By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Catholic Charities Hawaii CEO Terry Walsh
Migrants and refugees, a topic close to the heart of Pope Francis, will also be the subject of the Red Mass talk by Catholic Charities Hawaii head Terry Walsh, Jan. 16 in the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu.
Walsh will speak about the Caritas campaign “Share the Journey,” which the pope initiated on Sept. 27 and is described as a global effort to build relationships between migrants, refugees and local communities. Caritas is the worldwide name for Catholic Charities outside of the United States.
Bishop Larry Silva will be the main celebrant for the Red Mass, customarily celebrated in January, the month the Hawaii state legislature opens, as the church’s prayer to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance for our Islands’ public servants. Red is the color of vestments used for a Mass of the Holy Spirit.
The Mass is being celebrated this year at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa on School Street instead of its normal downtown venue, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, which will be under renovation. The Mass starts at 9 a.m. and is open to the public.
“Hawaii has a rich history of welcoming newcomers,” Walsh wrote in the synopsis of his talk included in the 600-or-so Red Mass invitations mailed to members of Hawaii’s state and city executive, legislative and judicial branches and other civic and religious leaders. “The Catholic Church also has a history of welcoming strangers, as Jesus himself was a refugee.”
“Share the Journey is a campaign based on encounter,” Walsh said. “When one opens his or her heart to a stranger, smiles at a newcomer, or gets to know a neighbor, fear can melt away. Distrust and fear is replaced by friendship and respect.”
“Let us foster a culture of encounter as we share the journey with our brothers and sisters here in Hawaii and around the world,” he said.
Walsh, the CEO and president of Catholic Charities Hawaii since Jan. 1, has more than 20 years of local and global leadership in social services.
Before coming to Hawaii he headed Catholic Charities West Michigan, one of the largest social services agencies in West Michigan.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science at Chaminade University of Honolulu. While a student in Hawaii, he taught special needs students at Washington Intermediate School in Honolulu and counseled troubled teens at Hale Kipa.
Walsh served as a consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees working with the “Lost Boys of Sudan” and their resettlement to the United States. He holds a master’s of social work from the University of Michigan and a master’s of business administration from Michigan State University.
He and his wife Shari, whom he met in Honolulu, have seven foster sons from Sudan.
A centuries-old tradition in Europe, the Red Mass was introduced to the United States about a hundred years ago and to Hawaii in 1955.
