By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Father Anthony Pangan, a priest formerly of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, was incardinated into the Diocese of Honolulu on Jan. 30. With his incardination came his change of status from administrator to pastor of Annunciation Parish on Hawaii Island.
Father Pangan, 56, was born and raised in Manila. He is the fourth of six children of the late Rodolfo (Rudy) and Angela (Helen) Pangan.
After graduating from college and working for three years, he joined the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament in the Philippines in 1992.
Father Pangan was ordained a priest by the late Cardinal Jaime Sin on Oct. 23, 2000, at Sta. Cruz Church (also known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament) in Sta. Cruz Manila.
As a Blessed Sacrament priest, he was assigned to Mary, Star of the Sea Church in the Diocese of Honolulu from 2006 to 2007. He then did missionary work in Canada for 12 years before returning to Hawaii in the fall of 2019.
In Hawaii, he served briefly at Sacred Heart Church in Punahou and the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace before being assigned in July 2020 to Annunciation Church, Kamuela.
Father Pangan said his decision to join the Hawaii diocese was an act of gratitude, returning a “gracious favor” to past American missionaries who fostered the faith in the Philippines.
Father Pangan shared his thoughts on his decision to join the Diocese of Honolulu with the Hawaii Catholic Herald.
Opportunities to grow in service, love and wisdom
By Father Anthony N. Pangan
Special to the Herald
In my 23 years of priesthood, I’ve been assigned to many parishes and different pastoral settings in the Philippines and in North America. Each appointment has been a wonderful opportunity to grow in service, love and wisdom. Unique and diverse in terms of cultural traditions, demography and challenges, every pastoral mission was a breeding ground for learning and unlearning.
During my formative years in the Philippines, we still had a good number of American religious who inspired us with their dedication and service. From what used to be a large group of American Blessed Sacrament missionaries who came to establish the congregation in the Philippines back in the 1950s, their numbers have dwindled as they aged, retired or died. Meanwhile, vocations in the Philippines flourished.
So, it is primarily because of this situation that I gradually developed the impetus to work in this country and Canada, to return the gracious favor for, during the times when they had plenty, sending missionaries to the Philippines when we were struggling for pastoral leadership. Working in Hawaii and more specifically in Canada, I’ve seen and experienced the pressing need for priests to respond to the considerable spiritual hungers of the faithful.
Moreover, after spending 12 years in Canada with some brutal winters on the prairies (and despite offers to be incardinated there), I chose the Diocese of Honolulu because of the climate, the spirit of aloha, the presence of my Blessed Sacrament confreres who co-journeyed with me to whom I’m very thankful, a culture which is not too dissimilar from my Filipino/Asian roots, plus the fact that I am closer to home.
And last but not least, I am forever grateful for the goodness and benevolence of Bishop Larry Silva without whose support the incardination would not have been possible.
After years of prayerful discernment and diligent pastoral ministry, with the grace of God and support of the people collaborating in the church’s mission, I am thankful and glad to have arrived at this chapter in my life. Nourished and guided by our Eucharistic Lord who strengthens and inspires me, through enculturation and communion, I deliver service for the spiritual well-being and upliftment of the faithful.
Outside the church and office, I can be seen doing outdoor activities: biking, swimming, trekking, or mowing the lawn, playing cards, playing the guitar and singing. I am fond of doing home visitations, pastoral care ministry, socializing and sharing stories.
But what I love the most, whenever I have a chance, is evangelizing, telling people about the beauty of the Eucharist and the Catholic faith, or asking them to come back to church, to get more involved in parish life, or inquire about their prayer life. I simply want to live out the Eucharistic mission of leading and bringing others to Christ.
