By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald The year was 2005. I was a 12-year-old altar server at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu. One Sunday while preparing for Mass, our altar server coordinator, Jonathan Farinas, shared that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed a new bishop for the Diocese of Honolulu: […]
Reflection: Celebrating unity and gratitude on Fourth of July
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald Happy Independence Day, dear readers of the Herald! Although Independence Day is meant to be a day of celebration and festivity, recent events around the world have caused the words of the hymn “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?,” composed by my friend, Tony Alonso (who borrowed the title […]
Reflection: Finding rest and inspiration in rural Hawaii
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald As a local boy born and raised in the hustle and bustle of urban Honolulu, I must admit that I sometimes yearn for the “old Hawaii” that our kupuna often reminisce about. In search of a taste of what life as a Catholic in rural Hawaii was like, […]
Reflection: Experiencing loss with the hope of the Resurrection
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald Over the past 50 days, we have experienced the joys of the Resurrection as we journey throughout the Easter season, for Christ our Savior has been sacrificed. Within these 50 days, we have also experienced a transition in our universal church with the passing of the late Holy […]
Commentary: St. Joseph embodies quiet, true strength
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald During this Lenten season, the church takes a brief respite from our solemn journey to celebrate a saint who is known around the world by many titles: patron of the universal church, protector of the Holy Family, patron of workers, patron of fathers, “terror of demons,” protector of […]
Commentary: Try a new approach to Lenten sacrifice
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald As this edition of the Hawaii Catholic Herald precedes Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season, I thought it would be beneficial to provide some tips and tools for your spiritual toolbox so that we all can make the most of this Jubilee Year’s Lenten season. […]
Commentary: Revive aloha spirit with faith in action
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers of the Herald! To mark the occasion, I wanted to reflect on love in the broader context of our community, rather than love within individual relationships — the typical focus of Valentine’s Day. Looking around our islands, it is easy to see how […]
Reflection: Let us be bearers of hope amid life’s challenges
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald Happy New Year to the dear readers of the Hawaii Catholic Herald. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, recently inaugurated the Jubilee Year 2025, with the theme “Spes Non Confundit” (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), drawn from the fifth chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. I believe the […]
How to make the most of Advent
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald Have you ever noticed how much time you spend waiting during the day? Whether it’s being stuck in traffic, standing in line at the store, waiting for your computer to turn on or waiting for the latest Netflix show to load, it’s easy to feel impatient. I imagine […]
REFLECTION: The power of connection, community
By Anthony Selvanathan Special to the Herald Some longtime readers of the Hawaii Catholic Herald might remember my past reflections which were written while I was pursuing my undergraduate studies at Chaminade University of Honolulu and later my graduate studies in San Antonio, Texas. Given that my last reflection with the Herald was in 2019 […]