By Deacon Joel Narusawa
Special to the Herald
My brother deacons and our wives of Cohort 9 gathered July 16-19 for a retreat on the island of Kauai. Our trip was a communal gathering to celebrate the journey of God’s calling and to share, as a community, God’s blessings in our lives since we were first called in 2015 and ordained in January 2021.
The trip also honored one of the wives in our cohort, Debra Soto (wife of Deacon Averiet Soto), who passed away in September 2023.
For us, it has been a 10-year journey as a spiritual community of God, sharing good times and sad ones. Our communal journey started with five years spent in deacon formation as we took classes, learned more about our church and about each other, and discerned God’s will in our lives.
The last five years have been post-ordination in which we kept in touch as our diocese and parish duties pulled us in different directions and responsibilities.
Our July trip was filled with emotion: mostly joy-filled moments, with spiritual time and reflection, and also with laughing and reminiscing about our calling. There was also some sharing of sad moments, like remembering our sister Debra along with her family and the loving memories that she gave each of us.
Our trip included daily prayers and attending Mass July 18 at St. Catherine Church in Kapaa, with pastor Father EJ Resinto celebrating. We also attended Mass July 19 at Holy Cross Church in Kalaheo, with pastor Father Danilo Galang celebrating.
Overall, we all enjoyed coming together to celebrate this diaconate journey and all the spirit-filled moments that God has given us. While it is true that this journey has been at a cost, sometimes for our families too, it is also true that we cannot out-give our God. In many ways we have been richly blessed.
Our hope is that more people say “yes” to God’s calling, whether to the priesthood, diaconate or religious vocations, because we cannot out-give our God, for he is kind and merciful.