Dominican Sister Malia Dominica Wong displays a poster she created celebrating consecrated life in Hawaii. The poster is part of the material being distributed to parishes and schools. (HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz)
“What does ‘consecrated’ mean?” Dominican Sister Malia Dominica Wong asked the assembly of students at St. Anthony School in Kailua, her alma mater, last month.
“Anointed and appointed,” they respond loudly in unison, having just listened attentively to her presentation on the “Year of Consecrated Life.”
So far, so good. By this time next year, Sister Malia Dominica hopes, every church-going Catholic in Hawaii will know something about consecrated life. That’s her plan.
A crew of religious and friends gather in the conference room of the diocesan chancery on Oct. 22 to assemble “Year of Consecrated Life” material to mail to parishes and schools. (HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz)
As the diocesan vocations coordinator appointed July 1 by Bishop Larry Silva, Sister Malia Dominica is heading up Hawaii’s observance of the Year of Consecrated Life, a 14-month celebration of religious life declared by Pope Francis, starting Nov. 30.
Bishop Silva will open Hawaii’s Year of Consecrated Life with a noon Mass Nov. 30 in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
“Everyone is consecrated,” Sister Malia Dominica said, driving home her point with a quote from the Book of Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I consecrated you.”
The speaker is God recognizing the prophet Jeremiah. The Year of Consecrated Life is the church recognizing those called to be priests, deacons and religious brothers and sisters. But God consecrates everybody, the Hawaii-born Sister Malia Dominica said.
The Jeremiah quote is printed on the front of a glossy credit card-sized handout which Sister Malia Dominica wrote and designed.
The mini-brochure, titled “Consecrated,” unfolds into eight colorful panels of inspiration. It will be distributed at local parishes by the thousands, thanks to the Serra Club of Honolulu. It is just one small piece of the Dominican sister’s wave of evangelizing material set to wash over the diocese this coming year.
Sister Malia Dominica had a crew of a dozen or so members of religious orders in the chancery conference room Oct. 22 sorting materials, stuffing envelopes and mounting posters in preparation for the blitz.
Starting in December, two traveling exhibits, each accompanied by a team of two persons primarily from religious orders, will each visit a different parish, mission or school every week. By the time the Year of Consecration ends on Feb. 2, 2016, all of Hawaii’s 66 parishes, 27 missions and 34 schools will have been visited.
The exhibits, which had a sneak preview at Diocesan Youth Day on Oct. 25, will be introduced at weekend Masses. Sister Malia Dominica hopes the displays will stimulate a commemoration of the past and present vitality of church life in Hawaii.
She would like to see a “celebration of grateful remembrance, of who built up the church, of who supported vocations.”
It will be an occasion to “remember and move forward,” she said.
“When they see the exhibit, I hope they will begin to remember sacrifices and joys that went into building the church, in education, healthcare, social ministry,” Sister Malia Dominica said.
She would like parishioners not only to meet members of religious orders — “there are Catholics who have never met a nun,” she said — but also their parents, relatives and friends who played important roles in supporting these vocations.
Associations of the faithful, permanent deacons and others will also be invited to share their stories.
She wants parishioners to “go away with a renewed sense that this is our church, once sustained by tutus who wove pili grass chapels or sold malasadas.”
Her aim is to “re-root” Catholics in the history of the church in Hawaii in order for the community to grow further, in “ultimate stewardship,” with vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Being distributed in support of the campaign will be homily aids, Mass intercessions, bulletin blurbs, a seminarian poster, plastic key tags, lesson plans and other materials.
Also to be circulated will be 20,000 copies of the booklet “Following Love Poor, Chaste and Obedient: A Consecrated Life,” courtesy of the Knights of Columbus.
Monthly bulletin inserts will support the effort of “educating and reflecting,” focusing on a “congregation of the month,” and fostering “the values of family, community and relationships.”
The displays will first circulate on the neighbor islands starting with Kauai in December, east Hawaii island in January and west Hawaii island in February.
Cathedral parishioner Wilfred Chun designed and built the self-standing tri-paneled screens that will display the glossy, full-color vocation posters designed by Charlene Alipio, the archivist for the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts.
Each poster features a religious order who is serving or has served in Hawaii.
