Merry Christmas to our Bishop and Priests!

To our beloved Bishop Larry Silva, 

Vicar General Gary Secor,

all priests and clergy:

A most joyous Christmas!

May your days of Christmas be filled with 

much joy, peace and love.

We thank you for your service

to the Church and for all your sacrifices

that lead to sanctification of souls. 

May you be blessed more than words can say,

more than a thousand, as they say,

for only God can know the measure of grace

and abundance of blessings, 

which he has wonderfully reserved 

for his priests.

God forever keep and bless you

and keep your path filled with comfort 

and the assurance of the constancy 

of his love, presence and strength.

To God be glory and honor for you!

-Spiritual moms of the Spiritual Moms Apostolate

Vocation Discernment In January 2013

Any man or woman who is discerning the possibility of a religious vocation is invited to 

A presentation on discipleship by Sister Katherine Francis Miller, SS.CC. and Sister Irene Barboza, SS.CC. 

Sunday, January 12, 2014 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. 

St. Anthony Retreat Center – Bishop Libert Hall 

3351 Kalihi Street Honolulu Hawaii 96819 

RSVP/information: Sister Ivy Yim, SS.CC. at (808)845-4353 

Father David Lupo, SS.CC. at lupo.david@yahoo.com 

http://sistersofthesacredhearts.org http://sscc.org

This event is sponsored by St. Anthony Retreat Center 

Gaudette Sunday

The Third Sunday of Advent or "Gaudette," meaning a day of "rejoicing," is an invitation to be joyful in the promise of the coming of God.

God's joy is made manifest in the church; Pope Francis himself said on Gaudette Sunday that the Church is a "house of joy." In the liturgy the invitation to rejoice and to arise is evident as it resounds to us that "the Lord is near, Christmas is near."

"Christian joy, like hope, has its foundation in the faithfulness of God, in the certainty that he always keeps his promises," Pope Francis said.

I say that Evangelii Gaudium or "Joy of the Gospel" is most likely the best resource to read for this week. I invite you all to read this writing of our dear pope, Pope Francis. I'm in the process of reading this apostolic exhortation and already I am filled with awe for what God wants his children to see that many have forgotten: mainly, that he is a God of joy.

A most joyful Gaudette!


Read more about Gaudette Sunday 2013.

Renewing ourselves this Advent

Fr. Khanh Pam-Nguyen 

St. Stephen Catholic Church, Nuuanu

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says the Lord.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her

that her service is at end…” (Isaiah 40:1-2a).

God paints a picture of hope for his people of the present time. Though the message above is thousands of years old, it comes to us new because God is capable of making things new. He himself is ever-new, ever-fresh.

The Lord comforts us in our journeys. Understanding this is a gift that is renewing to the heart and mind. Undoubtedly, part of that understanding is willingness to engage in the mission to bring God’s comfort to his people. No one is exempted; for, by virtue of baptism, the call has been powerfully and wonderfully laid within us. The baptismal birthright allows us to recognize the natural flow God intends for his children to follow; in this case, because we have received God’s comfort, we are to share that comfort with others.

To be a comfort to people is to understand also the need to embrace God fully, to surrender to him completely knowing that his kingship shall reign in our lives; that God can be trusted to govern us with justice, mercy, and infinite love; that God will take care of our needs; that God will lead us to the path of eternal light.

In our journeys to God, let us continuously be engaged in the renewal of our relationships with him. Let us continue to be in tune with his Word. Let us be passionate also in allowing grace to work for us as we read writings inspired by the Holy Spirit that make us grow.

A joyful Advent to all!



More resources for Advent, or anytime of the year:

1. In Conversation with God by Fr. Francis Fernandez

I cannot be happier than I already am for having purchased the series In Conversation with God. Of seven volumes that cover the Latin Church's liturgical readings, it is a companion to a spiritual journey that accentuates God working in the ordinariness of life. You can be sure to see yourself working in the mundane with God's vigor and grace.

