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!