Benedictine Monastery in Hawai'i

Have you ever had the need to get away from the city or from it all?  Not that you want to get away permanently, but for just a day or two maybe? Are you thinking of having a mini retreat? Of going to a place where you will find priests and religious sisters who are there ready to listen and provide you with spiritual tools or advice? Come to the Benedictine Monastery!

It is where I go every other month for a 2-day respite. It's an absolutely beautiful place to commune with God and to experience being in a community.

If you are from the mainland or other parts of the world, come and give this place a try. You are welcome!

The Benedictine Monastery of Hawaii, located in the hills above Waialua, was founded by Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey, Pecos, New Mexico, and belongs to the Benedictine Congregation of Mount Olivet. We are a monastic community of men and women.    As Benedictines we belong to the oldest religious order of the Catholic Church. Our way of life has been followed for nearly 1500 years and is based on Holy Scripture, particularly the gospels, and the Rule of St. Benedict.    Our day centers around the praise and worship of God in the celebration of the Eucharist and the recitation of the Psalms by the community three times a day.    Individual prayer and spiritual reading foster intimacy with the Lord Jesus. For every monk there is a single goal: union with Christ.    Both men and women religious may live within the monastic community and make vows of obedience, stability, conversion of life, chastity and poverty.    Typically, each Benedictine monastery will have its own distinctive characteristics. The Hawaii Benedictines give emphasis to Life in the Spirit; thus we gratefully accept the activity and gifts (charisms) of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to his disciples.    As well, our community fosters a special love for Mary, the mother of Our Lord. Daily we pray the rosary together.
Our Purpose    We believe that the Father and God of us all led us to Hawaii to serve His people. Our service is twofold.
1. Prayer. Ours is a community of prayer. We have seen the power of prayer; we have witnessed its effects in promoting healing and wholeness in individuals and families. We Benedictines are committed to prayer for all the people of these islands.
2. Action. Our active service consists in conducting parish missions, retreats, seminars and days of renewal; by counseling individuals and families; by spiritual direction. We also coordinate a program for Benedictine "Oblates" -- these are lay people, married or single, who wish to apply the wisdom of St. Benedict in their daily living.
Our Goal.    Our goal is the promotion of authentic PEACE, God's Peace, within every person.  

Source: Benedictine Monastery website.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Spiritual Moms!

Our Lady of Fatima - May Crowning, Sacred Heart Church, Honolulu

Dear Blessed Mother,
On this beautiful Mother's Day in Hawaii,
we look to imitate your loving, gentle and prayerful ways
as we continue to pray for your priests.
May our prayers and your motherly intercession,
keep our spiritual sons always safe, healthy and more
importantly, ever faithful and holy as they continue to shepherd the flock.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, and your divine son.
Amen.

Feast of St. Damien

"I feel no disgust when I hear the confessions of those near their end, whose wounds are full of maggots...This may give you some idea of my daily work.  Picture to yourself a collection of huts with 800 Lepers.  No doctor; in fact, as there is no cure, there seems no place for a doctor's skill." - 

Father Damien

Prayer Request for All Our Priests This Week

Please keep our spiritual sons, our priests in your prayers as they attend their annual convocation

Three Year Old "Priest Celebrating Mass"

The following was shared by one of our spiritual moms. Mahalo!!

Pray for Priests before Start of Mass

It is most important to come to church a few minutes early, so that an ample amount of time will be spent in prayer. We do not just pray for ourselves, but also for the priest who will be officiating the Holy Mass. Here is text from Magisterium Fidei, to remind us how important the role is of our priests in celebrating the Sacred Liturgy.

32... For such a Mass brings a rich and abundant treasure of special graces to help the priest himself, the faithful, the whole Church and the whole world toward salvation—and this same abundance of graces is not gained through mere reception of Holy Communion. 

33. And so, We recommend from a paternal and solicitous heart that priests, who constitute Our greatest joy and Our crown in the Lord, be mindful of the power they have received from the bishop who ordained them—the power of offering sacrifice to God and of celebrating Mass for the living and for the dead in the name of the Lord. (79) We recommend that they celebrate Mass daily in a worthy and devout fashion, so that they themselves and the rest of the faithful may enjoy the benefits that flow in such abundance from the Sacrifice of the Cross. In doing so, they will also be making a great contribution toward the salvation of mankind.

Source:

MYSTERIUM FIDEI ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST SEPTEMBER 3, 1965

The priest is the guide to the truth