2. The Way, Furrow, The Forge By St. Josemaria Escriva (a priest who founded Opus Dei)

This one is a three-volume set of writings by St. Josemaria meant to ensure anyone a heightened desire of intimacy with God. The counsels are simple yet deep enough to jar the mind and heart that they may listen more attentively to the voice of God. When one desires to follow, it is a good beginning of a journey that leads to both challenges and joys. This book is worth having in a journey to one's final end, where end itself is bliss of eternity. 

"What a marvelous time in which to renew your desire, your nostalgia, your real longing for Christ to come — for him to come every day to your soul in the Eucharist. The Church encourages us: Ecce veniet! — He is about to arrive!" (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Forge, 548).

Pray for Fr. Tim Otman

Fr. Tim Otman, a Benedictine priest of Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Wailua, passed yesterday, December 5, 2013, at 5:19 p.m. He received the Body of Christ an hour before leaving our earthly home. Fr. Tim died of natural cause. He was 92.

We pray for the repose of his soul. He was a good man and priest. We were greatly blessed by his presence and service to the the church.

I praise God for the opportunity to have known Fr. Tim, whom I had the chance to visit several times. A good family in Wailua took care of him for several months until his peaceful death. Sr. Mary Jo, my children and I brought him Holy Communion a few months ago, prayed with him, and sang him a song of Mary. He had a beautiful smile on his face as we were singing, which was not a surprise to us because he had a special love of and devotion to Mary. At another time I brought him chocolates. He was not strong enough to feed himself, so I had the privilege of feeding him his favorite food! What wonderful memories I had of him! --  mainly of laughter and joy. For that I praise God!

Mahalo for your prayers for Fr. Tim! Please keep the Benedictines in your prayers.

Pope Francis' Message on Peace

Pope Francis urges all people to have respect for God's creations and not to be instruments of destruction. He mentions St. Francis who exemplifies peace in the world. I invite you to take the time to watch it. Mahalo!

Vocation Discernment

"All to God, All for God" vocation discernment: 

Nov. 10, 2-5 p.m.
at St. Anthony Retreat Center, Kalihi Valley. 

Men and women who are discerning the possibility
of religious life can join Sacred Hearts Father David Lupo and Sister Ivy Yim 

for an afternoon of worship and reflection. 

More info: 845-4353 or lupo.david@yahoo.com.

Pope Francis to bishops: be in the midst of your flock

The Multiple Identities of the Priest

Picture source

A seminarian friend John Nahrgang recently attended a ten-week summer program for diocesan seminarians at the Institute of Priestly Formation (IPF). IPF, based at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, was created nearly 20 years ago as a program to assist bishops in the area of formation for candidates for the priesthood. He shared the following:

"The program takes its motto from a beautiful quote from Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, a former superior general of the Jesuits:

Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in Love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in Love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.

That quote has stayed with me, as well as this gem from one of the founders of IPF and an expert on Ignatian spirituality, Fr. George Aschenbrenner, SJ:

Diocesan priestly spirituality builds on a renunciation of this world, with all its goodness and all its allurements… Through an ongoing, graced, expansive experience of God’s love, a whole shift of an individual’s center of gravity occurs.  Gradually more and more identified in God’s love alone, the priest experiences a certain disengagement from the world as an identity center – precisely because he is so fully engaged with the fire of God’s love.

These two insights highlight what I have come to believe God was asking of me at this time in my spiritual formation - a paradigm shift, both in the way I have viewed myself in relation to Him and in the way I interact with Him in my spiritual life, above all in prayer.  And the impulse of this shift has its starting point in Divine Love.  

At IPF, we were blessed with a great mix of meditation, spiritual direction, fellowship, worship, classes, lectures, apostolic service and small-group discussion.  The quality of instruction was tremendous.  Our instructors had deep background in parish ministry, spiritual direction, psychology and deliverance ministry.  Here's just one example of the very sound teaching we got at IPF.  The priest interviewed here was with us for all ten weeks and frequently gave us talks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-3_Jdz8H3Y 

A major part of my education at IPF came through a more thorough understanding of the multiple identities of the priest.  There are five: beloved son, chaste spouse, spiritual father, spiritual physician and head and shepherd.  Here are some insights I learned from each of them.  I hope you find them insightful and edifying as you pray for the priests of our Church. 

