Sharmayne Naone, her husband Willie and their six children. (Courtesy Catholic Stewardship Consultants)
By Catholic Stewardship Consultants
www.CatholicSteward.com
Sharmayne Naone, a parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Kailua-Kona, has a long list of ministries in which she serves. She enjoys every one of them, but what matters most to her is that she gets involved in ministries that need help.
“Jesus commands us to love God and our neighbor,” Naone says. “We serve our family, friends and through outside organizations we are involved in, but we may want to see how we can serve through our parish as well.”
Naone has been attending St. Michael since 1974. But there was a time when she and her husband, Willie, and their six children fell away from the church. Life got busy; sports and activities took over.
They came back in 2010 and their twin daughters were baptized. They also have four sons.
The Catholic faith means everything to Naone, and the Eucharist is essential to her life. Participating in Mass is significant to her.
“To be able to receive the Eucharist when I want is unparalleled.” Naone says. “It’s special because he’s present. Where else can you be present with him like that?”
In turn, Naone wants to share the faith with everyone she knows. She knows it can change their life.
“The more and more you seek him, the hungrier you are to learn more,” she says.
As a member of the Stewardship Commission for the diocese since 2019, and as chair of St. Michael’s Stewardship Committee, Naone has learned a lot about other parishes in the diocese and the effect of the four pillars of stewardship — hospitality, prayer, ongoing faith formation and service.
She also serves with the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) for Children and helps with faith formation.
Furthermore, Naone serves on a number of committees: liturgy, welcome, charity walk and special events. She also helps with the coffee and donuts ministry, is the safe environment liaison and occasionally helps in the office.
When asked to sum up her favorite message in the Bible, Naone cited the frequently used “be not afraid.” In turn, she urges people to consider how they might get involved and take that next step.
“Maybe the Spirit will call you to be the head of a ministry,” Naone says. “Sometimes, the Spirit calls you to do things you aren’t comfortable with. But ‘be not afraid’ — it’s for the good. It’s all for his glory.”
Naone also encourages ministry leaders to look around for people they could ask to get involved.
“Everyone has a part,” she says. “If you feel called to talk to someone, to ask them to join your ministry, and they seem like a good fit, then invite them.”
Of all the ways she serves, Naone most enjoys the ministries that give her the opportunity to meet more people and to connect with those she already knows.
The coffee and donuts ministry is a perfect example — Willie serves alongside her.
“You get to see everyone during that time,” she says. “You see our priests, parishioners and visitors. I’m grateful.”
In addition to her stewardship efforts, Naone enjoys a good movie or television series and reading in her free time. She also loves spending time with friends and her large ohana, whether they are traveling, hanging out or participating in activities like fishing.
