Viriditas2: Soul Greening
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
I have always seen my work as one of nurturing and sending forth. As a former director of religious education for over 20 years, I often think of our only Catholic school on Hawaii island as our very own loko ia (fishpond). In keeping with our school motto, “Seek first the Kingdom of God,” we care for our students, cultivate them and send them forth into the world.
My relationship with Christ began very early. I remember my mother bringing me to church as a small child. When she went to confession, she left me before the tabernacle and said, “Jesus, this is my daughter Chrissy. Chrissy, this is Jesus. Talk. Don’t move.”
Those moments shaped my life. To this day, my source of strength is Eucharistic adoration. When I am struggling, I run to him in the Blessed Sacrament. I take off my slippers, sit on the floor and rest in his presence. I cry with him, and I laugh with him. I don’t need the different prayer tools others might use, because I know he is there.
As a mother of four, a theology teacher, a youth minister and a hoaloha (beloved companion), I try to live by a simple motto, “Be kukui: Be Christ, be light, be love.” My students know it well.
I try to live it with everyone I meet, even strangers in an elevator. I try not to miss any opportunity to give my children a foundation built on Christ. He is my aina (that which feeds us), my foundation and my rock. Everything I grow begins with him.
Hula has also been a foundational part of my life. I am a longtime hula dancer trained in the George Naope style, having studied under Kumu Ray Fonseca of Halau Hula O Kahikilaulani and Kumu Sammye-Ann Young of Halau Na Lei Hiwahiwa O Kuualoha.
I never struggled to separate my hula from my Christianity because I always acknowledged that my skill, talent and grace come from God. My kumu were open and respectful of my faith. They taught us that hula is not about religion or worship, but a language, an extension of who we are as people. When the source of that language is love, it is easy to see that God is love.
Whenever I dance, whether in practice, performance or even on the Merrie Monarch stage, it is truly spiritual. I allow myself to enter that space because my kumu allowed us to do so and to dance in a way that pays tribute to God. Every opportunity I get to dance, I never shy away, because it is my chance to shine God’s light within me.
I am deeply grateful to live in Hawaii and for the beauty that surrounds us. In Hilo, we have a beautiful loko ia in Keaukaha that I enjoy helping with the restoration of. Still, my heart is set on the next level, the greater paradise we are all moving toward. Hula is one way I share that journey. One of my greatest joys is seeing my daughter, Maile, carry her own kukui forward into the world.