Father Stephen Macedo, right, is embraced by Bishop Larry Silva after renewing his priestly promises at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, June 2. Father Macedo was the principal celebrant of the Mass, and as homilist, related the day’s feast of Corpus Christi to memories of his Portuguese heritage. (Photo by Darlene Dela Cruz)
Father Stephen Macedo, a priest of the Diocese of Honolulu who left priestly ministry 10 years ago, has been accepted back into the ranks of active clergy by Bishop Larry Silva.
His return was made official in two separate ceremonies, a private one May 17 with Hawaii priests at their annual convocation, and a public one June 2 at the Mass for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa.
Father Macdedo renewed his priestly promises before the bishop at the convocation’s closing Mass at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s north shore.
He repeated his renewal of priestly promises at the 10:30 a.m. co-cathedral Mass at which he was also the principal celebrant and homilist. He then joined Bishop Silva in the mile-long Corpus Christi eucharistic procession to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.
The bishop has assigned Father Macedo to be parochial vicar of Annunciation Parish in Waimea on the Big Island starting July 1. After a year of mentoring by Father Robert Schwarzhaupt, pastor of Annunciation and Sacred Heart Church in Hawi, Father Macedo will be elevated to pastor of the Waimea Parish. Father Schwarz-haupt will remain the pastor in Hawi.
Father Macedo, 51, the grandson of Portuguese immigrants from the Azores, grew up on a farm in the town of Manteca in California’s central valley. After graduating in 1986 with a degree in dairy and fruit sciences at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obisbo, he was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Monterey where the university is located.
He came to Hawaii in 1989, to take a course in hospital ministry at Queen’s Medical Center and “fell in love” with the islands. He switched dioceses and Hawaii Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario ordained him for Honolulu on June 12, 1993, in the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa.
His first assignment was as an associate pastor at St. John Apostle and Evangelist Parish in Mililani.
He was pastor of both Sacred Heart Parish in Naalehu and Holy Rosary Parish in Pahala when he left the active ministry in early 2003.
‘God wanted me to be happy’
Father Macedo discussed his return to ministry last week by iPhone, texting his answers to questions posed by the Hawaii Catholic Herald.
He said he left the priesthood a decade ago because most of the priests in his Big Island “support group” — Fathers George DeCosta, Konelio Faletoi, Scott Bush, Marvin Samiano, Dennis Koshko and Alapaki Kim — some of whom he had known since seminary days, had been assigned to Oahu, leaving him “lonely” and “pretty alone.”
“I knew God loved me and wanted me to be happy, and I was not feeling happy, fulfilled or supported,” he said.
At the same time, he said he was also “pretty demoralized” by the clergy sex abuse scandal which had erupted, mostly on the Mainland.
While pastor, Father Macedo had been with the volunteer fire company in Pahala and Naalehu and had passed the civil service exam and physical agility test for the position of firefighter emergency medical technician.
He started working fulltime as a firefighter EMT about a week before his final weekend as pastor, but after he had announced his plan to resign.
“I truly believed God would not close one door without opening another,” he said.
He also got a job working part-time at Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse.
Father Macedo lived mostly in the Big Island’s southern district of Kau and was assigned to fire stations in Honokaa, Hilo, Pahoa and Ocean View.
He said that, during his leave of absence, he still went to Mass regularly, though not at the churches in Kau where he had been pastor and everyone knew him.
He said he spoke to Bishop Larry Silva “about a year or so ago” about returning to the active priesthood. There were no canonical impediments blocking him from coming back. He had never married.
“While I enjoyed doing what I was doing, I felt something was missing,” he said.
“I missed preaching, being part of sharing the Good News,” he said. “I missed celebrating the Eucharist and sacraments. I missed most of all being part of a parish community.”
“My aunt, my godmother and a cousin died while I was gone and it pained me not to be able to preside at their funeral liturgies and was hard on my family,” he said.
“I think I kind of knew all along I would come back some day,” Father Macedo said.
Looking forward to ministry
“I am excited and looking forward to returning to fulltime ministry,” he said, “and not bouncing around so much.”
Meanwhile, he considered the fire department “another form of ministry.”
“You also share in people’s happiest and most tragic times,” he said. “I have assisted in the birth of five babies on the way to the hospital. How many priests can say that,” he said.
Father Macedo said he has known Bishop Silva for about 30 years and had kept in contact. He said the bishop would drop hints about his returning and sent him a birthday card every year.
He had also discussed the topic with clergy friends in California and with Father Faletoi, who himself had left the active priesthood for a short while and was back on the Big Island as pastor of St. Michael Church in Kona.
According to Father Macedo, to prepare for his return to priestly service after a decade’s absence, the bishop required that he resume praying the daily “Liturgy of the Hours,” get a spiritual director, go to confession, and attend the weeklong priests’ retreat in January and the five-day priests’ convocation last month.
He said that his “biggest concern” is using the new translation of the Roman Missal, which contains the prayers for Mass, adopted about a year ago.
“I am a total newbie and find the syntax, grammar, [and] word choice difficult at times,” he said.
He said that he “would like to thank the clergy for making me feel so welcome.”
“I am looking forward to resuming an active role in the Diocese of Honolulu for a good long time,” Father Macedo said.
