Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Pastors across the islands report the positive side of the coronavirus pandemic

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Occasions of grace By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald In keeping with this topsy-turvy age of the pandemic, where community means separation, sharing one’s breath means contagion, and social is associated with the word distance, good things happen. Charity ascends, generosity grows, family bonds toughen, prayer deepens. That is what pastors across the islands report […]

Catholic schools remain open after confusion about shutdown rules

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They are in an excellent position to switch to distant learning if necessary By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald With only two days between the announcement and start of a new stay-at-home order on Oahu plus confusion over the order’s directives for public versus private schools, Hawaii Catholic schools and their families had little time […]

New Oahu restrictions mean no singing, wind instruments at Mass

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By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald With a surge of coronavirus cases on Oahu in August, Gov. David Ige approved Oahu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s increased restrictions on social gatherings. These went into effect midnight Aug. 19 and will last 28 days. While church and other religious services can continue to take place, singing is now […]

Damien relatives decry N.Y. rep’s depiction of Molokai saint

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls Hawaii’s choice for Washington’s Statuary Hall a white supremacist colonizer By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald Upset by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ suggestion that St. Damien was a white supremacist colonizer, two of the saint’s Belgian relatives, representing his extended family, wrote her an open letter Aug. 20 denouncing her words. […]

Catechists: commissioned to receive, and hand on, the faith

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CATECHETICAL SUNDAY: SEPT. 20 By Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy Special to the Herald This year, the church will celebrate Catechetical Sunday on Sept. 20. The 2020 theme is “I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.” Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role each person plays, by virtue of […]

Avoiding the ‘presence and propulsion of respiratory droplets in the air’

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By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald No singing in church. Or playing wind instruments. That’s the latest directive by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, issued Aug. 18, to affect Catholic worship. Why singing? Because, the ruling explains, it (and other similar activities) “increases the presence and propulsion of respiratory droplets in the air.” Respiratory droplets spread […]

Small parish, many connections, even the streaming kind

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By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald At the small parish community of St. Ann in Waihee on Maui, you’re likely to know every face in the pews. Although small, the parish is also active. If you’re a preteen or teen that attends church there you most likely do something with youth ministry. So when COVID-19 […]

Talk story: Coming out of the pandemic better than before

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OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY “Faith, hope and love necessarily push us toward this preference for those most in need, which goes beyond necessary assistance. Indeed it implies walking together … to build the better future we all need.” (Pope Francis, papal audience, Rome, Aug. 19, 2020) As Hawaii faces yet another “work at home, stay […]