Rest in Peace Mr. Len Silva, Bishop Larry's Brother

Please offer up a prayer for the repose of our dear bishop's brother who died yesterday. Also, please keep his grieving family in your prayers. NOTE: Mass was offered for Mr. Silva's repose this morning at Saints Peter and Paul Church, Honolulu.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and may Your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

The following is from the Diocese of Honolulu website.

It is with deep sadness that I share with you the news that Len Silva, brother of Bishop Larry Silva, died this morning, due to complications from surgery.

He is survived by his wife, Maria Silva, their children Kristin Salinas and Timothy Silva, and brothers Ed Silva, Frank Silva, and Larry Silva, and sister, Trudy Silva.

Please join me in praying for the repose of the soul of Mr. Len Silva and for the comfort and consolation of the Bishop and his family members. Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.

Condolences may be sent to:

Most Reverend Larry Silva
Bishop of Honolulu
1184 Bishop Street
Honolulu, HI 96813

Rest in Peace Father Schmitt

It was with much sadness that I learned from another Maryknoll priest friend that Father Schmitt had passed away.  He and Father Edwin Duffy were long time spiritual directors for the Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Homeschoolers.  I remember many fond memories of all the times we met as a group and all the spiritual guidance that this wonderful priest gave us.  He will be sorely missed.

Eternal rest grant unto Father Charlie O Lord, and may Your perpetual light shine about him. May he rest in peace.

The article Maryknoll Father Charles Schmidt gave 40 years to Hawaii in the Hawaii Catholic Herald can be found here.

Rest in Peace Father Victorian (Stephen) Van den Eynde

Father Stephen Van den Eynde

Sorry we are late in posting about Father Van den Eynde's passing. Eternal rest grant unto him o Lord and may Your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

Sadly, with Father's passing it brings the end of the Belgium priests in Hawaii.

The Hawaii Catholic Herald article can be found here.

Msgr. Daniel J. Dever

Funeral services for Msgr. Daniel J. Dever

Nov. 2: 5 p.m. visitation; 6 p.m. funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace; reception to follow

Nov. 4: 10:30 a.m. committal service at St. Stephen Diocesan Center chapel; inurnment to follow at Hawaiian Memorial Park, Kaneohe

Mahalo to the Hawaii Catholic Herald for the photo, the funeral announcement and a good article on Msgr. Dever. You can read it here.

Rest in Peace: Father Efren Tomas, father Hermogenes Tomas, Sr.

From The Diocese of Honolulu:

Please pray for the happy repose of the soul of Mr. Hermogenes Tomas, Sr., who died in the Philippines at the age of 88. He is the father of Father Efren Tomas, MS, Pastor of Christ the King, Kahului, Maui.

For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so the, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
(Romans 14: 8)

Please pray for the repose of Mr. Tomas' soul and also for his grieving family.

Father Daniel Devers, Rest in Peace

From @Catholic Hawaii's tweet:

Please pray for the happy repose of the soul of Msgr. Daniel Dever, who died today, October 19, 2011. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Please pray for the repose of Father Devers.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and may your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

Rest in Peace

From our Diocese's e-letter comes the sad news of Father Dan McNichol's passing. There is also an update on funeral arrangements for Father Pete Peterson who died a couple of months ago.

Fr. Dan McNichol - Passed away on Friday, July 29, 2011 at the age of 70.
Fr. McNichol was ordained a priest on May 21, 2967. Funeral
arrangements and services are as follows:
Wed., Aug.10: 6:00-8:30 p.m., Visitation, Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa
7:00 p.m., Vigil Service, Co-Cathedral
Thu. Aug. 11: 11:00 a.m., Funeral Mass, Co-Cathedral, Bishop Larry Silva presiding.
1:30 p.m. Burial, Mililani Cemetery

Photo source Hawaii Catholic Herald. Click there for full obituary.

Fr. Francis ‘Pete’ Peterson - Mass and burial of the remains of Fr. Francis ‘Pete’ Peterson, who died
April 14, 2011 and donated his body to the John A. Burns School of Medicine, will take place
Thursday, August 18, 2011. The schedule of the mass and burial is as follows:
Thu. Aug. 18: 8:30 - 9:30 a.m., Visitation at St. Peter & Paul Church
9:30 – 10:30 a.m., Mass with Fr. Dave Travers as the celebrant
11:30 a.m., Burial at Punchbowl Cemetery

Funeral Info for Father "Pete" Peterson

From Sts. Peter and Paul's bulletin:

His funeral Mass will be held at Sts. Peter and Paul Church on Friday, April 29th. The Church will open at 6:00 p.m. Eulogies will be said at 6:30 p.m., followed by Mass at 7:00 p.m. by Bishop Larry Silva. Parking will be limited; so if you are interested, the funeral will be broadcasted on Hawaii Catholic TV under the direction of John Fielding.

Sad News - Father "Pete" Peterson Passed Away

Hawaii Catholic Herald photo and article on Father Pete's 50th jubilee celebration

A good friend of Father Pete's and my good friend also, was the first to let me know that Father had passed away from a lengthy illness.

Father Dave, the pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul then made an announcement prior to the start of Mass, that Father Francis "Pete" Peterson had died.

