By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Kainoa Fukumoto
Next month’s Red Mass speaker will be atypical. Instead of the usual bishop, cardinal or established community leader, the congregation of politicians and other civic leaders on Jan. 14 in Honolulu’s Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace will hear the views of a local lay millennial.
Not that Kainoa Fukumoto hasn’t gained some prominence as a church leader in his own right. He has been active since high school in ministries at the parish, vicariate and diocesan levels. He is a professional pastoral musician, and the founder and president of EPIC Ministry, a community of young Catholic adults in the Diocese of Honolulu. He was appointed principal of St. Michael School in Waialua in 2017.
Bishop Larry Silva picked Fukumoto, 35, as the 2020 Red Mass speaker because of his experience working with young people and his understanding of the challenges the young generation is facing.
He started EPIC (Ever Present In Christ) Ministry, in 2013 as a Catholic community for those age 18-39 who have “a deep desire to know, love and serve the Lord.”
“Our mission is simple,” he said, “to empower young adults to follow Christ by spiritual, social, and service paths.”
The ministry, which operates primarily in central Oahu and on Maui, hosts weekly faith-sharing evenings, small group ministries, annual retreats, service projects, community events, mission talks, liturgical services, workshops and consultations on young adult ministry, and other activities throughout the year.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization since July 2013, and canonically a lay association of the faithful through a decree by Bishop Silva in October 2018, EPIC has more than 150 members.
Fukumoto and his wife of eight years, Yvonne, have three daughters.
The Red Mass is celebrated during the week of the opening of the Hawaii State Legislature which convenes on Jan. 15. Bishop Silva will preside at the 9 a.m. liturgy, which is the church’s annual prayer to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance for Hawaii’s public servants.
Invitations have been sent out to members of the state’s executive, legislative and judicial branches, city and county officials, members of the military and representatives of other religious denominations. The Mass is open to the public.
Fukumoto will speak on the millennial generation and its impact on church and government.
“The roles of church and government are often at odds with each another in our modern society,” he wrote in a synopsis of his talk. “Caught in the middle is the millennial generation whose influence is affecting the way both institutions operate. The question becomes who are the ‘millennials’ and what impact are they having in the church and in the decisions of government.”
A 700-year-old tradition in Europe, the Red Mass was introduced in the United States early last century and has become an annual event in Washington, D.C., and other major mainland cities. It has been celebrated in Hawaii since 1955.
The Mass is named for the color of the vestments used for a Mass of the Holy Spirit.
Last year’s speaker was Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