1. BELOVED SON

A priest must understand that before anything else he is a beloved son of God the Father by virtue of his baptism into Christ (this of course goes for all Christians as well). When God the Father looks upon me, He desires that Christ's sonship be lived out in me.  I had so much lived experience outside of the light of faith that it was extremely difficult for me to accept that truth. For a long time I sort of relegated myself to praying for an occasional "mountaintop" spiritual experience. 

As a beloved son of God the Father, I must imitate Jesus in receiving everything from the Father "in the classroom of dependence."  Put another way, "in my spiritual poverty."  Put yet another way, "in the midst of my unfulfilled desires."  For me this was a crucial insight for understanding better the concept of holiness.  

Holiness is a vocation for everyone since everyone is capable of humbling himself/herself in imitation of Jesus in the Father's classroom of dependence: I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me" (Jn 5:30)

Beloved sonship is a fundamental identity for a future priest.  It enables a child of God to receive God's love, which must happen before he can communicate it to others.  First and foremost, I must know that I'm loved by my Father in Heaven.

2. CHASTE SPOUSE

A second identity is Chaste Spouse.  We know that priests are married to the Church.  What does that really mean though?  And how is it lived out?

I must be vigilant, because I'm also a creature of attachment whose affections bond me to others (or things).  If I don’t contemplate Christ and have my life deepened and absorbed by Him, I will become self-absorbed and absorbed into the values of the world.  And priestly ordination doesn't automatically protect me from absorption pointed in the wrong direction.  Jesus, of course, is the example par excellence.  The Church is more a bride of Christ than any espoused couple on earth.  That also means that a priest is more truly married than a man married sacramentally to a woman.  Priestly celibacy is not sterile, but fruitful.  Fruitfulness for a celibate priest is measured by spiritual children, meaning a harvest of souls brought closer to God and ultimately to heaven through his service.  Priests guide souls to the Cross and receive the love of God there, which opens up the path to spiritual resurrection in their lives.  There is no Resurrection without the Cross; thanks to the Resurrection the Cross becomes the Tree of Life, for Jesus and for the rest of us.  

The love that is first received as Beloved Son, is shared as Chaste Spouse.  Being a spouse is also about being attracted.  I must be not only be attracted to the love of God and receive that love so that I may share it, but I must also be attracted to souls who want union with God.  Out of my love for God and love for souls come a desire to draw others into the communion of the Trinity that I myself experience.  Those who want to share in it are fertile (spiritually speaking).  This is the heavenly meaning of being a Chaste Spouse.

Since the Chaste Spouse is oriented towards the spiritual growth of many souls, he must guard against the desire to be desired by any particular person (insert "attractive woman" here).  Although romantic love is an objective good, the celibate priest has already offered his celibacy as a gift to God, and so romantic involvement with a woman would constitute infidelity. 

Asceticism is about wanting more, not less.  I say no to the less, so that I can say yes to the more.  It’s not about hating the less, but about being aware of a desire, bringing it to the Lord and letting Him know that I want Him more.  The heart of a Christian ascetic says, “Lord, I acknowledge to You that I want (fill in the blank) right now, but I want You more.”

3.  SPIRITUAL FATHER

Notice that there's a progression to the first three identities.  Good fathers are good because they are good sons and good spouses.

A priest is a father after the image of the Heavenly Father. The heart of spiritual fatherhood is a pastoral charity that says, "I want what is best for you all the time." This is also the true meaning of genuine love.  A spiritual father guides others to the Father in the classroom of dependence and encourages them.

