29th Anniversary of Father Lane Akiona's Ordination

Photo Source

Please say a prayer for Father Lane as he celebrates 29 years as a Catholic priest.

Mass was offered for his intentions at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Honolulu.

Pope to priests: Go forth and blog

Read it here
Two of our own priests, actually our vicar general, Father Marc Alexander, and Monsignor John Mbinda, have their own blogs.

Check out Musings From the Pacific

and Sunday Homily Ideas

H/T Father Trigilio

The Diocese of Honolulu's Very Own Priests and Sisters

Check out the rest of the talent over at Hawaii Catholic Herald's blog

New Site Added to the Side Bar - The Catholic Priest Appreciation Network

I just joined the The Catholic Priest Appreciation Network

Hawai'i Priests and Bishop Larry Silva in Concert

With Grateful Hearts Concert keeps getting stronger. Our priests with our bishop, Bishop Larry Silva, and several of our nuns were at Our Lady of Good Council on Friday, January 8, for another performance. They will be at St. Jude's in Kapolei on February 19 at 7 p.m.

Once again the objectives are: to raise funds for our seminarians and to promote vocation to the priesthood.

Cds are available at the Cathedral Gallery for $10.00.

Urgent Help Needed - Devastating Earthquake in Haiti

Two reports over at Fr. Z's Archbishop Dies in Haiti Earthquake...

and In the Rubble of Haiti...Priests and Seminarians

There is a special page over at Catholic Relief Services

Donations can be made online here

Update: From the Diocese of Honolulu:

Bishop Larry has authorized a second collection for the benefit of relief efforts in Haiti via Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to be taken up this Sunday or as you determine pastorally appropriate. Bishop Larry has affirmed that: “As a general policy, I think whenever there is a disaster of this magnitude, we can encourage parishes to take up a special second collection through CRS.”

Priest Offers 'Ten Things That Promote Vocations' In Honor Of National Vocation Awareness Week

Ten Things That Promote Vocations
By Father David Toups

For all Catholics:

1. Pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. Jesus says in Matthew 9:38 “to beg the master of the harvest to send laborers into the vineyard.” If we want more priests, sisters and brothers, we all need to ask.

2. Teach young people how to pray. Pope Benedict XVI said that unless we teach our youth how to pray, they will never hear God calling them into a deeper relationship with Him and into the discipleship of the Church.

Read the rest here

NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK

NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK
January 10-16, 2010
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks Jesus’ initiation into public ministry. At his baptism Jesus is named the Beloved Son of God. With this celebration we recommit ourselves to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Initiated through our baptism we too are the Beloved of God, commissioned to proclaim Good News with our lives.
The observance of National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) began in 1976 when the Bishops’ Conference designated the 28th Sunday of the year as the beginning of NVAW. In 1997 this celebration was moved to coincide with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Please pray with us for an increase in vocations to the ordained ministry and the consecrated life:
Lord Jesus, as You once called the first disciples
to make them fishers of men,
let your sweet invitation continue to resound:
Come, follow Me!
Give young men and women the grace
of responding quickly to Your voice.
Support your bishops, priests and consecrated people
in their apostolic labor.
Grant perseverance to our seminarians
and to all those who are carrying out the ideal of a life
totally consecrated to Your service.
Awaken in our community a missionary eagerness.
Lord, SEND WORKERS TO YOUR HARVEST
and do not allow humanity to be lost for the lack of pastors,
missionaries and people dedicated to the cause of the Gospel.
Mary, Mother of the Church, the model of every vocation,
help us to say “Yes” to the Lord Who calls us to cooperate
in the divine plan of salvation.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
(Pope John Paul II)
For more information, or for a kit to promote NVAW, please see: http://www.nccv-vocations.org/National-Vocation-Awareness-Week-Kit--English-and-Spanish_p_343.html.
Thank you for supporting vocations,
The Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations

Prayer Request for Our Bishop and Our Priests

They are on retreat this week.  Please keep them all in your prayers.

From the USCCB - Meet Our New Priests

Check out this online yearbook of new priests.

