VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Every morning, I start off the day with a four-mile walk around two of the blocks in our church vicinity. It is a calm way to begin the day, as well as a good means of exercise. During this time, I also say my morning prayers. As I pray and walk, I lift up those who ask for my prayers as well as those who need it the most, especially during this worldwide pandemic.
Immaculate Conception Parish is a very small community of about 500 families. As pastor of the community, I have found ministering to my fellow brothers and sisters challenging, and at the same time, joyful.
It has been difficult in the sense of trying to implement the mandatory committees and councils required by the diocese. These include the stewardship committee, pastoral council and crisis management team. These I have had to form from scratch. There was also the task of rebuilding the parish planning building committee and the finance council.
Our parish is like most other parishes where parishioners give so much of their time already to the church that they have very little extra time to volunteer in additional ministries. Thus, finding volunteers has been an added challenge.
However, it has been a great joy being able to bring together the various ministries and the parish as one community with wonderful parish events. For example, our parish Labor Day picnic, Easter and Halloween events are joyful times when the parish comes together to share a meal and enjoy each other’s company. With the pandemic putting everything on hold, I look forward to other ways of bringing people together in the future.
When things get really tough, I tend to depend on my fellow priests in the Leeward Oahu vicariate for support. They are very much a part of my spiritual journey. I know I can rely on them.
Who do you turn to when you are down or feeling sad? What better hope do we have than to turn to our blessed Mother Mary? I find the song “Hail Mary, Gentle Woman,” written by Carey Landry very inspiring. This song helps me to calm myself and reflect on my life’s journey and set me back on the right path. It reminds me that I am only human and I do make mistakes. But with Mother Mary’s help, I can get through any adversity.
Gentle woman, quiet light,
Morning star, so strong and bright,
Gentle mother, peaceful dove,
Teach us wisdom, teach us love …
Father Nick Brown is a local diocesan priest who grew up in the Kalihi-Palama district of Honolulu. He is the youngest of seven children with four older sisters and two older brothers. On May 22 he will celebrate his fifth year of ordination.
