The Catholic Church in Hawaii honors those men and women who have given themselves to God and humanity, in vow and in sacrament, as they celebrate the anniversaries of their discipleship. Please join Bishop Larry Silva and Hawaii’s jubilarians in a Mass of gratitude, 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 25, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa.
75 years of religious profession
Sister Julie Louise Thevenin, SS.CC.
Birthdate: Sept. 18, 1918
Birthplace: Honolulu
Community: Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Past Ministries: Teacher in various schools: Sacred Hearts Academy, Kaimuki; Sacred Hearts Academy in Fairhaven, Mass.; Maria Regina School in Gardena, Calif.
Present ministry: Prayer, seeking and living God’s will for me
Reflection: Born and raised in Honolulu, my relationship with the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts began at an early age. In fact, my grandmother was raised by the first Sacred Hearts Sisters who came to the Islands and my mother and aunts were also raised by the sisters. I was a boarder at Sacred Hearts Academy from age 3 and attended that school from kindergarten through high school. Working with children has always been a delight. Most of my years in education has been with junior high and high school students. To see children grasp difficult points in learning, problems in math for example, and seeing how they have learned how to do algebra and geometry was always very rewarding. Helping students understand and come to believe in God’s love for them has been a great joy.
70 years of religious profession
Sister Marie Rosario Daley, MM
Birthdate: Feb. 1, 1923
Birthplace: Albany, N.Y.
Community: Maryknoll Sisters
Service in Hawaii: Since 1948, 48 years
Past ministries: Teacher, Maryknoll School; St. Ann School, Kaneohe; St. Anthony, School, Wailuku. Lay personnel and treasury department, diocesan chancery
Present ministry: Retired and recovering from serious fall.
Reflection: I started life as the second child of the five born to John and Margaret Daley of Albany, N.Y. Both our parents are enjoying their eternal reward. Four of us siblings are still alive, and one of the great joys of my life is chatting with my widowed sisters and priest brother on a regular basis. I graduated from college in May 1945 and in September entered the Maryknoll Sisters’ novitiate. After taking my first vows I was assigned to Hawaii. From the excitement of the welcoming of the Lurline and seeing our sisters waiting dockside to this very moment I’ve been thanking God for being visible to me in each one I’ve met over some 50 years here. It took no time to experience the aloha spirit shared by our people of many ethnic backgrounds. While teaching at Maryknoll, St. Ann and St. Anthony, Maui, Schools, as well as working at the chancery office, I have been touched by the warm relations among the multi-cultural groups with whom I have worked and by their kind welcome of the newcomer. Having former students come to visit with their grandchildren is one of the joys of my old age. Two outstanding memories of my years in Hawaii are being taken to the canonization of Father Damien by a teacher friend and of Mother Marianne by a former student. And now I am looking forward to celebrating my 70th anniversary as a Maryknoll Sister with all the other religious who have reached a significant number of years as members of their congregations.
70 years of priesthood
Father Lawrence Mann, SM
Birthdate: Aug. 1, 1916
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Community: Society of Mary (Marianists)
Service in Hawaii: 1945-1962; 1965-1990
Past ministries: Teaching, service to Molokai’s Kalaupapa settlement, pastoral work in parishes, high school retreats, youth prison ministry
Present ministry: Retired and living in Cupertino, Calif., at the Cupertino Marianist Community
Reflection: After my seminary days, I was sent to Hawaii to serve. Among the many memories of the Island days is the grace I had to serve the patients in the settlement of Molokai. In 1962, I was sent to Carmel Mission in California for two years. In 1965, I returned to Hawaii, to Holy Family Parish near Pearl Harbor for an extended time until 1990, when I retired. I loved the whole experience of parish life: the school, many military in the parish, all in the setting of beautiful Hawaii. Old age brings Calvary and “Stabat Mater.” “Yet old age tells us to dismiss all anxiety from your minds.”