Ordination Class 2009 Has Many Asian-Born,
Despite Low Percentage of Asian Catholics in United States

WASHINGTON—The ordination class of 2009 claims 11 percent Asian-born men, though the percentage of Asian Catholics in the United States is only three percent. Six percent of the class is from Vietnam and two percent from the Philippines.

The percentage of Hispanics in the class is also 12 percent, though the percentage of Hispanic Catholics is estimated at 34 percent. Five percent of the class is from Mexico and one percent from Colombia.

Three percent are African American, the same percentage as African American Catholics in the United States. The majority of the class, 72 percent, is Caucasian, although Caucasians make up only 58 percent of U.S. Catholics.

Read the rest here

H/T The Pious Sodality of Church Ladies

Rosary for the Bishops

Check out this wonderful new website where we can actually do something to help our bishops!

Heaven knows that our good Bishops are under fire for standing up for our Catholic Faith nowadays. What can we do about it? Support them with our prayers!

Rosary for the Bishop is a project that aims to support Catholic Bishops through prayer of the Rosary. Please take a few minutes to join in praying for your Bishop.

Rosary for the Bishop

A big mahalo to friend Anne for sharing this on her blog.

Happy 25th Anniversary Father Gordy!

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Father Gordian Carvalho,  pastor of the Manoa Punahou Catholic Community, celebrates the 25th anniversary of his ordination.

Happy Anniversary Father Gordy.  You are a true inspiration and a true model of a Catholic priest.  May God bless you always.

Anniversary of Ordination

Most loving Jesus, today is the anniversary of the day on which, despite my unworthiness and through your goodness, You conferred on me the dignity of the priesthood. You made me not only your minister but the voice of your sublime wisdom as well, and the dispenser of your mysteries. My soul is filled with joy, love, and gratitude for this singular privilege which I have received. At the same time, I am sad and troubled for having so often, and without reason, failed to respond as I ought to your great generosity.

I beg the continual assistance of your infinite goodness which will enable me to accomplish the sublime work for which You have commissioned me. With your light in my mind and your strength in my heart I shall daily dispense in greater abundance the fruits of your redemption to all people. Amen.

Prayer Source

Prayer Request from Father Vincent Inghilterra

From his email:

I personally ask you to please pray for vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life; especially that God will bless our new congregation, the Franciscans of San Damiano, dedicated to the preaching and living out of the Gospel in the spirit of Saint Francis and the salvation of souls in this- the new millennium.


Humbly in the name of our Blessed Mother and Saints Francis and Clare.

Father Vince.

Franciscans of San Damiano Brothers

A Prayer for Priests

The Virgin Mary and the Year for Priests

...The basis of Mary's love for priests is her perfect relationship with the High Priest, Jesus Christ. The Letter to the Hebrews (7:1-7) describes the high priestly dignity of Jesus who is said to be a priest "in the line of Melchizedek," that is, not of the Mosaic priesthood, but rather of a priesthood that will never pass away. After conquering the power of the devil once-for-all on Calvary, Jesus Christ eternally offers that one sacrifice to the Father for the salvation of souls, and the men who are chosen to serve in the priestly class in His Church have the duty to perpetuate that one sacrifice in time by celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Of the many things that priests have to do, it is the most important!...

Read Fr. Euteneuer's article here in its entirety.

New Year Greetings and a Prayer for Priests!

Some of our diocesan priests in concert, December 14

Objective: to raise funds for our seminarians

and to promote vocation to the priesthood

Happy New Year to our Beloved Priests!


We thank you for all you do to keep our Church alive
with Jesus' holy presence.

May He fill you with His unfailing love,
especially in the most trying times of your ministry.
May you be filled with His grace and wisdom
as you impart to us the teachings of the Church.
May you be filled with strength and ardor
at those times when inspiration seems to have gone.
May He give you energy beyond your needs
that you may face future challenges with passion.
May you be filled with joy
when the tasks seem so heavy.

We pray to the Father,
who has especially chosen you, yes,
YOU!
May He bless you immensely,
now and always!

We pray in Jesus' name, with Mary,
the Mother of the Most High Priest,
Amen.

-Prayers and Ponderings of Easter Almuena, 2010
Joy of Christ Press