Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Provincial says Carmelite nuns in Aleppo live in ‘heroic situation’

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The persecuted church By Doreen Abi Raad Catholic News Service BEIRUT — Amid the destruction in war-torn Syria, a community of Discalced Carmelites in Aleppo perseveres in its mission of continuous prayer and help to families in need. The Carmelite nuns, four of whom are Syrian and two French, are in their quiet demeanor “a […]

Jesuit aims to stem decline of faith with catechetical website

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By Maureen Pratt Catholic News Service ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jesuit Father Robert J. Spitzer, former president of Gonzaga University, launched a cutting-edge catechetical website to confront the rising tide of unbelief spurred by an increasingly skeptical, science-saturated society. Developed through Father Spitzer’s Magis Center, based in Garden Grove, Credible Catholic offers 20 downloadable “modules” that […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: ‘Last rites’ for a comatose person?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: My daughter, who was 50 years of age, became deathly ill, spent six weeks in the intensive care unit, then entered hospice to die. When death was imminent, a nurse finally found a priest to administer last rites. (It was a Jewish hospice, and they weren’t used to calling a priest.) By […]

Father Eugene Hemrick: More eloquence please

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THE HUMAN SIDE After making a giant step forward in modern communications, have we also taken two steps backward? Thanks to the internet, people are communicating with each other in wonderful ways. For example, shut-ins once disconnected from society are able to stay connected with friends, and we now have all sorts of libraries at […]

Pope Francis’ World Day of Poor message: Listen to those in need

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By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — How is it that God in heaven can hear the cries of the poor, but so many people watching or standing nearby either cannot or just do not care, Pope Francis asked. People must make “a serious examination of conscience to understand whether we are really […]

50TH ANNIVERSARY: ‘Humanae Vitae’

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Blessed Paul VI’s encyclical reaffirmed the church’s moral teaching on the sanctity of life, married love, the procreative and unitive nature of conjugal relations, responsible parenthood and its rejection of artificial contraception By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Fifty years ago, an encyclical was released affirming a long-held teaching of the Catholic Church, […]

Pope Francis advances sainthood causes of young teens

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By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis issued decrees advancing the sainthood causes of four candidates, including two young teenagers who heroically lived the Christian virtues. At a meeting July 5 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, the pope signed a decree recognizing the heroic […]

Finally, a conversation about ‘Humanae Vitae’ may be possible

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By Charlie Camosy Catholic News Service NEW YORK — Can one imagine a more difficult year for “Humanae Vitae” (“Of Human Life”) to be heard than 1968? Blessed Paul VI’s encyclical came out just as the sexual revolution was picking up steam, well on its way to becoming a dominant force in Western culture. Contraception […]

New cardinals see appointment as a mission of service

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By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Upon hearing the news that Pope Francis was elevating them to the College of Cardinals, many of the 14 new cardinals were shocked to hear the pope had chosen them. After the pope made the announcement May 20, Cardinal-designate Joseph Coutts of Karachi, Pakistan, said […]