Office for Social Ministry
“In Hawaii… it is no mere coincidence that a people so interiorly disposed to receive the call of Christ the King — this same people should be animated by the luminous cultural values of aloha, which, at its heart, is selfless love.” (Bishop Michael Thomas Tupou Castori, SJ, remarks at the conclusion of his episcopal ordination and installation Mass, July 28)
Hawaii’s new bishop is already living the words inscribed on his coat of arms — “E hiki mai kou aupuni” (“Thy kingdom come”) — and he is doing so through the spirit of aloha.
Aloha is far more than a greeting or a warm expression of hospitality. At its deepest level, it is a way of life that recognizes the dignity of every human person because each one is created in the image of God. It recognizes one another as members of one ohana, one family, brothers and sisters all, where no one is left behind. At its heart, aloha is selfless love.
Just a day after the solemn celebration of his installation as the shepherd of the Diocese of Honolulu, Bishop Castori put on an apron and went to serve the hungry in Waikiki. Joining volunteers (including youth and elders from diverse Pacific islands) at St. Augustine Church’s Carmen’s Kitchen, he welcomed, listened to and shared the freshly cooked weekday lunch with persons living on the street who are too often overlooked.
It was a compassionate example of how Christian leadership begins with accompaniment. And the beginning of Bishop Castori’s pastoral service in Hawaii included working with persons living on the margins. In doing so, he offered an inspiring witness to Jesus which is following in the footsteps in Hawaii of the missionary Sts. Damien and Marianne of Molokai.
Ten days later, Pope Leo XIV echoed a similar message while celebrating Mass in Assisi, Italy, with thousands inspired by St. Francis for a youth meeting on the feast of the Transfiguration.
The Holy Father challenged the young people gathered there to embrace a life of courage, holiness and service. “Today Europe and the whole world are looking to you to be new saints,” he said.
He then issued a provocative missionary invitation: “Let us go! Let us go to the margins, where the injustice and arrogance of a few deny the dignity and dreams of many.” His words hit home especially in a world where we often pass by persons who are hungry, houseless, imprisoned, grieving, lonely or lost without truly recognizing them.
In his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo recently reminded us that every generation receives the responsibility of shaping history into “a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted, and fraternity is made possible.” Christian faith, therefore, is about allowing Christ to transform our hearts so that we become instruments of his peace in today’s world where “we are transfigured through the bonds that nourish and call us to life.”
For Catholics in Hawaii, this gospel invitation sounds familiar. The missionary Sts. Damien and Marianne showed us what it means to live aloha as selfless love.
St. Damien crossed an ocean and ultimately gave his life while serving those exiled because of Hansen’s disease. St. Marianne left behind the familiarity and security of her own community to care for people whom society feared and rejected. Both selflessly sought out where Christ was to be found.
Their witness continues today through countless compassionate acts of aloha across our islands: parish volunteers, young and older, preparing and distributing food with people who are hungry; welcoming women returning from prison with baskets full of basic necessities; assembling and delivering backpacks filled with school supplies for children in need; reaching out to serve others in hospitals, hospice, homebound or houseless.
These ordinary acts of aloha reveal the extraordinary face of Christ. As sung in the popularized Prayer of St. Francis: “Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light.” Where there is fear, let us be part of God’s merciful, continual presence.
As the Diocese of Honolulu now continues under Bishop Castori’s pastoral leadership, may each of us recommit to the compassionate mission of building together the kingdom of God. By witnessing to Jesus, guided by the Holy Spirit, inspired by Sts. Damien and Marianne, strengthened by Pope Leo’s call to construct a “civilization of love” and rooted in aloha, may we be a church known for how we love one another, welcoming and accompanying all, including all in our midst and on the margins, with compassion, humility and hope, discovering Christ who has been waiting for and walking with us all along. “E hiki mai kou aupuni.” Thy kingdom come.
For more on ways to engage in social ministry, please visit the Diocese of Honolulu’s OSM website, www.officeforsocialministry.org, and the Vatican’s website, www.humandevelopment.va.
Mahalo,
Your friends in the Office for Social Ministry