Diocesan vicar general Father Gary Secor is vested by Monsignors Terry Watanabe and John Mbinda during the Feb. 2 ceremony officially naming him “monsignor.”
Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron outside the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace before the Red Mass, Jan. 17.
Participants at the 44th annual Rally and March for Life, Jan. 20 at the Honolulu state capitol.
The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa.
Participants at a family retreat.
Bishop Larry Silva at the 100th anniversary Mass at St. Roch Church in Kahuku.
Priestly ordination of Alfred Omar Guerrero.
Perpetual vows of Carmelite Sister Faustina Marie Koga.
Mass at the inaugural Damien and Marianne Catholic Conference.
Departing Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity.
Star Light, Star Bright party at the Women’s Community Correctional Center.
Priestly ordination of Sacred Hearts Brother Jeremy Sabugo.
Award for Global Rosary Relay for Priests.
From ordinations and religious professions, to new family programs and forms of community outreach, 2017 saw Hawaii Catholics embracing the call to live as stewards of the Gospel. The Hawaii Catholic Herald was there to cover in word and photos another year in the ever-evolving Island church. Here is a month-by-month rundown of some of the key moments in the Diocese of Honolulu in 2017, and a photo essay recap with previously unpublished images from our files.
January
- Rite of Candidacy ceremony for 18 men in the diocese’s ninth permanent deacon class, Jan. 15 at St. Ann Church in Kaneohe.
- Diocese’s annual Red Mass for civic leaders, Jan. 17 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, with homilist Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron.
- Ecumenical Taize prayer service with Bishop Larry Silva and leaders from local Christian churches at the Newman Center at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, Jan. 19 commemorating the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
- The 44th annual Rally and March for Life, Jan. 20 at the Honolulu state capitol, with Benedictine Sister Celeste “CC” Cabral as guest speaker.
- Diocesan Stewardship Day, Jan. 28 at Mary, Star of the Sea Church in Waialae-Kahala, with keynote speaker Father Andrew Kemberling, chairman of the International Catholic Stewardship Council.
- Island “tour” of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, Jan. 29-Feb. 6 commemorating the centennial anniversary of the Fatima Marian apparitions.
February
- Formal investiture ceremony for newly named “monsignor,” diocesan vicar general Father Gary Secor, Feb. 2 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
- Culmination of National Catholic Schools Week with Annual Conference for Catholic Educators Mass and service awards ceremony at Sacred Hearts Academy, Feb. 3.
- Pastoral letter by Bishop Silva on assisted suicide printed in the Feb. 10 Hawaii Catholic Herald.
- Mass and ministry of acolyte ceremony for diocese’s eighth permanent deacon class, Feb. 12 at St. Stephen Diocesan Center.
- Blessing and opening of the first completed building in the Catholic Charities Hawaii Meheula Vista lowincome senior housing project in Mililani Mauka, Feb. 28.
March
- Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten “Rice Bowl” almsgiving campaign begins Ash Wednesday, March 1, highlighting a Big Island initiative helping Micronesians plant breadfruit for sustainable food.
- More than 200 catechumens sign their names into the Book of Elect at Rite of Election ceremonies across the diocese, March 4-5.
- Deference of a legislative bill on physician-assisted suicide March 23 resulting in part from opposition and activism by Catholic parishioners.
- Collen Kelly Mast introductory presentation of “LoveEd” program in the diocese, March 25 at St. Stephen Diocesan Center.
April
- First annual “Fund our Future” fundraiser for the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, April 29 at St. Ann Church and School in Kaneohe.
May
- Priests’ Convocation, “Witness to Jesus: Go and Make Disciples of All Nations,” at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, May 15-19.
- Ordination of Alfred Omar Guerrero to the diocesan priesthood, May 19.
- Inaugural baccalaureate Mass for all graduates in the diocese celebrated by Bishop Silva, May 25.
- Release of “Cultivating Your Catechists: How to Recruit, Encourage and Retain Successful Catechists” book by diocesan religious education director Jayne Mondoy at National Conference for Catechetical Leadership in Dallas, Texas.