60 years of religious profession
Sister Laura June Abat, OSF
Birthdate: June 29, 1936
Birthplace: Honokohua, Maui
Community: Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities
Service in Hawaii: 34 years
Past ministries: Elementary and secondary teacher, New Jersey, New York, Hilo; high school principal, Hilo; high school librarian, Hilo, Oahu, New York; city public librarian, adult basic education teacher, director of religious education, San Diego; city public librarian, Maui; pastoral associate, Maui.
Present ministry: Assistant, Franciscan Adult Day Care
Reflection: When I was seven, I first encountered religious sisters chatting and laughing with the children in the school playground. I learned more about these sisters when I attended religious education classes in elementary school. As a teenager I joined the church choir in Lahaina and became better acquainted with them. These sisters were so welcoming, friendly and always full of joy, so much so that they inspired me to follow in their footsteps. After high school graduation I traveled to Syracuse to join their Franciscan community. I am grateful for having had the opportunity of serving God’s people in a wide variety of ministries and it has given me great joy to be able to use my gifts and talents with both children and adults. Some of my fondest memories take me back to parishes where I ministered in California and Hawaii. It was an inspiration to see how the families practiced and grew in their faith. One of my great joys was when, as the Wailuku Bookmobile librarian, I was able to share my love for reading with those who were unable to travel to the library to satisfy their thirst for information and learning. I owe a debt of gratitude to those individuals, living and deceased, religious and lay who have modeled for me what it means to live a life wholly committed to Christ. I extend my deepest gratitude to those who have and continue to support me in prayer on my spiritual journey.
60 years of religious profession
Sister Mary Josephine Araki, SS.CC.
Birthdate: Oct. 12, 1934
Birthplace: Honolulu
Community: Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Past ministries: Teacher, St. Patrick School, Kaimuki; Maria Regina School, Gardena, Calif. Religious education, Blessed Sacrament Church, Honolulu; St. Patrick Church, Kaimuki; and St. Augustine Church, Waikiki.
Present ministry: Care of senior sisters
Reflection: As a student at Sacred Hearts Convent and Sacred Hearts Academy, I was drawn by the life of prayer and the community of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts. I was particularly fascinated by their life of adoration. As a Sister of the Sacred Hearts, I have been and continue to be privileged to witness God’s presence in the people I serve: my family, my own sisters, the students, parents, co-workers and the people I met in my life’s journey. Today, I am grateful and praise God for all the blessings granted me these past 60 years in the congregation and to my parents and family for their support.
60 years of religious profession
Sister Miriam Dionise Cabacungan, OSF
Birthdate: Dec. 1, 1934
Birthplace: Wailuku, Maui
Community: Sisters of St Francis of the Neumann Communities
Service in Hawaii: 55 years
Past ministries: Registered nurse, St. Francis Healthcare Systems for 55 years on Oahu
Present ministry: St. Francis Healthcare System Spiritual Service Department
Reflection: I was born in Wailuku, Maui, of parents who emigrated from the Philippine Islands. I am a sibling of 10 children. I grew up in a loving and devout household. After graduating from St. Anthony Girls’ High School on Maui, I enrolled as a student nurse at St. Francis School of Nursing in Honolulu for one and a half years. I left to enter the novitiate of Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse, N.Y., and later completed my nursing degree at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Utica, N.Y. I am privileged to have walked in the footsteps of Mother Marianne caring for the sick at St. Elizabeth Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in Syracuse, both places where she been administrator. But one of my memorable missions was working on Kalaupapa, Molokai. We were a closed-knit community. Catholics, Protestants and Mormons celebrated all the holidays and festivities together, praying and supporting each other when one of the residents went home to the Lord. We were many parts but one Body. Another memorable mission was my assignment at St. Francis Hospice at Nuuanu for 20 years. Caring for patients who were terminally ill, praying and supporting family and friends as they go through the process of grieving, separation and dying has been rewarding and heartwarming.
