Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Pope Francis: Lent breathes life into world asphyxiated by sin

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By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service ROME — Lent is a time to receive God’s breath of life, a breath that saves humanity from suffocating under the weight of selfishness, indifference and piety devoid of sincerity, Pope Francis said. “Lent is the time to say no to the asphyxia born of relationships that exclude, […]

Hawaii bishop joins others in allowing St. Paddy’s Day corned beef, however …

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By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Bishop Larry Silva may not be Irish, but he has gotten in the spirit of St. Paddy’s Day this year by issuing a “dispensation from abstinence from meat” for anyone whose celebration of the wearin’ of the green would be incomplete without a slab of corned beef. When St. […]

Why fasting is a paradox

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Refraining from food is not an end in itself. It points beyond itself, focusing our attention on the reality of God’s presence here and now. By David Gibson Catholic News Service Fasting is a paradox for Christians. It encompasses seemingly contradictory intentions. First, fasting appears to possess a negative quality. It asks us to do […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Why the name change when parishes merge?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Why do names of churches have to change when parishes merge? I understand that they might not want to have a St. Mary’s/St. Joseph’s, but the new names are nothing like what we were used to; they are more complicated and difficult to remember. (Latham, New York) A: Names of churches do […]

Father Eugene Hemrick: Prosperity: The hope of America

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THE HUMAN SIDE Everyone loves to hear that we are going to be made prosperous. The reason is found in the derivation of the word “prosperous” coming from the Latin “spes,” meaning hope. Much of America’s future hope is based on people having a reliable job, equitable financial means for living comfortably, access to education […]

Vatican summit participants vow efforts to stop organ trafficking

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By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — A Vatican summit on organ trafficking called for greater efforts to prevent the exploitation of those vulnerable to corrupt health professionals and criminal networks making the sale of human organs possible. “We, the undersigned participants of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences summit on organ trafficking, resolve […]