The Filipino priests of the Diocese of Honolulu sing “You Raise Me Up” accompanied by a hula by La Salette Father Edwin Conselva. (Courtesy photo)
By Father Loreto “Bong” Rojas Jr.
Special to the Herald
Nearly 400 Filipino priests ministering in the United States gathered in New Jersey Oct. 24-27, including 20 from the Diocese of Honolulu. Bishop Larry Silva was also in attendance. All are members of the National Association of Filipino Priests (NAFP). The gathering was six years in the making — after being re-scheduled twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The convention, which happens every three years, usually offers conferences on different topics relevant to the missionary work of an international priest. However, this year’s gathering was centered on re-establishing and/or forming new connections. During the very first night, priests from different regions shared their own talents and presentations.
The clergy of the Diocese of Honolulu sang “You Raise Me Up,” a song chosen by Father Manny Hewe, pastor of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa. La Salette Father Edwin Conselva, pastor of St. Theresa Parish in Kekaha, danced a hula to accompany the song. The almost 11-hour flight did not dampen the spirits of the priests. They were filled with energy in seeing their co-workers in the vineyard.
“It was nice to see people we did not see for a while,” said Father Conselva. For several priests from Hawaii, this was their first time visiting New Jersey and New York.
The highlight of their second day was a concelebrated Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York where a bronze statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila was enthroned to its permanent spot in the cathedral, next to St. Rose of Lima. San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first canonized Filipino saint and a lay person, has become the patron saint of Filipino immigrants and overseas foreign workers, commonly referred to by Filipinos as OFW.
The late Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila received the statue as a gift from the former Philippine Ambassador Antonio Cabangon Chua. In turn, the cardinal gave the statue to the people of New York so that the veneration of the saint could be promoted in the United States.
On their third day, the priests listened to a presentation by Bishop Michael Saporito, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Newark who spoke about the priesthood in a synodal church. Bishop Saporito focused on the three priority issues for the synodal church: communion, participation and mission. Then, the entire group went to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the seat of the Diocese of Newark, where they were treated with a two-hour presentation on popular religiosity in the Philippines before celebrating the Mass presided over by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.
The day ended with a Filipiniana-themed gala where the goal of reconnecting or establishing new connections continued. Everyone had a blast!
When a person leaves his or her family to work in a foreign land, it is important to find and establish a support group. These priests are no exceptions. While they may already be supported by their local communities in their respective dioceses, these priests certainly cherished the time to know that they have a wider support-group in the NAFP.
Father Loreto “Bong” Rojas Jr. is the pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in the Diocese of Sacramento who has a special affection for the Diocese of Honolulu. Besides helping out here sacramentally, he was also a frequent visitor to the islands as pastoral year director at St. Patrick’s Seminary where Hawaii seminarians study. Ordained for the Diocese of Sacramento, he is originally from the Bicol region (the island of Catanduanes) in the Philippines.
