VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic
E Iehova, ua haka pono mai ‘oe ia‘u, a ua ‘ike ho‘i. Ua ‘ike no ‘oe i ko‘u noho ‘ana i lalo, a me ko‘u ala ‘ana i luna, Ua maopopo ho‘i ko‘u mana‘o ia ‘oe ma kahi lo‘ihi ‘e aku. Ua ho‘a‘o mai ‘oe i ko‘u ala ‘ana, a me ko‘u moe ‘ana, A ua ‘ikea no ko’u mau ‘ao‘ao a pau ia ‘oe. (Halelu 139:1-3)
Lord, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. You sift through my travels and my rest; with all my ways you are familiar (Psalm 139:1-3)
St. Rita Parish in Nanakuli is a small diverse community that is about 55% Hawaiian. Originally founded on Hawaiian Homelands to serve Native Hawaiians, we now serve the greater neighborhood communities as well. Liturgically, we are trying to enculturate Hawaiian culture and ka olelo Hawaii (the Hawaiian language). We also pride ourselves on being a welcoming community and making our malihini (newcomers, strangers) feel at home and a part of the community.
Some of the challenges a parish like ours faces are misunderstandings from leftover missionary prejudices that declared anything Hawaiian to be pagan. The original Boston Protestant missionaries had the audacity to believe that they came here before God, and instead of looking for where God had already worked among the Hawaiian people, they instead brought and tried to impose a God created in the image and likeness of Bostonian culture and sensitivities. This is a huge challenge.
Here at St. Rita’s, we do pride ourselves in ministering to our less fortunate brothers and sisters. We are able to feed our brothers and sisters with donations of food and money from our parishioners, guests, and through the generosity of other parishes and local organizations. We are still one of the largest food pantries on the Waianae Coast.
I know that eventually this will all pass. No matter how dire the situation is that we find ourselves in, God’s love is neverending. No matter how hard things get, Jesus died for us and promises us that ultimately “not a hair on (our) head shall be harmed.” Where Jesus is, there is always hope. Jesus, in the end, is always victorious and he promises that he will never leave or abandon us.
My favorite Bible verse is Psalm 139: 1-18 because God made us in his image and likeness and made us good. For me, that means that God has made all people in his image and likeness, and as people are born into a culture like Jesus was, God must have made cultures also. I believe that God made me, my people and all people and their cultures in his image and likeness and this should be celebrated.
We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Even though we are all different, we are made in the image and likeness of God. The more we bring who we are to the table and experience each other in love, the more we can experience God in our midst.
Father Alapaki Kim, pastor of Saint Rita Parish in Nanakuli, is a local diocesan priest from Kailua, Oahu. Of his three sisters and three hanai brothers, he is third to the youngest. On May 22, the feast of St. Rita, he will celebrate his 38th year of ordination. Listen to the Sunday Mass readings in the Hawaiian language on the parish website.