4.  SPIRITUAL PHYSICIAN

The Spiritual Physician convinces people who are at the Cross that they're being loved there.  He knows how to help a person receive love exactly where they are most wounded spiritually.  And the more wounded one is, the more she is attacked in sin, and the more ready she is disposed to believe the lie in sin/suffering that she's not loved, when sickness comes, and the less willing she is to believe in the good news.  But Christ can do all things, as Msgr. Tom Richter from the Diocese of Bismarck showed us through his beautiful exegesis of Jesus and the woman at the well.  Msgr. Richter taught us how wonderful of a spiritual physician Christ was with the woman at the well.  She came to the well at the hottest point of the day to avoid the shame of being seen by others. She was carrying a big burden.  Jesus entered and evoked holy desires in her heart. She became aware of these desires and related them back to Jesus. Then, in a surprising turn of conversation, he said, "Bring your husband.”  This part of the Gospel confuses a lot of people but Jesus went right to her place of woundedness, the ball of cancer.  Jesus said, "Let’s talk about that."  Brilliant!  He answered her question: "Ok, here’s how we get at it.  I’m a physician.  Here’s your cancer.  Let’s deal with it."  And the very thing that had filled her life with shame no longer did.  She ran off liberated.  She was no longer self-focused in her misery.  Instead, she joyfully ran off to tell others in the village about this Spiritual Physician.

A spiritual father is comfortable with the human mess.  He’s not shocked in the confessional.  He’s a calming presence in the midst of the human mess.  He assures people that God is in control here.  A spiritual father has a disdainful respect for spiritual disease (sin).  The kind of respect that an epidemiologist has for a vial of bubonic plague in the lab.  Evil is real.  Sin is real.  But Jesus is not intimidated by sin, and neither should the priest be as a spiritual physician.

5.  HEAD AND SHEPHERD

This is an identity specific to ministerial priesthood.  It's about governance and obedience, particularly obedience predicated upon the desire to serve God through the Church.  And guided as well by pastoral charity.

A shepherd guides his flock towards a destination.  The priest heals, teaches, feeds, forgives, encourages, corrects and consoles with the overriding purpose of leading souls to receive love at the Cross.  It's about leading souls to the Resurrection via the Crucifixion.  So that all the people can be united with the true Christ, who then offers all to the Father so that the Father can be glorified.  That’s the ultimate end of all of this.   

The two vices opposed to true pastoral charity as exhibited by the shepherd are hardness of heart and false compassion.  Jesus was never mean, and the priest should imitate him.  There were times he was indignant or angry on account of injustice, but he was never mean.  His anger was above all directed at hypocrisy.

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist - Visiting Bishop's homily

Visiting bishop and pastor this morning after Mass

Today Saints Peter and Paul Church in Honolulu, was privileged to have a visiting bishop from the Philippines, celebrate Mass.

In his homily about the gospel reading of the death of St. John the Baptist,  he gave two examples of two very young people who were not afraid to stand up for the truth and to stand up for their faith.

The first story was about a busload of people traveling into Muslim territory in the Philippines. The Muslim bandits stopped the bus and ordered all the Christians off the bus.  Not one person on the bus had the courage to stand up and state that he or she was a Christian. However, one small boy stood up.  His mother frantically tried to tell him to be quiet and to stay down.  He responded that he had just learned in his catechism class to stand up for the faith.  The bandits lead him off the bus. They were actually impressed by this brave little Christian and thank God, nothing bad happened.

The second and less dramatic story was about the bishop and some Catholic volunteers bringing relief supplies to a tent city of homeless people.  Upon seeing extra relief supplies, one man asked for another bag.  His little daughter spoke out and told her father and the volunteers that they had already had their share and maybe someone else could use it. The father told her to be quiet but the little girl insisted it they had already had their share.  Later that night, the angry father slapped his daughter on her face.

We can learn much from these two young people who followed the example of the baptizer who stood up for truth, regardless of the danger to themselves.

September Vocation Discernment

Picture source

Mary replied:

”Yes.”

Any person who is discerning the possibility of a religious vocation is invited
Sunday, September 8-Mary’s Birthday 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Sisters of the Sacred Hearts Community
1117 Fourth Avenue Honolulu Hawaii 96816
Join us for an afternoon of worship and reflection with Sister Mary Dolorine Pires, ss.cc. & Sister Ivy Yim, ss.cc.
RSVP/information:
Sister Ivy Yim, ss.cc.
(808)845-4353

Happy Birthday Bishop Larry!

PRAYER FOR OUR BISHOP

O, Jesus, 

Prince of Pastors, Shepherd and Bishop of our souls,

give our bishop all those virtues, which he needs for his sanctification!

May he watch over himself and the entire flock,

with which the Holy Spirit has entrusted him!

