Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Greg Erlandson: The advent of population decline

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AMID THE FRAY As we celebrate the birth of the Savior Child, it seems fitting to note that in many parts of the developed world, the lack of babies is a growing concern. This is a surprising change for those of us raised on “The Population Bomb,” a wildly inaccurate prediction that the world’s population […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: May I scatter non-Catholic’s ashes? How do I dispose of wedding ring?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: I understand that, as Catholics, if we choose to be cremated our cremains are to be treated with dignity and must be buried or entombed. My husband and I have two family members who have asked us to arrange to have their ashes “scattered.” One is a Catholic, one is not. Does […]

Effie Caldarola: Appreciate the larger picture

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FOR THE JOURNEY Mom was recuperating, years ago, in front of the television set in her hospital room following surgery. As she grew older, surgery was hard on Mom, physically and mentally. It took her down and she was never quite able to climb back to pre-operation levels. On this particular day, when the nurse […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Is a funeral Mass required? Do Masses have to include moments of silence?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: My wife and I are in our mid-70s and have bought cemetery plots and made our funeral arrangements. We selected immediate burial, without any rites, ceremony or embalming. But after talking to family members, we are worried that perhaps, in not having a Catholic funeral Mass, we are sinning gravely and making […]

Msgr. