Jocelyn Howard, left, and Julie Walsh talk about Micronesian history and culture at a workshop for clergy, Aug. 8 at St. Stephen Diocesan Center. (HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz)
People from Micronesia bring a rich measure of devotion and diversity to Hawaii’s Catholic parishes, said two local experts on Micronesian anthropology at a recent workshop for Island clergy.
More than 50 priests and deacons attended an almost two-hour orientation Aug. 8 at St. Stephen Diocesan Center to learn more about the history and culture of the Micronesian community. The diocesan Office for Clergy organized the event in light of pastoral challenges that have arisen in ministering to one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the state.
The workshop, titled “Who is My Neighbor: Chuukese Catholic Immigrants in Hawaii,” was presented by Julie Walsh and Jocelyn Howard of the University of Hawaii at Manoa Center for Pacific Islands Studies.
“Micronesia,” as Walsh and Howard explained, is the general name for a large area of the Pacific west and south of Hawaii comprised of a number of tiny island countries. The region includes Palau, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Guam and the Marianas. The Federated States of Micronesia is the island nation comprised of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae.
In the 1980s, “compacts of free association” with Micronesian countries were established by the U.S. government in exchange and reparation for military testing. Walsh said people from Micronesia may freely travel to the U.S. thanks to a provision in the compacts granting them visa-free entry.
Today, many Micronesians regularly come to Hawaii for medical treatment, education and work. According to Walsh, there are currently between 8,000 and 12,000 Micronesian immigrants here.
“They’re a part of us,” she said.
Immigrants seek the church
Catholicism is a major part of life in Micronesia, with about half of its population practicing the faith. Walsh said it is natural for Micronesian immigrants, then, to seek church support when they come to Hawaii.
Island clergy face linguistic and cultural challenges in ministering to this ethnic community. The language barrier is formidable, Walsh said, since there are at least 16 Micronesian languages and few interpreters available.
Western cultural values also differ from Micronesian ways. Walsh showed a list displaying such contrasting ideals, including Micronesians’ respect for relationships over money, and humility over pride.
For Micronesians, “it is more important to be inclusive than to do things well,” Walsh said.
Walsh suggested that Hawaii’s clergy personally approach their Micronesian parishioners. An acknowledgement from the leaders of the church will make them feel welcome in a parish and encourage them to participate.
Teaching assistant Howard, a native of Chuuk, in the second half of the orientation described how Micronesian Catholics keep their faith alive.
Howard said days on her island of Onoun “start with church and end with church.” Families there attend Mass in the morning and pray the rosary at evening. They also hold clergy in high esteem, she said, with priests often helping Micronesian families with their needs.
“The priest was everything to us on the island,” Howard added.
Howard said Micronesian Catholic newcomers to Hawaii decided to keep a similar community of faith going here. In 1995, a group of them formed the Chuukese Catholic Community Council. Among other events, this nonprofit organization organizes Masses for special occasions.
She recommended the council as a good resource for those who minister to Micronesian congregations.
At the end of the workshop, several local clergy shared their experiences in Micronesian ministry. Chuukese Deacon Eliot Cholymay, who is assigned to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, said Micronesians are trying to create more catechism classes in their native languages. He hopes the diocese can find facilities for these programs.
Father Manny Hewe, diocesan vicar for clergy, has been celebrating the diocese’s Chuukese Mass every third Sunday at St. Philomena Church in Honolulu. The liturgy is in English, with music sung in Micronesian languages. Father Hewe said congregants tend to form groups based on the parish communities they belonged to in Micronesia. It would be helpful, he said, to create local ministries based on these allegiances.
Deacon Francis Leasiologi of St. John the Baptist Church in Kalihi reported that a recent parish survey showed that Micronesians made up about 15 percent of its congregation. That is up from a total of just 1 percent five years ago. These Micronesian parishioners, he said, are extremely devoted and even attend the Spanish Mass on Sunday just to be a part of a liturgy.
“They have an extremely strong sense of faith,” Deacon Leasiologi said.
