By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The Vatican unveiled the Nativity scene and lit the Christmas tree with energy-saving lights in St. Peter’s Square during a late afternoon ceremony Dec. 5. The 85-foot-tall spruce tree came from the forests of the Veneto region in northeast Italy and another 20 smaller trees were […]
Archives for December 2019
Call me ‘Father’: Pontiff’s priestly vocation is his favorite gift
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — In Caravaggio’s painting of Matthew, the sinful tax collector being called by Jesus to “Follow me,” Pope Francis sees the same unexpected, grace-filled moment found in his own call to the priesthood. A 17-year-old Argentine student headed to a school picnic on Sept. 21, 1953, the […]
Bishop Silva announces local commemoration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines
In anticipation of the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity to the Philippines in 2021, Bishop Larry Silva is encouraging Hawaii parishes hosting the Filipino Advent traditions Misa de Gallo and Simbang Gabi this year to follow homily themes based on the “Nine-Year Spiritual Journey of New Evangelization” implemented by the […]
Photo: Hugs and kisses
This year’s 20th annual “Star Light, Star Bright” Christmas party for women inmates and their children at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua took place Dec. 7. The moms and their kids had a chance to decorate cookies, watch a puppet show tailored to them, play games, make arts and crafts, enjoy lunch and […]
Pope Francis returns part of relic of Jesus’ crib to Holy Land
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — As Advent approached, Pope Francis gave a small fragment of Jesus’ crib back to Catholics in the Holy Land. In Bethelehem, West Bank, Franciscan Father Rami Asakrieh of St. Catherine Church welcomed the relic’s return and called it “a great blessing.” “This is more blessings for […]
Archbishop Sheen’s beatification is postponed
By Catholic News Service PEORIA, Ill. — Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria said Dec. 3 Vatican officials have told him that the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has been postponed. A news release from the Diocese of Peoria said it was informed Dec. 2 that Vatican had decided to postpone the Dec. […]
Hawaii Catholic Harold’s Quiz: Dec. 13, 2019
Happy Advent Quizzers! In honor of the season, I’ve created an all-Advent, all-Christmas themed quiz for you. Plus a Christmas joke: A man sent his friend a cryptic Christmas card. It said: A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X […]
Talk story: Be self-giving, not self-serving
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY “We need to cling to this example of an authority that is authentic, humble, honest and self-giving rather than self-serving. We find it in Christ the King, who longs for us to live in the ways of his Kingdom of justice, love and peace.” (Bishop Larry Silva, homily for the Feast […]
Photo: The Guild continues to give
Catholic Charities Hawaii’s chief executive officer and president Robert Van Tassell holds a check presented to him Nov. 21 by Hawaii Catholic Women’s Guild representatives Pat Alvarez and Phyllis Zerbe, pictured to his left and right respectively. The women’s organization closed this year after 160 years of charitable work in Hawaii and is donating the […]
The church of ‘now’ meets in Indianapolis
Thirty-five youth, chaperones and one priest from Hawaii attended the biannual National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis from Nov. 21-23. This year’s theme was “Blessed, Broken, Given.” Quedin Bumatay of St. Damien of Molokai Parish and Angelica Watanabe of Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish on Maui volunteered to be youth ambassadors this year, introducing […]