VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
It has been 27 years since I started my mission in Hawaii. I have loved being with the people, my community and everyone I met. From my first assignment of teaching at St. John the Baptist School in Kalihi onward to the Dominican Center in Waipio, and then to Kauai, it has been good being able to meet different people and see different sceneries.
One of the challenges I remember having when I first arrived in the islands was when the kids would talk in pidgin. I had no idea what they meant or what they were saying. For example, when I heard the kids saying “wen da kine,” I had no idea what kind of what they were talking about. It was really a different language and cultural experience.
Nevertheless, people have always been very supportive and loving here. I remember another time, there was nobody playing the guitar at Mass. Somebody asked me if I could, and thus I tried to learn how to play. That was the beginning of my leading the music during Mass, and leading the rosary, etc. I knew I could not do it alone. But with God’s helping hands, the Holy Spirit pushed me forth to succeed.
During my assignment at the Dominican Center, I began taking over the cooking for the preschool snacks and lunch. It was a learning process at the same time as cooking meant meal planning, getting to know the kids’ different diets, proportions, food shopping, and attending classes on nutrition. I like cooking, but this was quite different. I did everything for the love of God. The kids and teachers really liked the days I served adobo and rice.
My mission here is now completed. My new assignment is in Dao, Philippines. You are welcome to visit me there. As I leave Hawaii, I would like to share with you the following poem as found on a Hallmark card. It is titled, “Thanks.”
There’s a rare and special quality in the way some people live,
However busy they may be, they still have time to give.
Anything you ask or need, they’ll do their very best,
No matter what the task is — or how simple the request.
Kindness just comes naturally to this rare and selfless few,
Special, giving people — people just like you!
To the people of Hawaii, I love you. Thank you for your support, generosity, and being ever ready to help us. Always remember that life is short, and time is fast; there is no replay or rewind in life. So, enjoy each moment as it comes. And, as another quote I like says: “Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.”
Thank you very much.
Sister Maria Emma Quijada is a Dominican Sister of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines. She is 37 years professed and resides at the Dominican Center Hawaii. She will be leaving for the Philippines in late July.
