Deacon carried out his ministry ‘in a joyful Christ-like manner’
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
“Nothing is more fulfilling, in body and spirit, when you know why you were born,” said Andres “Andy” Calunod before he was ordained a deacon 14 years ago, choosing to serve the sick, dying and hurt as his primary ministry.
Having fulfilled his purpose well, Deacon Calunod died at his home in Honolulu on All Saints Day, Nov. 1. He was 81.
“He was a wonderful person, a happy, kind, loving person,” said Sister Patricia Schofield, a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities who worked with Deacon Calunod at the St. Francis Healthcare Spiritual Care Department. “That beautiful, wonderful smile of his” could open doors, she said.
“He did quite a lot for us. If you needed him, he was there.” Sometimes that meant visiting homes or providing a Communion service when no priest was available for Mass.
“He never said ‘no’ to you,” she said. “He would do anything for the sisters.”
Diocesan permanent diaconate director Deacon Michael Weaver said, “One of my brother deacons described Deacon Andy as ‘a quiet saint,’ and that really encapsulates who he was. Never one to seek the limelight, he simply carried out his ministry in a joyful Christ-like manner.”
When Deacon Calunod received a diagnosis of a terminal illness about a year ago, he wrote a letter to the deacon community reflecting on his life and ministry. A couple of lines “stayed with me,” Deacon Weaver said.
“The feeling of being lost and useless is a terrible feeling. It drains you to the very core of your being and everything in life has no meaning. Only God can fill that need. I came to truly believe in Him and my life began to change.”
And, “God is good, and I give thanks to God for allowing me to witness His Grace and Love for us. Into your hands Lord, I commend my Spirit. I would, with all my heart, do it again!”
Deacon Keith Galang, who was in the same deacon class as Deacon Calunod and who also served at the same time as a chaplain at St. Francis Healthcare, described his colleague as a perfect balance of “competence and humility,” of the “administrative and pastoral,” of the “serious and playful.”
He was a natural leader with an “inner strength” who “led by example,” Galang said. And he was “very insightful,” someone whom he would occasionally “tap for advice.”
Deacon John Coughlin knew Calunod as a fellow student at the diocesan Catechetical and Pastoral Institutes before they were both accepted in the same diaconal formation class.
“I remember him, even before he was ordained, as being very devoted to the sick,” Coughlin said.
The deacon also had more worldly talents, Deacon Coughlin said.
With a background in accounting, he had a very astute “business sense,” Coughlin said. “He took a lot of that ability into his work” in the parishes he served as a deacon.
Coughlin said Deacon Calunod once created a spreadsheet to determine if there was any correlation between homilists and the size of Mass collections.
Sacred Hearts Father Lane Akiona, pastor of St. Augustine Church in Waikiki, the deacon’s last parish assignment, valued his abilities.
“Deacon Andy was exceptional with finances and planning,” he said.
“Andy enjoyed the challenge of a new project, like the Damien and Marianne of Molokai Education Center,” newly constructed on parish grounds, Father Akiona said. “Andy took the lead in this project and saw its building to completion.”
“Andy was warm, welcoming and always empathetic in his pastoral ministry, especially in a hospital or hospice setting,” his pastor said, “He enjoyed life and was a great mentor and model for his brother deacons.”
“I appreciated having a companion in the ministry who was always proactive in all that he did,” he said. “I will especially miss his presence, caring advice, love and our common bond as clergy.”
Deacon Calunod was born on Aug. 19, 1940, in Lanai City, Lanai. He and his late wife, Lee, have two children, Michelle and Myles.
Deacon Calunod belonged to the diocese’s sixth deacon class, a large one with 17 members, ordained in 2007.
Before his ordination, he served in many roles at St. Patrick Church in Kaimuki and the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Kalihi including membership on the finance committee, pastoral council, liturgy committee, Matthew ministry, Communion service, outreach and administrative tasks, and as a lector and eucharistic minister.
After ordination, he also served on the Diocesan Pastoral Council as the deacons’ representative.
He earned a diocesan catechist credential certificate and was a hospital minister at Kuakini Hospital in Honolulu for five years before joining the St. Francis Healthcare Spiritual Life Department in December 2003.
He retired from Hawaiian Airlines in September 2003.
“When people ask me why I want to be a deacon, my answer is that I am responding to a call from our Creator,” Calunod said before he was ordained.
How did he recognize the call? “It started for me with a deep feeling within me, not knowing or understanding why. As time passed, during formation and with discernment, it became clear to me that I was called before birth to serve God as a witness and proclaim his word.”
“In my ministry to the sick, dying and hurt, I feel that I am closer to why I was born, he said. “This is a journey of which I am humbled to be called and to serve.”
Deacon Calunod retired from active diaconal ministry on Aug. 19, 2015.
His wake and funeral are scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa; the times to be announced.
