Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Mother and son: Pope Francis shares a personal and intimate devotion to Mary

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VATICAN CITY — From Easter to Pentecost — and especially during the Marian month of May — Catholics recite the “Regina Coeli” prayer “with the emotion of children who are happy because their mother is happy” that Jesus has risen from the dead, Pope Francis said. Although his devotion to the Mother of God is […]

Week after quake, trucks of aid begin reaching remote areas of Nepal

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KATHMANDU, Nepal — Truckloads of relief material organized by church charities began moving across Nepal a week after the Himalayan nation was rocked by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake April 25. “I am glad that much-needed aid is finally beginning to reach remote areas,” Greg Auberry, Catholic Relief Services’ regional director for East and South Asia, told […]

‘Scandal’ of inequality, fear of marriage must be addressed

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VATICAN CITY — Two millennia after the “Gospel of the family” defeated an abusive social practice that humiliated women, the “radical equality” of spouses in Christian marriage must now bear “new fruit” in society, including “the right to equal pay for equal work,” said Pope Francis. This “disparity” between men and women in the workplace […]

Father John Catoir: No matter what you seek in life, keep Christ close

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You’ve probably heard the phrase, “To thine own self be true,” spoken by Polonius in one of William Shakespeare’s works. These words have an important meaning in everyone’s life. This saying means we should follow what our conscience tells us in order to be true to ourselves. But we should be true to ourselves with […]

Manaolana | The greatest show on earth pauses for a greater show from heaven

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FAIRFAX, Va. — Brazilian trapeze artist Estefani Evans flies through the air above the center ring, mesmerizing the gasping spectators below. The 25-year-old performer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus soared to different heights in that same center ring at the Patriot Center in Fairfax when she received the Catholic sacrament of confirmation […]

Pope urges prayers, action on behalf of migrants, poor

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VATICAN CITY — The poor, migrants in search of a better life and the unemployed want what all human beings want: life, dignity and a chance to earn a decent living, Pope Francis said in several speeches urging compassion and assistance by both governments and individuals. Reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer April 19, just hours […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Why so much focus on the Passion?

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Q: I have always wondered why we read the Passion during Palm Sunday services. Palm Sunday is a day of rejoicing and jubilation, as we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem amid throngs of cheering people. But then we read the passion of Christ, which we also read again on Holy Thursday and, for a third […]

Flurry of briefs seeks to shape court’s look at same-sex marriage

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WASHINGTON — When it takes up same-sex marriage cases from four states April 28, the Supreme Court will officially be considering just two constitutional questions. But judging from the outpouring of friend-of-the-court or “amicus” briefs, the court is expected to affect the very definition of marriage in American society. Around 120 “amicus” briefs filed with […]