Immaculate Conception, Ewa, parishioners pose for a group photo at Our Lady of Keaau in Makaha after delivering food for the poor from their church 20 miles away in a 90-vehicle procession on Palm Sunday, April 13. (Photo courtesy of Immaculate Conception Church)
On Palm Sunday, April 13, parishioners of Immaculate Conception Church, Ewa, participated in what probably was the longest, biggest, farthest Palm Sunday procession ever in the diocese.
More than 90 cars, trucks and vans, carrying some 250 parishioners and tons of food, hit Farrington Highway for a 21-mile trip from Ewa Villages to Our Lady of Keaau in Makaha, the retreat center where Franciscan Sister Beatrice Tom feeds about 300 homeless persons a week.
The seeds for this effort were planted at a diocesan stewardship conference at Holy Family Church in Honolulu on Jan. 25. Invited by the pastor, Capuchin Franciscan Father Mike Dalton, parishioners Cathy Kaplan, Bonnie White, Jeff Yoder, Mike Esquibil and Susan Duffy took notes as guest speaker Father Daniel J. Mahan emphasized stewardship as a way to holiness. The four qualities of a good steward he said are gratitude, responsibility, generosity and making a return to the Lord.
The parishioners also heard the testimony of leaders from other Island parishes who shared their stewardship experiences in leveraging time and talent to provide important services to their faith communities.
The Immaculate Conception attendees were inspired. They returned to the parish eager to discuss how to apply what they had learned. The group added additional members — Elaine Somera, Maricel Daquioag, Kathy Nolan, Kent Duffy and Tom Carrington — and began to explore opportunities for stewardship that would serve the community.
A stewardship handout Father Dalton brought back from an International Stewardship Conference in Dallas used the image of a tree with roots and fruits to illustrate how practical stewardship constitutes a way of life. It illustrated how the roots of stewardship are found in Scripture, the sacraments, church teaching and in generously responding to the baptismal call.
The tree’s fruits or leaves represented the gifts that flow from going where Jesus is. The roots represent a deeper relationship with God and greater participation in the parish community.
Mike Esquibil suggested using the image of the “stewardship tree” for Lent in the same way parishes use an “angel tree” for Christmas. But instead of buying presents for needy children, the parish would collect food for the poor. The tree became the symbol for the Lenten stewardship project, “Roots and Fruits.”
Esquibil created a huge board with an image of a tree full of branches. Cathy Kaplan, Regina Rivera and their children cut out hundreds of paper leaves. Written on each leaf was a request for a food item (bottled water, rice, canned tuna, etc.). Everyone in the church was invited to participate by taking a leaf and purchasing that particular food item. The leaves were then recycled and put back on the tree as the food was collected and stored.
It was a privilege to witness the generosity of so many people, but the stewardship committee still had to figure out how to get it all out to Makaha. There were offers of flatbed trucks with hydraulic lifts, but the pastor suggested it would be a better to have more parishioner involvement. The project would have greater meaning and everyone could have a more active role beyond simply buying the food itself.
Thus, plans were made for a Palm Sunday procession. The community would gather as a body to enter Makaha the way Christ entered Jerusalem — with a sense of purpose. Parishioners would not only deliver what they had gathered, they would see where it would be used.
Participants gathered in the church parking lot after the 9:30 a.m. Mass where the vehicles were marked with printed flyers and loaded with the food. Everyone was encouraged to bring a brown-bag lunch to make an afternoon of the event.
A lead party was sent ahead and posted at the entrance to the road leading up to Our Lady of Keaau to direct traffic. Car after car rolled in, trunks were opened and boxes of food and water were unloaded. Afterward, people parked their cars and headed to the conference center to take in the breathtaking view of the ocean, to give thanks and to eat lunch. That afternoon the community of faith experienced the rich tradition of Christian giving and outreach.
While the creators of the Lenten stewardship project deserve credit for inspiring the faithful, the parish ohana deserves thanks for their joyful participation. A short video presentation of Immaculate Conception’s Palm Sunday procession created by Esquibil can be found at http://magis.to/b1UHNkcWHC1hUQxgCzE.
Duffy is a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church, Ewa.
