Sofia Garcia (pictured in the top right photo at left) made a documentary on religious sisters in Hawaii that included visits with the Benedictines, Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians, Sacred Hearts Sisters, Daughters of St. Paul, and Carmelites. (Screenshots)
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
When Sofia Garcia was thinking of ideas for her final project for American Heritage Girls, she thought about the influences on her life growing up.
The homeschooled high school senior comes from a Catholic family who regularly visited with religious sisters through homeschool groups and church. She would go to morning Mass at the Carmelite monastery in Kaneohe and visit the Benedictines in Waialua. Garcia recalls getting to know the Maryknoll Sisters and the Daughters of St. Paul, and others.
“I saw [sisters] several times a week and was able to form strong bonds with them,” Garcia said. “And so, when I was little, I always thought it was normal to see sisters all the time.”
But many of the 17-year-old’s peers and fellow scout troop members didn’t have the same exposure as she did.
“Some of them had never even seen a sister before,” Garcia said. “I think that was the main reason why I wanted to do this project, to bring awareness to the sisters that we have here.”
Garcia decided she’d create a video where younger AHG troop members interviewed members of five different religious orders for women here in Hawaii. The sisters included members of the local Benedictines, Carmelites, Sacred Hearts Sisters, Daughters of St. Paul, and the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians.
Garcia fundraised to pay for a professional videographer to shoot and edit the 52-minute video while she planned out the content and organized and directed the visits, which took place in the summer of 2021.
She wanted an authentic feel to the visits and not to have them feel too formal. That comes across in the final video project, in moments like a golf cart ride with Benedictine Sister Mary Jo McEnany and two of the monastery dogs or laughing with the Carmelite sisters.
A visit with the Benedictines. (Screenshots)
Garcia not only asked Bishop Larry Silva for permission to do the project but also interviewed him for the piece, which she entitled “Discovering the Beauty of Hawaii’s Sisters.”
For her work, Garcia earned the American Heritage Girls’ Stars and Stripes award, which she formally received in a June 14 presentation.
American Heritage Girls is a Christian-focused form of scouting for girls between 5 and 18 in the U.S. Garcia has been a member since she was 8. The Stars and Stripes award is equivalent to the Boy Scout Eagle Scout award or the Girl Scout Gold Award. Besides the final project, she had to complete at least 16 badges, write a “personal walk” essay, create a resume, get letters of reference, and hold a leadership role in her troop.
Members of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians and the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary surround Sofia Garcia at her Stars and Stripes award ceremony on June 14. (Photo: Courtesy Charmaine Garcia)
Garcia also completed projects for earlier levels of AHG, teaching crafts at a nursing home and planning the games for the diocesan “Star Light, Star Bright” Christmas party for women prisoners and their families.
Besides American Heritage Girls, Garcia also joined the Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts), which now accepts girls, because she likes the outdoor activities they do like hiking and camping. She also plays the violin and piano and sings for church services. This summer she helped out at the vacation Bible school at Holy Family Parish in Honolulu.
Garcia says that she’s remained an active Catholic thanks to a supportive environment that included her youth groups, homeschool co-op and her family.
“When I didn’t feel invested in my faith, people helped me along,” she said.
With the Carmelites. (Screenshots)
Garcia is the middle child of Charmaine and Francisco Garcia. She has an older brother, Ryan, 23, and older sister Marianne, 21, younger brother, Paul, 14, and younger sister, Gianna, 9.
Garcia has seen her brother Ryan and sister Marianne earn their top scouting awards. Little sister Gianna is in her AHG troop, and her brother Paul is also in Scouts BSA.
“I didn’t want my project to be anything like my siblings’ projects,” Garcia said with a laugh.
The vice coordinator of Garcia’s Troop HI-0001, Lynn Gernert, said that Garcia is smart, always willing to volunteer, and acts as a strong mentor to the younger girls in her multi-age troop. Gernert said that Garcia was able to work through all the hiccups that came with earning her Stars and Stripes award, including an earlier idea not panning out.
“She’s a very brilliant young lady,” she said.
Sacred Hearts Sister Helene Wood was among the religious sisters interviewed for Garcia’s project and said she found Garcia to be an outgoing, sincere young women who valued the religious life vocation.
“I really appreciated the interest that she took in making known the religious groups that were here on the island,” Sister Helene said.
As for what comes next, Garcia is contemplating earning an Eagle award and wants to be a pilot. That career aspiration started when she did an aviation camp at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, for which she earned her AHG aviation badge. She is considering studying aviation at Liberty University after she finishes high school.
You can view Garcia’s final video project at https://youtu.be/xtE_TjDHzmc and below.
