The community food pantry of Annunciation Parish in Waimea on the Big Island was the grateful recipient of the Parker School student food drive. Students delivered the food on Nov. 22, filling all the tables in our parish hall. (Photo courtesy of Mary Erickson)
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“Let us draw inspiration from the words of Saint John Paul II: ‘If the dream of a peaceful world is shared by all, if the refugees’ and migrants’ contribution is properly evaluated, then humanity can become more and more a universal family and our earth a true common home.’” (Pope Francis, Papal Message for World Peace 2018, released on Thanksgiving 2017, to be delivered by the Holy Father on New Year’s Eve.)
The holidays are a time to celebrate the joy of peace and family. But in many parts of the world, many families are struggling to survive. Even as shoppers experience the rush of holiday sales, millions of migrants and refugees are fleeing poverty, hunger and violence. The Christmas Story reminds us that the Holy Family were once migrants on their way to Bethlehem, and later refugees in flight to Egypt.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday break, Pope Francis quoted St. John Paul II about “humanity becoming one family,” called to share the earth as our “common home.” At the same time, a team of his bishops and clergy were meeting near the border of Haiti and Dominican Republic, where more than a million migrants and refugees struggle to survive. The bishops were there to accompany the poor in ways such as helping pregnant women receive prenatal health care and post-natal care for their babies born at the border. Part of our talk story experiences on this beautiful Caribbean island included conversations with Italian nuns who work in clinics and schools that serve 300,000 people starving in the garbage dumps around Port au Prince.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Gospel of Matthew reminded us of Jesus words, “When you gave food to the hungry you gave it to me.” This Advent, those words are being fulfilled in our midst not only by nuns in Haiti but also by people in Hawaii.
At the end of November, 25 people representing 12 parishes and two schools on Oahu and Molokai gathered to expand their food ministries funded by Lenten Rice Bowl collections and part of the diocesan initiative One Ohana: Food and Housing for All. Parishioners talked story about the various ways they are sharing food, hygiene kits and volunteer service in collaboration with community partners such as Family Promise, the Institute for Human Services, Next Step and Catholic Charities Hawaii — as well as faith-based ministries such as Calvary Episcopal food pantry and the St. Augustine Parish lunch kitchen.
Several parishes spoke about expanding their efforts to address growing hunger among Hawaii’s elderly. Those running the food pantries at St. John the Baptist Parish in Kalihi and the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa shared their experiences distributing the Food Bank’s monthly 32-pound box of food. St. John Apostle and Evangelist in Mililani is expanding its service to elders in public housing and throughout their parish through the Kupuna Kokua program.
St. Damien Parish on Molokai is buying a new refrigerator to store food for hungry kupuna all over the island. In Kaneohe, St. Ann parishioners are expanding their outreach to homeless by helping the Institute for Human Services extend its services to the hungry homeless on the windward side of Oahu.
These are only a few examples of how parishioners in Hawaii are celebrating the Christmas story of encountering Emmanuel, God with us, accompanying the vulnerable Holy Family on their journey and responding to the call of St. John Paul II to build one human family sharing this earth as our common home — One Ohana: Food and Housing for All.
In the next Talk Story we will share more examples of how Pope Francis’ New Year’s Message for World Peace is happening in our midst as people witness to Jesus in Hawaii. Mele Kalikimaka.
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