Fill his heart with Thine Own Spirit!

Give him faith, charity, wisdom and strength!

Send him faithful co-laborers in the great work of saving and guiding souls!

Make him a shepherd after Thine own Heart, 

living only for his holy office,

fearing nobody but Thee,

and hoping for nothing but Thee,

in order that when Thou Shalt come, to judge shepherds

and their flocks,

he may obtain the unfading reward of eternal life!

Especially, bless our beloved bishop Larry, today as he celebrated his birthday!

Amen!

Imprimatur
Most Rev. Vincent S. Waters, D.D.
Raleigh, N.C.
March 25, 1956

Growing in Holiness: Modesty and Chastity

Pope Benedict XV

For meditation:

"One can not sufficiently deplore the blindness of so many women of every age and station. Made foolish by a desire to please, they do not see to what degree the indecency of their clothing shocks every honest man and offends God. Most of them would formerly have blushed for such apparel as for a grave fault against Catholic modesty. Now it does not suffice to exhibit themselves on public thoroughfares; they do not fear to cross the threshold of churches, to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and even to bear the seducing food of shameful passions to the Eucharistic Table, where one receives the Heavenly author of Purity."  

-Benedict XV, Sacra PropediemJune 1, 1921, n. 19

For the spiritual mothers: We are not consecrated virgins, but great are the riches to learn from the writings of Pope Pius XII on Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on Consecrated Virginity.

"To prayer must be added frequent and fervent use of the Sacrament of Penance which, as a spiritual medicine, purifies and heals us; likewise it is necessary to receive the Eucharist, which as Our predecessor of happy memory Leo XIII asserted, is the best remedy against lust.[111] The more pure and chaste is a soul, the more it hungers for this bread, from which it derives strength to resist all temptations to sins of impurity, and by which it is more intimately united with the Divine Spouse; 'He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, abides in me and I in him.'[112]" Sacra Virginitas, #63, Encyclical )

The eminent way to protect and nourish an unsullied and perfect chastity, as proven by experience time and again throughout the course of centuries, is solid and fervent devotion to the Virgin Mother of God. In a certain way all other helps are contained in this devotion; there is no doubt that whoever is sincerely and earnestly animated by this devotion is salutarily inspired to constant vigilance, to continual prayer, to receive the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Therefore in a paternal way We exhort all priests, religious men and women, to entrust themselves to the special protection of the holy Mother of God who is the Virgin of virgins and the 'teacher of virginity,' as Ambrose says,[113] and the most powerful Mother of those in particular who have vowed and consecrated themselves to the service of God." Sacra Virginitas, #64, Encyclical )

Sources cited: 

111. Leo XIII, encyclica Mirae caritatis, d. 28 Maii, a. 1902; A. L. XXII, pp. 1902-1903.

112. Io. VI, 57. 

113: S. Ambros., De institutione virginis, c. 6, n. 46; PL XVI, 320.

Prayer for priests

O my Jesus, 

I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: 

Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit 

and give power to the words of priests 

so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance 

and return to You, O Lord.

Lord, give us holy priests; 

You Yourself maintain them in holiness. 

O Divine and Great High Priest, 

may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere 

and protect them from the devil's traps and snares 

which are continually being set for the souls of priests. 

May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, 

shatter and bring to naught 

all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, 

for You can do all things. 

I ask You, Jesus, 

for a special blessing 

and for light for the priests 

before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime.

Amen.

Support Our Seminarians

Submitted by Fr. Pascual Abaya IV
Director of Vocations

On November 30, 2007, Bishop Larry Silva sent a letter to all priests in the Diocese of Honolulu asking for support for the education of our seminarians. The second collection for the Seminarian Education Fund will take place this July 13-14, 2013.  In his letter, Bishop mentioned that the Office of Vocations is doing three things:

1. vocations awareness throughout the Diocese;
2. processing vocations prospects as they further their discernment; and
3. encouraging the moral, spiritual, and material support for our present seminarians. 

As Director of Vocations, I continue to seek your assistance and encourage you to join me in this mission so we can continue to promote vocations in the Diocese and have more priests to serve in the future.