60 years of priesthood
Father Joseph Louis Carroll
Birthdate: Oct. 28, 1926
Birthplace: Ponca City, Okla.
Community: Diocese of Honolulu
Year arrived in Hawaii: 1975
Past ministries: Oklahoma, six years; military 20 years retired; many churches in Hawaii
Present ministry: retired, helping in Oahu parishes
Reflection: One of my great joys was being a priest before, during and following Vatican II in the liturgy of parish communities when the people, once again, were empowered in the exercise in the life of Jesus Christ shared in baptism. The military experience gave me opportunities for memorable stays in many interesting areas of the world. The dear people and brother priests have filled my life with love. Besides the big save, God has saved me many times!
50 years of religious profession
Sister Rosalinda Sevilla Barrozo, MM
Birthdate: Nov. 7, 1937
Birthplace: Mangatarem, Pangasinan, Philippines
Community: Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic
Years in Hawaii: 1974-1990; 1994-2014
Past ministries: Pastoral associate, St. Theresa Co-Cathedral and St. Anthony Church, Kalihi; associate spiritual director, Diocesan Congress of Filipino Catholic Clubs; program supervisor, Maryknoll Society’s Philippine Lay Missionary Program; program director, Diocesan Office for Filipino Ministry; pastoral and social outreach, Maryknoll Sisters Immigrant Services; social outreach, immigration case manager, Catholic Charities Hawaii
Present ministry: “Retired” from Catholic Charities Hawaii, Nov. 3, 2014. I hope to volunteer more in parish ministries and perhaps prison ministry after a few more months of personal rest and relaxation!
Reflection: My “Yes” to God’s invitation to be a religious Maryknoll missionary in 1965 led me to Hawaii in 1974 and I have been enjoying my mission assignment for 41 years. I made my final profession at St. Ann Church, Kaneohe, in 1975 and here I am now celebrating my golden jubilee! A brief stopover in 1972 from the Philippines on my way to our Maryknoll Center in New York was a big surprise when I got an invitation to work for our Filipino communities in Hawaii. I was on a visitor’s visa for 12 years before I finally got a “green card” to legally reside and work in Hawaii. Those 12 years of uncertainty were not wasted. I started my ministry with the retired Filipino plantation workers in Waimanalo and extended my presence to the Neighbor Islands. My work with Catholic Charities Hawaii was technically with immigration but I did a lot of advocacy for anyone with personal or family needs. It was a fulfilling ministry of hope and joy pursuing family reunification, adjustment and stabilization of immigrant status. I have learned a lot from the people I encountered as a minister and being ministered to. Each journey was a challenge, and each challenge became a proof of God’s providential care and unconditional love for me and for the people I loved and cared for. Retirement? No such thing! I don’t think a religious (or anyone) has to retire until she or he expires. There’s no such a word when it comes to living a life of ministry. One finds oneself dreaming and discerning how, when, where and what kind of volunteer service she or he can find! Life goes on regardless of age and time!
50 years of religious profession
Father Paul Fitzpatrick, SM
Birthdate: Aug. 17, 1946
Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Community: Society of Mary (Marianists)
Service in Hawaii: Since 2010
Past ministries: Professor of Scripture, National Seminary; associate and honorary fellow, Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem; spiritual direction and directed retreats; teaching high school religion and French, campus ministry, training for Eucharistic ministers; couples and individual counseling; diocesan/archdiocesan marriage retreat programs Present ministry: Director, master’s in pastoral theology program for permanent diaconate candidates; professor of Scripture, Chaminade University of Honolulu
Reflection: In 2010, I was asked to come to Honolulu to coordinate the program of academic preparation of the permanent deacon candidates and their wives for the Diocese of Honolulu. When I finish this assignment in approximately four and a half more years, I will have trained 35 to 37 men to preach in the Diocese of Honolulu. What a gift God has given me as a “final act” in my career in full-time ministry. In all the desires of my heart and life, which I strongly believed God wanted for me, my Marianist superiors have supported me and for this I am grateful.
