Bishop Larry Silva in a “selfie” by Lisa Gomes who stepped out of the frame.
The leader of the diocese begins his round of breakfast encounters with Catholic high school seniors
It’s that time of year again: Seniors in Hawaii’s Catholic high schools are busy gearing up for graduation, getting their college plans together and awaiting that big step into the world.
The diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and Bishop Larry Silva, meanwhile, are also busy helping these youth prepare for that major life transition. They will be visiting the Islands’ seven Catholic high schools over the next few months for the annual “Bagels with Bishop” program.
The concept of Bagels with Bishop, which began in 2012, is fun and faith building. Bishop Silva meets with the high school senior class over an informal breakfast, getting to know them as they learn about him. The teens are also briefed on Catholic resources available for them in college.
At Sacred Hearts Academy on Feb. 19, the first students of the Class of 2015 had their bishop and bagel encounter. More than 100 seniors from the school began the morning bright and early at the campus chapel, nervous and excited at the chance to take a professional photo with the chief shepherd of the Catholic Church in Hawaii.
The bishop led the students in prayer before joining them in a morning meal at the auditorium. Each school that hosts Bagels with Bishop creates its own breakfast menu for the event — Sacred Hearts seniors were treated to fresh fruit, juice, coffee and bagels (of course!).
As the students and bishop enjoyed a laid-back breakfast, Lisa Gomes, diocesan director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry explained Newman Connections, a program that links incoming college students with Catholic campus ministries and parishes near them.
She invited the students to participate in Newman Connections and also provided ways for the teens to connect to local diocesan activities through their Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry social media portals.
The students then watched a cool slideshow about Bishop Silva. They learned about his high school days as well as his hobbies, travels and diocesan duties.
Bishop Silva urged the seniors to develop a personal relationship with Christ. He encouraged them to think of Jesus not as a figure from the past, but as a real person still involved in their lives today.
“He loves us more than anyone could possibly love us,” Bishop Silva said. “If you come to know Jesus in that way and see how much he loves you, your hearts will burn.”
A “question and answer” session with the bishop concluded the event. The students were asked ahead of time to each write down one thing they wanted to ask the leader of the diocese.
Sacred Hearts seniors inquired about everything from Bishop Silva’s favorite sports (“hiking”), to whether he would have gotten married had he not become a priest (“probably”), and advice he would give young women who are considering religious life (“have courage” and “pray”).
The bishop provided the students with one last suggestion before the end of the morning. In addition to maintaining a strong relationship with Jesus, he said it is important to keep in touch with classmates after graduation.
“These friendships are lifelong treasures,” he said.
Bagels with Bishop moves to Saint Francis School on Feb. 26, St. Joseph School in Hilo on March 12, Saint Louis School on March 19, Damien Memorial School on March 27, St. Anthony School in Wailuku on April 9, and Maryknoll School on April 10.
