Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Effie Caldarola: Studying our history

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FOR THE JOURNEY The book, “We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families,” is at once both stunning and horrifying. Searching for something to read, I picked up this 1998 bestseller at my daughter’s house. But I paused. Was the story of Rwandan genocide relevant or was it ancient […]

At evening prayer for the last day of the year, Pope Francis said that problems may remain, but God-given hope never fails

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By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service Christian hope grants those who suffer the assurance that God does not abandon his people in their time of need, Pope Francis said. “Problems do not vanish, difficulties and worries are not lacking, but we are not alone; the Father ‘sent forth his son’ to redeem us from […]

Pour money into education, not weapons, pope tells nations

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By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Governments must pour more money into education and drastically reduce military spending for there to be genuine progress and peace in the world, Pope Francis said in his annual message for the World Day of Peace Jan. 1. “It is high time, then, that governments develop […]

Katie Prejean McGrady: Resolutions for today

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WINDOW SEAT WISDOM I think New Year’s resolutions are silly. Under the guise of “get healthy” and “better yourself” we establish arbitrary (and often unrealistic) goals to eat less, move around more, spend less time on our phone, etc. One year, I resolved to use a paper planner to keep track of my to-do lists […]

Laura Kelly Fanucci: Shepherd or judge? A tale of two sacraments

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FAITH AT HOME When I made my first confession, I clutched an index card with sweaty palms. On one side, I’d copied the act of contrition, dutifully memorized — but what if I tripped up in the heat of the moment? On the reverse was a detailed list of my sins, anxiously scribbled lest I […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Husband not able to receive ‘last rites.’ Plus: What justifies Natural Family Planning?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: My husband died suddenly and did not receive the last rites of the Catholic Church. We had just come back from Mass and Communion about three hours earlier. I am very upset that he was not able to receive the last rites, and this has been very difficult on me. I would […]

Holiness and real families: Reflections for the feast the Holy Family

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By David Gibson Catholic News Service Family life gets a little messy at times. Did I say “a little”? Often families need only wait an hour or two for the next mind-boggling challenge to greet them! I suspect that many families are reluctant to call themselves holy. Isn’t stress a little too tightly woven into […]