- Historic Hawaii Foundation 2017 Preservation Award presented to St. Raphael Church, Koloa, Kauai, in recognition of its 175th anniversary.
June
- Diocese-wide “Download Sunday” for myParish App launch, June 4.
- Departure of Franciscan Sisters of Charity from Kauai, June 7.
- Diocese’s annual Faith Formation Conferences kick off on Oahu at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa June 16-17, with the theme “Growing as Stewards of the Gospel.”
- Annual diocesan procession for the Feast of Corpus Christi led by Msgr. Gary Secor June 18 from the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa to the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
- Second annual Christian Leadership Institute for the Diocese of Honolulu, June 19-23 at St. Stephen Diocesan Center in Kaneohe.
- Global Rosary Relay for Priests “living rosary” at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, June 23.
- Nine journalism awards for the Hawaii Catholic Herald announced at the Catholic Media Conference in Quebec City, Canada, June 23.
- Retirement of associate superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools Lovey-Ann DeRego, June 30.
July
- “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America,” July 1-4 in Orlando, Florida, includes Bishop Silva and a Hawaii delegation
- Perpetual profession of vows for Sister Faustina Marie (Emily) Koga as a Carmelite Sister of the Divine Heart of Jesus, July 2, in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
- Island-wide forum for young adult ministry leaders on Oahu, July 25 at
- Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Pearl City.
August
- Ordination of William “Pila”Tulua as a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Honolulu, Aug. 15 at the CoCathedral of St. Theresa.
- Thanksgiving Mass at St. Roch Church in Kahuku marking the centennial anniversary of the parish, Aug. 20.
September
- Beginning of Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace renovation “Phase 2.”
- Hawaii memorial Mass for the late former Diocese of Honolulu Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, Sept. 7 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
- Presentation of the Global Rosary Relay for Priests award for “outstanding promotion and participation” to Bishop Silva and the Diocese of Honolulu, Sept. 21.
October
- Mass and celebration of the bicentennial anniversary of the founding of the Marianist religious order, Oct. 2 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
- Mass and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians religious order, Oct. 5 at St.
- Elizabeth Church in Aiea.
- Mass and celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Maryknoll Sisters in Hawaii, Oct. 7 at the Maryknoll Community Center in Honolulu.
- Men’s March Against Violence, Oct. 12 in downtown Honolulu, with Bishop Silva and sponsored in part by Catholic Charities Hawaii.
- Day of veneration, confession and prayer at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace marking the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, Oct. 13.
- Inaugural Damien and Marianne Catholic Conference, Oct. 20-22 at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu.
- Transitional deacon ordination of Jesuit seminarian Kyle Shinseki, Oct. 21 at Christ the Light Cathedral in Oakland, California.
November
- Incardination of Father Jose Macoy into the Diocese of Honolulu, Nov. 1.
- Election of Sacred Hearts Father Herman Gomes as new superior of the order’s U.S. Province, Nov. 16.
- Ordination of Jeremy Sabugo as a priest for the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Nov. 18 at St. Ann Church, Kaneohe.
December
- Annual diocesan prison ministry “Star Light, Star Bright” Christmas party, Dec. 9 at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua.
Faithful departed
We remember in prayer the priests, religious and lay people in our church ohana who died in the year past. Here is a list of faithful departed whose obituaries appeared in the Hawaii Catholic Herald in 2017.
- Victor M. Abbatiello, local leader of the Knights of Columbus
- La Salette Father Francois “Frank” Bourgeois
- Maryknoll Sister Jennie Burke
- Father Joseph Louis Carroll
- Father Herbert Won Ching
- Benedictine Sister Ann Cic
- Deacon Thomas Patrick Contrades
- Former Diocese of Honolulu Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo
- Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Roselani Gomes
- Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Therese J. Jacobs
- Father Maurice G. McNeely
- Capuchin Franciscan Father Paul Minchak
- Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Margaret Mollan
- Sacred Hearts Sister Mary Dolorine Pires
- Father Henry B. Sabog
- Maryknoll Sister Anita Smith
- Sacred Hearts Sister Anne-Marie Tamanaha
- Deacon Lauren Wong