50 years of priesthood
Father Patrick H. Freitas
Birthdate: Dec. 21, 1939
Birthplace: Wailuku, Maui
Community: Diocese of Honolulu
Service in Hawaii: Active: 47.6 years; Retired: 2.6 years
Past ministries: Pastor, parochial vicar, various parishes; Religious Education Department; vocation ministry, Office of Clergy; diocesan teaching ministry
Present ministry: Retired
Reflection: As a shy youngster, reared in the plantation village of Puunene on Maui, I remember puzzling over the apparent need, should I become a priest, that new speech patterns would need to be learnt. At the time I had not realized that what I thought to be an essential part of priesthood was merely a European accent characteristic of the missionary priests of the Sacred Hearts. Yet the challenge of these years was yet to be found in learning how to be father to lead and serve, but with a mother’s heart. Such has been the insight and joy that emerged after being blessed with these full years of priestly service within the family of our diocesan church. Ordained at the time of the Second Vatican Council, the Spirit-appointed task of implementing the vision of a renewing church fell uniquely to my generation of priests. Looking back we functioned as a catalyst of “change” — to engage and refocus our local communities into a renewed wholeness in Christ, to rediscover the ancient richness of our life together and to be the attentive midwife in service to the world. Those were rich years of life and labor, travail and growth — still unfinished, still beckoning us into the future. A link in the chain — thanks to the graciousness of God!
50 years of priesthood
Father Christopher Patrick Keahi, SS.CC.
Birthdate: March 29, 1937
Birthplace: Honolulu
Community: Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Past ministries: Seminary teacher, provincial secretary, vocational director, seminary director, superior of St. Patrick Monastery, associate and pastor of various parishes, and provincial
Present ministry: Retired, chaplain of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, military contract priest.
Reflection: Coming from a broken home and having lived with a number of foster families, my life was filled with much in the way of discouragement and blessings. Having graduated from a local public high school and employed by Lewers and Cooke, I was encouraged to join the Sacred Hearts Fathers by the late Father Brendan Furtado, associate pastor of St. Patrick in Kaimuki. Through tears, perseverance and determination, I was professed into the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in 1957 and ordained by Bishop James J. Sweeney in 1965. A member of the seminary class of 1965, I was one of 18 ordained for the Sacred Hearts Congregation. The greatest joy through 50 years of ministry has been my priestly ministry to the people of God. I pray that they will always remember my years of service as I loved and cared for each of them.
50 years of priesthood
Father Michael Kelly, SS.CC.
Birthdate: Feb. 28, 1940
Birthplace: Roscommon, Ireland
Community: Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Service in Hawaii: Since 2012
Past ministries: Associate pastor, parishes in Massachusetts and Ohio. Associate pastor and pastor, various parishes in the Bahamas for 39 years. Family Island Ministry on the Island of Abaco, Bahamas, seven years. Retired in 2010 returning to Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
Present ministry: Priest in residence, St. Damien, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows and St. Vincent Ferrer churches on Molokai
Reflection: I was educated in Christian Brothers Schools and entered the novitiate of the Sacred Hearts Community in 1958, making first profession of vows on Aug. l5, 1959. My seminary years were in Jaffrey Center, New Hampshire, from 1959 to 1965. My retirement took me back to Massachusetts in 2010 to receive medical attention. I have been blessed in my various ministries, blessed with the support of family, relatives, benefactors and friends, brothers and sisters in the Sacred Hearts Community. I appreciate the care and compassion I have received, and received benefit from the challenges presented by others. I give thanks to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, especially through the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Looking back on my years of ministry and service, I thank God and in simplicity say, “To God be the Glory.” To all who have formed and shaped my life I give thanks. To all who have guided and assisted me during my priestly years I give thanks. To so many wonderful people I say, “Thank God for you.”
