VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
I was looking for a sabbatical, preparing for a sabbatical when two weeks became more than five years. It all began when I took the opportunity to meet with a friend in Hawaii en route to California. While here, I received word of the cancellation of my sabbatical program in Menlo Park. Father Manny, vicar for clergy, subsequently asked me if I could help cover two weekends in the churches of Naalehu and Pahala on the Big Island. I think if you are in this part of Hawaii, you are still on a sabbatical in a sense. The area is really beautiful and the pace is a little bit slower. I said to myself, “I might not be able to go to Menlo Park, but I can take this.”
After nine years of working in the seminary in Zambia, the workload here of the parish, even though it is a lot, does not overwhelm. I stay in Naalehu and have my office in Pahala. There are moments of calmness, moments for prayer and for reflection throughout each day. That is really a good part about being here.
The biggest challenge however has been how far I am geographically from my family. I am the eldest of five brothers and two sisters. But, within any challenge, something also appears. And that is the community which becomes your family, your support. I am very fortunate the people are very supportive here.
My favorite passage from Scripture is John 15:15, “I no longer call you servants, but friends.” It is beautiful how Jesus has chosen us to be his friends. As such, we cannot go through hardships without his attention, care or hand. That gives me encouragement. He walks, shares, laughs, smiles and even cries with us. As the saying goes, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” And, that gives me impetus to continue on doing his work. Jesus has also gone through happy moments and difficult times and pulled through. I am assured since he assures us that I can also achieve things that I think are hard. In low moments, we can all go and reflect on Jesus who says, “I chose you, you are my friend.”
My brother priests on this island sometimes drop in and say, “Let’s go.” They are really good and beautiful people in the sense that they think of me who lives so far away from them. One time, they tried to call me to go to Green Sand Beach. I didn’t see the blinking light on my phone so they just showed up. When I saw them I said, “Where are you guys going?” They said, “We came to pick you up.” I am grateful for their support in many ways, including their spontaneous dropping ins, whether it be for dinner, events, or just going holoholo.
Father Martin Mwanshibula is from the Diocese of Kasama, Zambia. He has been the administrator of Holy Rosary Church, Pahala, and Sacred Heart Church in Naalehu for more than five years.