One way we can help is through the collection that is coming up the weekend of July 13-14.  The Vocations Office spends at minimum of $45,000.00 for each seminarian and currently we have ten spirit-filled men pursuing their aspiration of becoming priests for the Diocese of Honolulu.  Five of them are in College and five are in Theology.  Please continue to pray for them as we in the Vocation’s Office keep you in our prayers in a very special way. 

Diocese of Honolulu

Photos from the celebration Mass in honor of Sts. Peter and Paul

Saints Peter and Paul Church, celebrated their patron's feast day with a vigil Mass last evening.  It began with vespers, followed by Holy Mass.  Afterwards, there was fellowship and finally, the evening ended with the viewing of the movie Peter and Paul starring Anthony Hopkins.

The Consecration:

Saint Josemaría Escrivá - On the Priesthood

Picture source

Today is the optional memorial of the founder of Opus Dei. The following are some of his quotes from his book The Way, on the priesthood.

66.  "A priest - whoever he may be - is always another Christ".

67.  "Though you well know it, I shall remind you again that a Priest is 'another Christ'.  And that the holy Spirit has said:  'Nolite tangere Christos meos - do not touch my Christs'."

68.  "Presbyter - Priest - means, literally, an elderly man.  If old age deserves veneration, think how much more you ought to venerate the Priesthood."

69.  "It shows very little refinement--and great lack of respect--to make fun of a Priest, whoever he is, and whatever the pretext!"

70.  "I repeat:  to make fun of a Priest - no matter what the circumstances- is always, at best, a sign of coarseness and poor taste."

71.  "How we should admire sacerdotal purity!  It is their treasure.  No tyrant can ever wrest this crown from the Church."

72.  "Don't place a Priest in peril of losing his dignity.  It is a virtue which, without being pompous, he simply must have.

How that young cleric- a friend of ours- prayed for it:  'Lord, grant me...eighty years of dignity!'

Pray for it for the whole Priesthood, and you will have done a good thing."

73.  "It cut you to the heart to hear people say that you have spoken badly of those Priests.  And I am glad that it hurt:  for now I am quite sure you have the right spirit!"

74.  "To love God and not venerate his Priests...is not possible."

75.  "Like the good sons of Noah, throw the mantle of charity over the defects you see in your father, the Priest.

Bishop Larry Silva to Receive the Order of Honorary Alii Knight Companion, 7th Degree

Congratulations to our dear Bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu, Bishop Larry Silva, whose dedication to the mission of the Church is most exemplary.

The Royal Order of Kamehameha I will bestow the order of Honorary Alii Knight Companion, 7th degree, on Roman Catholic Bishop Larry Silva, in an investiture ceremony, 6:00 p.m., June 25, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu. MEDIA NEED TO BE IN PLACE BY 5:45 PM 

The presiding high chief at the ceremony will be Alii Aimoku O Hawaii I, Alii Sir Arthur K. Aiu, Knight Grand Cross Knight (KGCK), and escorting Bishop Silva are Alii Aimoku O Kuhio VI of Kaneohe, Alii Sr. Gary Keawe-Aiko (KGCK) and Alii Aimoku O Kapuaiwa VIII of Kapolei, Alii Sir Clarence DeLude III (KGCK).Bishop Silva will be enrolled as a member of the Hawaii Chapter I of the Royal Order.

The invitation to become of the Honorary Alii Knight Companion, 7th degree, also states of Bishop Larry:

"distinguished himself to membership of Hawaii Chapter I of the Royal Order of Kamehameha 1 during the ceremony at Iolani Palace for Saint Marianne Cope OSF who served with Saint Damien at Kalaupapa, Molokai..."

"Bishop Silva has gained the respect and admiration of the High Chiefs, Chief, Officers, Mamo Hawaii and Na Wahine Hui o Kamehameha 1 for his ecumenical spirit of aloha, kindness sensitivity to our island ways and for his love of the Hawaiian culture and all the cultures for people from around the world who call Hawaii home."

Full text from the Diocese of Honolulu main website.

(This is an invitation-only event. Coverage will be provided by our local t.v. stations, so watch the local news tonight.)

