Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Father Eugene Hemrick: Procrastination as a costly condition

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According to the American Psychological Association, about 20 percent of Americans can be described as chronic procrastinators. Physically it manifests itself in laziness, idleness, indifference and nonchalance. It also shows itself in indifference to improve one’s character, distaste for the spiritual and failure to cultivate new virtue. Becoming indifferent and not cultivating new virtue is […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: May others, besides priests, do blessings?

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Q: At a family discussion, the following question came up: Can anyone other than a priest or deacon do a Catholic blessing? (Baltimore) A: As your question would suggest, aside from certain blessings reserved to a bishop (e.g., the consecration of the sacramental oils at the chrism Mass during Holy Week), it is a priest […]

Left Behind: First movie in trilogy, weaves fiction with rapture theology

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Nicolas Cage stars in a scene from the movie “Left Behind.”  (CNS photo/Teddy Smith, courtesy Stoney Lake Entertainment)   NEW YORK — The fundamentalist conception of the rapture, as described in the best-selling “Left Behind” novels, may be arriving — for the first time — at a movie theater near you. Three earlier films, all […]

Pope tells bishops at family synod to speak fearlessly, listen humbly

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Pope Francis talks with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, retired Vatican secretary of state, before the start of the afternoon session on the first working day of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican Oct. 6. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)   Vatican City — Pope Francis opened the first working session of an extraordinary […]

Manaolana | Baseball player leaves the field to pursue the priesthood

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Bishop Michael C. Barber was able to do what general manager Billy Beane could not: Call Grant Desme to Oakland. Four years ago, the Oakland Athletics and the baseball community were stunned when Desme responded to an invitation to spring training by retiring from baseball at age 23 to pursue a vocation […]

Survivors of Albania’s dictatorship give witness, move pope to tears

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  Banners depict Albanian martyrs, most of whom died under communism, as Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass in Mother Teresa Square in Tirana, Albania, Sept. 21. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)   TIRANA, Albania — Two survivors of Albania’s communist crackdown against the church brought Pope Francis to tears with their stories during a vespers service […]

Father Eugene Hemrick: A changed church

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The lyrics of Mary Hopkin’s hit song — “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end” — remind me of my priesthood, a lifestyle I thought would never end, but it did! What happened? Decades ago, many priests spoke English, and their parents still spoke their native language. Even though they and […]

Manaolana | Karen Osborne: Go offline (and connect to real life)

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Yesterday, I left my cellphone on the kitchen table when I left the house. It felt as if the apocalypse happened. The first hour wasn’t so bad. It was bright and early in the morning, and I had coffee to drink and work to do. The second hour was a little worse. I really wanted […]

Father Kenneth Doyle | Question corner: Why won’t the church ordain women?

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Q: As a practicing Catholic, what should be my answer when my Protestant friends ask me why my church does not ordain women to the priesthood? (City of origin withheld) A: Catholics believe that the ordained ministry has its origin in Christ’s choice of the Twelve Apostles. Why Jesus selected only males for this sacramental […]