Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Effie Caldarola: Kidnapped African priest was beloved in Alaskan diocese

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Commentary Like many Americans, I remember the terrorist group Boko Haram because of its kidnapping of 276 Nigerian school girls in 2014. The world recoiled in horror, but eventually the news cycle moved on. So I was shocked anew when friends in Fairbanks, Alaska, reported early in June that a priest friend had been kidnapped […]

Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Nothing is impossible for God when we welcome him in

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Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Genesis 18:1-10a; Colossians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42  The Book of Genesis, unfortunately, bears the burden of being remembered, and is usually misunderstood, only in terms of its creation narratives. While the creation of all things and beings in existence by Almighty God is a major revelation, Genesis has much more to […]

Greg Erlandson: Bishops’ voices must rise again

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Commentary Recently, lots of bishops have been speaking out. Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin must be smiling, for 40 years after he argued that Catholic Social Teaching was a “seamless garment” that preached a “consistent ethic of life,” some of his brother bishops seem intent on reminding people that being pro-life is about more than just […]

Movie reviews: July 18, 2025

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“Jurassic World Rebirth” (Universal) Offered big money by the representative (Rupert Friend) of a pharmaceutical company to help him retrieve dinosaur DNA his corporation can use for advanced research, two special operatives veterans (Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali) and a paleontologist (Jonathan Bailey) join him on a journey to a remote equatorial island, one of […]

A priesthood journey filled with twists and turns

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By Celia K. Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald John Jacob Akau can trace his “long and winding” journey to becoming a priest back to his childhood in Pahala, on Hawaii island. Akau, 39, would celebrate pretend Mass — “playing priest with sandwich bread,” he said, a towel tied around his neck to resemble a vestment. And […]

Planting seeds of hope

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Catholics across the country get to view and venerate first-class relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne By Celia K. Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald St. Damien de Veuster and St. Marianne Cope have touched countless lives as their legacies of selfless ministry, compassion and faith in Kalaupapa, Molokai, have been shared across the globe. A […]

Joyful return home

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Paulist Father Chris Malano congratulates graduates as he celebrates Mass at St. Joseph Church in Waipahu Hawaii Catholic Herald A special Mass honoring graduates from the class of 2025 took on greater meaning June 29 when St. Joseph Church in Waipahu welcomed back one of its native sons — who celebrated the liturgy as a […]

Change is on the way for the Herald

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To our readers: The Hawaii Catholic Herald has diligently and joyfully served the islands’ Catholic community for nearly 90 years, providing information, inspiration and connection to readers of all ages. We have seen our share of challenges, but we have been blessed throughout the decades with your support. The past couple years in particular have […]

Diocese is gearing up to celebrate 200 years of Catholicism in Hawaii

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Hawaii Catholic Herald The bigger the anniversary, the bigger the celebration. This is the Diocese of Honolulu’s plan as it prepares to mark 200 years since the arrival of the Catholic faith in Hawaii. The date is set: July 7, 2027, two centuries to the day when French Catholic missionaries first alighted in the islands, […]