“Christmas is coming and a New Year approaches and I send you my best wishes.” – Father Damien writing to his family in 1885 By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald Christmas in Hawaii in the mid- to late-1800s was a much simpler holiday than today. On Molokai’s isolated Kalaupapa peninsula, where those suffering from Hansen’s […]
Vatican unveils its Nativity scene, lights Christmas tree
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The Vatican unveiled the Nativity scene and lit the Christmas tree with energy-saving lights in St. Peter’s Square during a late afternoon ceremony Dec. 5. The 85-foot-tall spruce tree came from the forests of the Veneto region in northeast Italy and another 20 smaller trees were […]
Photo: Hugs and kisses
This year’s 20th annual “Star Light, Star Bright” Christmas party for women inmates and their children at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua took place Dec. 7. The moms and their kids had a chance to decorate cookies, watch a puppet show tailored to them, play games, make arts and crafts, enjoy lunch and […]
Sarah and David Hermann: Be present during the Advent season
EMBRACING FAMILY We prepare for basketball games and marathons, tests and job interview, birthdays and Thanksgiving dinner, Santa and Christmas. Preparing for sports events takes grit, perseverance and even pain. Preparing for birthdays and Thanksgiving dinner remind us to be grateful for every gift God has given us, to truly treasure our family and friends, […]
In Christmas message, pope prays for peace
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Delivering his formal Christmas message and blessing, Pope Francis prayed for a world where all people would recognize that they are brothers and sisters and would work for justice and for peace. The birth of Jesus proclaims that “God is a good father and we are […]
Photos: Christmas lights and sights
Kalanianaole parish lights Those driving along Kalanianaole Highway in Kuliouou have been treated with many wondrous lights coming from Holy Trinity Church. The display is the work of about 35 parishioners who came together on a Sunday afternoon to decorate the outside of their church. They had no plan, just hundreds of lights, enthusiasm and […]
Bishop Larry Silva’s 2018 Christmas Message
Nuclear missile warnings. Hurricane watches. Monster waves and rising sea levels. Homeless tent cities everywhere. Caravans of refugees. Mass shootings. We can feel overwhelmed by so many threats. But when we feel we simply cannot take any more, let us hold the Baby Jesus in our arms. Let us look into his eyes and try […]
Merry mangers: Nativity scenes from around the world make up Bishop Larry Silva’s personal collection of crèches
By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald Tiny and tall. Manufactured and handmade. Local and internationally inspired. Close to 150 Nativity scenes fill the bookshelves of the St. Stephen Diocesan Center library this month, all of them a part of Bishop Larry Silva’s personal collection of manger scenes. This is the first year Honolulu’s bishop has […]
Star bright moments
Here are scenes from the 2018 “Star Light, Star Bright” Christmas party at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua on Dec. 8. The annual event is for women inmates, their children and the kids’ caregivers. The Diocese of Honolulu’s Office of Prison Ministry sponsors the event. This year’s party included lunch, treats from an […]
Christmas spirit in the air as Vatican unveils Nativity scene, tree
By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The annual unveiling of the Vatican’s Christmas tree and Nativity scene brought some much-needed warmth to people’s hearts as winter approached. Hundreds of people in St. Peter’s Square Dec. 7 applauded as white curtains unfurled, revealing a 52-foot wide artistic representation of Jesus’ birth made […]