He told us that Father Pete spent his entire life as a priest in Hawaii. He shared that because of injuries sustained during the war, no one wanted him (as a seminarian or priest...I guess). But a Father George Murphy made it possible for him to study for the priesthood and then Bishop Sweeney accepted him as a priest here in the Diocese of Honolulu.

He was a gentle priest and well-loved by many.

He will be missed.

Eternal rest grant unto Father Pete O Lord and may Your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

May Father Felix Vandebroek Rest in Peace

Thanks for EJ Resinto, one of our seminarians for sharing this sad news:

A beloved catholic priest who's spent more than 50 years in Hawaii has died.

Father Felix Vandebroek was found dead this morning at the Sacred Hearts Center in Kaneohe, after returning to Hawaii from a trip to Belgium where he's originally from.

Vandebroek moved to Hawaii in 1956, and has served in parishes on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and the Big Island.

Most recently, he was the pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Kalaupapa on Molokai.

He served that role for the past three years, working with people with hansen’s disease, just as fellow Belgian Saint Damien had done before.

Father Vandebroek was 83-years-old.

Source

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and may your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Rest in Peace Father Donald P. Merrifield, S.J.

..."Fr. Merrifield was assigned to the Jesuit Community, Honolulu, Hawai‘i in 2003. He served the Manoa-Punahou Catholic Community, the Newman Center at U.H./Manoa, the Hispanic Community in Kalihi and Prison Ministry. With his extensive academic and administrative background, he was welcomed to the Board of Governors of Chaminade University.

Shortly after his arrival in Hawaii, he took up the ministry of bringing breakfast to the homeless in Ala Moana Park twice a week. Using his own funds and gifts from friends he quietly served some 30 homeless people whom he befriended. As he walked the park with his brother Peter, a long time O‘ahu resident, he got to know their stories. He served in such an unassuming manner that most had no idea that he was a Catholic priest. As his health declined, others came to assist him especially from the Manoa-Punahou Catholic Community and students from the Newman Center at U.H/Manoa. What started as a small outreach has now grown to some 365 people being fed each week in several of our local parks. A great legacy of service. A few years ago, this ministry was named in his honor—Fr. Don’s Breakfast Club.” This he said touched his heart more than any honor he had ever received...

Read the article in its entirety over at Father Marc's Blog

For funeral arrangements and where to send messages of condolences, click here

I remember Father as a kindly priest with a nice smile and who gave good homilies. Rest in peace dear Father.

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

Pray for Priests Who Have Lost Their Natural Mothers

I thought this was a fantastic idea!

Our condolences to Monsignor Georg Ganswein on the loss of his beloved mother. May she rest in peace.

This November: Pray for the Souls of Departed Priests

From Fr. Z

Pray for the souls of priests.

First, remember that you can gain indulgences on All Souls and the days following.

Second, 5 November is a first Thursday. You can gain a plenary indulgence during this year for Priests.

Third, would it not be a good idea in this Year for Priests, during the week after All Souls, for this 1st Thursday, to pray in a special way for the souls of deceased priests?

May I recommend that you bring this up with your parish priests, who might make pulpit announcements this Sunday?

If you are a blogger, would you post something on this?

Would you recommend this to your prayer groups, friends and family?

Prayer Request for the Repose of the Soul of a Spiritual Son in New Jersey

Picture Source

Please keep Father Hinds in your prayer. He was the pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Chatham, New Jersey. He was murdered today. He was also my sister's spiritual son and she has requested prayers for him.

Death of Reverend Edward Hinds Ruled a Homicide

Slain Priest Remembered as Hard Working Spiritual

Plenary Indulgences for Departed Priests

With the passing of Frs. Duffy, Eikmeier and most recently Fr. Niland, it was a blessing to have Anne share the following on her blog:

Offering Your Plenary Indulgences for Departed Priests

Thank you dear Anne!

More Details - Fr. Jack Niland, OFM Cap. RIP

Diocese of Honolulu

It is with sadness that we mourn the death of Fr. Jack Niland, OFM.Cap., former pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Pearl City. He passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 5th at 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, at St. Claire Friary, Yonkers, NY.

Although funeral services will be held on the mainland, please note the memorial service to be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pearl City on August 12, 2009 @ 7:00 p.m.

We join together in praying for the repose of his soul and the comfort of his family and community.

Memorial Mass: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 7:00 P.M.
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish
1525 Waimano Home Road
Pearl City, HI 96782

Fr. Jack is survived by his mother Catherine Niland of Sparkill, NY and his sister, Carole Gerondel.

Fr. Jack served as:
Pastor: Santa Rita Parish, Santa Rita, Guam
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Agat
Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pearl City, Hawaii
Vice Provincial of the Star of the Sea, Guam and Hawaii (6 years)

Prayer and condolences may be sent to:
Catherine Niland
c/o St. Clare Friary
110 Shonnard Place
Yonkers, NY 10730-2228

Rest in Peace Father Jack Niland, OFM Cap

Diocese of Honolulu

It is with sadness that we mourn the death of Fr. Jack Niland, OFM.Cap., former pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Pearl City. He passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 5th at 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, at St. Claire Friary, Yonkers, NY. Funeral arrangements are pending.

We join together in praying for the repose of his soul and the comfort of his family and community.

Fr. Niland was one of the priests spiritually adopted in our diocese. May he rest in peace.