50 years of religious profession
Brother Gary Morris, SM
Birthdate: Oct. 6, 1946
Birthplace: San Francisco
Community: Society of Mary (Marianists)
Served in Hawaii: 1969-1975; 2003-present
Past ministries: Teaching, spiritual direction and directed retreats, religious studies department chair, campus ministry, training, counseling, private and marriage retreats
Present ministry: Associate professor of performing arts, theater program director, performing arts and English instructor, theater productions director, Chaminade University of Honolulu
Reflection: Upon graduation from the University of Dayton, I was sent to Honolulu to teach at Saint Louis School. I quickly became enculturated with the island beauty, the people, customs, music and cuisine. I built friendships with families and former students that I still cherish today. I reluctantly left Honolulu to pursue graduate studies in San Francisco. I am grateful to be back in Hawaii with ministry at Chaminade University of Honolulu since 2003. My journey hasn’t always been smooth, but it has always been satisfying and enriching. I am grateful for the fraternal support of my religious superiors and the many brothers with whom I have lived and worked.
50 years of religious profession
Sister Viviana Parnoncillon, OP
Birthdate: Oct. 10, 1936
Birthplace: Barrio Washington, Escalante, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Community: Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines
Service in Hawaii: Since 1969, 46 years
Past ministries: Classroom teacher for 27 years, school business manager for 14 years, and office manager for five years. Served at Holy Cross and St. Catherine Schools, Kauai; St. John the Baptist School, Oahu; and St. Joseph School, Makawao
Present ministry: Office manager, St. Joseph Early Learning Center, Makawao, Maui
Reflection: The gift of vocation is one of the most precious blessings in one’s life. The Lord is the author of our lives and what we make of it is our gift back to him. Consecrated life is a special vocation in which one finds beautiful expressions of love through the ministries that enrich the church. I was born an optimist, thank God, and that has helped me in the many years that I have been in the ministry, with all its challenges, joys and sorrows. My first assignment, four months after perpetual profession, was Hawaii. Initially, I was apprehensive at the thought of working in a very far place, in a different culture and in a new environment. With loving obedience and a firm trust in the Lord, I accepted my assignment with total resignation. As an elementary grade school teacher for the very first time, I found it very challenging to be dealing with children of different ethnicities. I have always felt that inner drive to do my best. My assignments have brought me to schools on Kauai, Oahu and Maui. As I look back on the years gone by, my heart is beaming with happiness in my joyful thanksgiving to the Lord for all the blessings and graces he has gifted my life with. St. Catherine of Siena said, “There’s no greater task than to assist people on their way to salvation.” After all is said and done, I extend my deepest gratitude to all who have helped me in many different ways in my life as a missionary in this beautiful place called Hawaii. To him be greater glory and honor.
50 years of priesthood
Msgr. Franco Luigi Troi
Birthdate: Jan 15, 1940, died Jan. 21, 2015
Birthplace: Belluno, Italy
Community: Diocese of Bressanone, Italy
Past ministries: Ordained a Comboni missionary priest; teacher of chemistry and biology in Khartoum, Sudan. Joined his home diocese of Bressanone. Chaplain, Italian police academy; chaplain, Italian Alpine elite forces. As a retired priest on Oahu, provided sacraments for a number of parishes
25 years of priesthood
Father Manuel C. Dela Cruz, MS
Birthplace: Ramon, Isabela, Philippines
Community: Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette
Past ministries: provincial superior; novice master; postulant director; parochial vicar; pastor, St. Anthony Church, Kalihi
Present ministry: novice master for the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, Philippines
Reflection: It is necessary for families to have time together, not only to eat, but to pray; to share their stories, their hurts, joys and challenges. It is important to bond. Every night, all 18 of us children gathered together. My father would call us, “Come on, let’s pray.” You could not eat supper if you did not join the rosary. That was very impressive. We learned the value of prayer by our parents’ example of praying with us, and their sacrifices for us. Even if they were very busy, they always took us to Mass, because they always made time for God.
