rates, and to order, contact Michael Coffey at Academy of the Immaculate

124 North Forke Dr.

Advance, NC 27006



tel/fax: 888-986-2742

e-mail: academy@marymediatrix.com


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“Every bishop and priest I know to have read this book is enthusiastic about it…. Father Neubert is as relevant today as in his own time…. His books are classics and will always be in demand. We [Franciscans of the Immaculate] are particularly delighted to be able to publish his books, since St. Maximilian Kolbe was one of Father Neubert’s fans.”

-- Father Peter Fehlner, F.I.