Discernment Retreat, July 7

YOUR WILL BE DONE

A retreat for anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 who is discerning 

the possibility of a religious vocation 

Sunday, July 7, 2013 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

St. Anthony Retreat Center 
@Bishop Libert Hall 

3351 Kalihi Street Honolulu HI 96819 

Join us for an afternoon of 
worship & amp,  and reflection with: 

Sister Helene Wood, ss.cc., 

Father David Lupo, ss.cc., 

and Sister Ivy Yim, ss.cc. 

RSVP/more information, contact:

Sister Ivy Yim, ss.cc. at (808)845-4353 

or Father David Lupo, ss.cc. at lupo.david@yahoo.com 

Sponsored by St. Anthony Retreat Center 

After 10-year absence, Hawaii priest returns to ministry

Story from the Hawaii Catholic Herald

Father Stephen Macedo - Eucharistic Procession, Honolulu -  Feast of Corpus Christi

The bishop presented Father Macedo to the faithful, on the Feast of Corpus Christi.  Father Macedo is now back in active ministry!  Praise God!  Please keep him in your prayers as he makes the transition to being a priest again.  We are also in the process of having him spiritually adopted!

Prayers for a Priest

Mahalo to Jean for sharing.

World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests 2013

Today is the last day of the Novena to the Sacred Heart for our priests' intentions.  Tomorrow we commemorate World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

Blessed John Paul II established that, on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart, the Church will observe the World Day of prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

In 2002, the Catholic Church announced a special annual world priest day, a day of prayer for the sanctification of priests to be held on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The 2010 to 2011 ''Year of The Priests'' was a tremendous success worldwide. We are most grateful to all who participated in making this year of prayer such a special gift to all priests.

We strongly encourage each and every one of the faithful to begin, if not already doing so, to pray for our priests today - this day, this very moment - in preparation through prayer, celebration of the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, so that the 07th June 2013 will be an even greater celebration of the priesthood of Jesus Christ worldwide.

Click here for the source and to read the The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests 07th June 2013 LETTER TO PRIESTS

EWTN will be broadcasting live the Rosary Relay for Priests on First Friday, June 7th, 2013 at 9:30 A.M. EST. The following are prayers for our priests.

Suggested devotion/prayer:

Reflective Moment at 3:00 P.M.  3:00 P.M. begins the Hour of Mercy.  We can start this reflective moment by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

We are encouraging people around the world to stop whatever they are doing at 3pm local time and spend a quiet moment praying in thanksgiving for our priests and contemplating the gift of priesthood.

Set your cell phone alarm to ring at 3pm local time as a reminder to stop reflect and pray for a few moments.

''I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice''. --From the diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska, 1572

"If we make Jesus' call to have 'confidence in his divine mercy' penetrate our being, which the Pope has relaunched in the present time, we will realize that it is precisely priests who are personally called to allow themselves to be imbued by the Spirit given to us by the risen Christ, which makes us a sign of God's forgiveness for all". --Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy

LORD JESUS CHRIST,
eternal High Priest, you offered yourself to the
Father on the altar of the Cross and through the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit gave your priestly
people a share in your redeeming sacrifice.
Hear our prayer for the sanctification of our priests.
Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial
priesthood may be ever more conformed to you,
the divine Master. May they preach the
Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience.
Let them be shepherds according to your own Heart,
single- minded in service to you and to the Church
and shining examples of a holy,simple and joyful life. Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
your Mother and ours,draw all priests and the flocks
entrusted to their care to the fullness of eternal life where
you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

AMEN

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

His Holiness Benedict XVI's Prayer for Priests
(specially composed for Worldpriest)

PRAYER FOR A PRIEST

Risen Lord Jesus,
You love your priest with all your priestly Heart.
Hear our heartfelt prayer for our priests and in particular today for Father __________________.
We pray for our faithful and fervent priests,
for joyful and dedicated priests,
for unfaithful and struggling priests,
for lonely and desolate priests,
for sick and dying priests,
for the souls of priest in Purgatory.
Merciful Heart of Jesus, remember that they are weak and frail human beings.
Increase in them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love.
We ask that in their loneliness, You comfort them;
in their sorrow, You strengthen them;
in their frustration, You show them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified.
Eternal High Priest, keep them close to your sacred Heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and eternity.
Please call forth more priests to serve Your Church.