25 years of priesthood
Father Emerson Delos Reyes
Birthdate: Jan. 27, 1965
Birthplace: Davao City, Philippines
Community: Diocese of Tagum, Philippines
Service in Hawaii: Since September 2014
Past ministries: Seminary professor; chancellor, Diocese of Tagum; seminary rector and dean of academics, Queen of Apostles College Seminary in Tagum City; superintendent of Catholic schools, Diocese of Tagum
Present Ministry: Associate pastor, St. Michael Parish, Kailua-Kona
Reflection: I completed priestly training at Central Seminary of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and earned philosophy and theology degrees at the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. I also have a doctorate in education. Ordained a priest on April 24, 1990, I have served in the ministry of forming candidates to the priesthood in my home diocese in the Philippines. About 65 percent of the priests at present in our diocese were once my students in the seminary.
25 years of priesthood
Father Joseph A. Grimaldi
Birthdate: Sept. 1, 1940
Birthplace: New York, N.Y.
Service in Hawaii: 31 years
Community: Diocese of Honolulu
Past ministries: Christian Brother, serving as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1990, and served as parochial vicar, pastor, judicial vicar and vicar general. Hospital chaplain, parish administrator, Diocese of Monterey, California
Present ministry: Senior priest, St. Hugo of the Hills Church, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Reflection: I actually arrived in Hawaii in 1974 and was principal of Damien High School for six years. Holy obedience brought me back to Michigan for six more years before I went to Theological College in Washington, D.C., in 1986. This is my 31st year as a brother, my 25th year as a priest and my 75th year as a person. I thank God for all of those years. They have been enriching and rewarding. If I had to do again, I would with all my heart.
25 years of priesthood
Father Edward Joseph Popish, SS.CC.
Birthdate: March 26, 1953
Birthplace: Aspen, Colorado
Community: Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Service in Hawaii: 1988-2002, 2013 to present
Past Ministries: Associate pastor, St. Patrick, Honolulu; St. Ann, Kaneohe. Chaplain, St. Francis Health Care System. Vicar provincial, provincial treasurer, Sacred Hearts Congregation, Hawaii Province. Superior, St. Patrick Monastery. General secretary, general treasurer, Sacred Hearts Congregation General Curia, Rome. Parochial vicar, St. Augustine Church, Waikiki
Present ministries: Provincial treasurer, Sacred Hearts Congregation USA Province. In residence, St. Augustine Church, Waikiki
Reflection: I was born and raised in Aspen, Colo. I obtained a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Colorado and a master’s of international management from the American Graduate School of International Management. After a life-changing auto accident, I became an active Catholic and began discernment about a vocation. In 1982, I joined a “come and see” program with the Claretians in California. There I met and eventually asked to join the Sacred Hearts Congregation. Pre-novitiate was in 1983 in Hawaii, novitiate 1984 in California and first vows in 1985. In 1988, I graduated from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley with a master’s of divinity. Pastoral work during school years included volunteering at The Center for People with AIDS, the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant Community, and summers with St. Francis Hospice in Honolulu. I professed final vows in 1989. I was ordained to the priesthood in 1990 at St. Patrick Church. My early years of ordination were in parish ministry, then in hospital chaplaincy. I also served in leadership and on the curia of the Sacred Hearts Hawaiian Province. In 2002, the superior general called me to serve for three years on the general curia. I stayed for 10 years. I took a year’s sabbatical at the School of Applied Theology in Berkeley, and returned to Hawaii in December 2013. The joys of parochial ministry have been working with the RCIA and with lay ministry and music programs. The challenging and rewarding ministerial highlights were serving persons with AIDS during the mid ‘80s, and hospice work. The joy of serving on the general curia was gaining a broad vision of our worldwide order and especially getting to know Sacred Hearts brothers and sisters around the world.