Priests pray the Our Father during Mass at last year’s priest convocation at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s north shore. (HCH file photo)
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Hawaii’s priests will flock to the Turtle Bay Resort May 14-18 as they do every year around this time. It’s their annual Convocation of Priests, a week away to contemplate, talk, pray, learn, listen and socialize.
This year’s theme: “Stewardship: A Way of Life.”
More than 100 priests plan to attend the gathering which is mandatory for all priests assigned to Hawaii parishes. Retired priests are invited but not required to go. Also not obligated to attend are non-parish priests who work as chaplains, teachers or in other capacities.
To compensate for the lack of priests during the week, most parishes will offer Communion services in place of daily Mass. In the case of emergencies, vicariates are supposed to arrange for the availability of a non-parish priest.
At the convocation, the priests will participate in seven sessions on the stewardship theme.
Three of the sessions will be presented by Father Daryl Befort, a priest of the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, a diocese known for its enthusiasm for stewardship. A long-time pastor, Father Befort gives talks on the topic at parishes and dioceses across the United States and Canada.
The other sessions will be led by local diocesan priests.
Three lay people — Regan Ramos, Derek Salis and Melissa Pavlicek — who are all involved in parish or diocesan stewardship initiatives, will also give individual “lay witness” presentations.
Each day consists mostly of one or two sessions, group prayer, Mass, group discussions and hospitality time.
Built into the schedule as the culmination of the convocation is the ordination to the priesthood of William “Pila” Tulua at 6 p.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa.