Amen Source: Diocese of Jefferson City, MO via EWTN

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

by John Cardinal O'Connor

Lord Jesus, we your people pray to You for our priests. You have given them to us for OUR needs. We pray for them in THEIR needs.
We know that You have made them priests in the likeness of your own priesthood. You have consecrated them, set them aside, annointed them, filled them with the Holy Spirit, appointed them to teach, to preach, to minister, to console, to forgive, and to feed us with Your Body and Blood.
Yet we know, too, that they are one with us and share our human weaknesses. We know too that they are tempted to sin and discouragement as are we, needing to be ministered to, as do we, to be consoled and forgiven, as do we. Indeed, we thank You for choosing them from among us, so that they understand us as we understand them, suffer with us and rejoice with us, worry with us and trust with us, share our beings, our lives, our faith.
We ask that You give them this day the gift You gave Your chosen ones on the way to Emmaus: Your presence in their hearts, Your holiness in their souls, Your joy in their spirits. And let them see You face to face in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread.
We pray to You, O Lord, through Mary the mother of all priests, for Your priests and for ours.
Amen.

March, 1995

LITANY FOR PRIESTS

Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
give all priests Thy spirit of humility;
Jesus, poor and worn out for souls,
give all priests Thy spirit of zeal;
Jesus, full of patience and mercy for sinners,
give all priests Thy spirit of compassion;
Jesus, victim for the sins of the world,
give all priests Thy spirit of sacrifice;
Jesus, lover of the little and the poor,
give all priests Thy spirit of charity.
Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us;
and obtain for us numerous and holy
priests and religious.
Amen.

Source:  EWTN

Prayer for Priests by St. Therese of Lisieux

For the Spiritual Moms: Grace

We praise you, Holy Trinity, for the gift of grace!

What is grace? What are the two kinds of grace? Catholic Answers gives us what we need to understand grace; it also serves as a good review. The reading is easy; it is great for ages 10 to 110 so, yes, you can send this site to friends and family. 

I will be posting "lessons" such as this one to remind us of the rich teachings of our Church. We are and have been equipped with an abundance of teachings to learn from and be reminded of, so that we may truly learn from them and live in holiness. 

Dear Spiritual Moms, we pray that priests may live in holiness -- a noble task! -- but we ourselves should remain holy, or do our best to become holy and live in holiness as best we can. (Which grace do we need to live this kind of holiness?) Read Catholic Answers that tells us about grace.

Let us pray for one another. "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:16). We are encouraged to pray for one another because "the prayer of a righteous mans is powerful and effective" (James 5:16b).

"Do not confirm yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:2). 

Happy Reading!

Photos from the Eucharistic Procession on Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi 2013, Diocese of Honolulu

Click below to see schedule or events:

Morning Adoration
Holy Mass and Eucharistic Procession
Adoration and Closing Benediction

Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations

Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations

Sunday, June 2, 2013 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Sacred Heart Chapel 

St. Anthony Retreat Center

3351 Kalihi Street Honolulu Hawaii 96819

For more information, 

call Sister Ivy Yim, SS.CC. at 845-4353 

Pope Francis: "Pray for us Bishops and Priests"

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and Mass Information

Happy Feast Day dear Spiritual Moms!

May dear Lady of Fatima, guide and protect you and your families and of course, your spiritual sons!

The following are churches that will be celebrating Holy Mass the week of May 13th to May 17th.

1.  Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Honolulu

2.  St. John the Evangelist Church, Mililani

3.  St. Joseph, Waipahu

4.  Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Downtown

Mahalo Spiritual Moms for the above information.  This list may be updated.

Happy Mother's Day!

Dear Spiritual Moms:

We hope you have a very blessed Mother's Day!

May our blessed Mother keep you and your spiritual sons always in her loving and motherly care.

Pray for our Priests: Convocation 2013

Mon, 13 May 2013 - Fri, 17 May 2013

Annual Priests Convocation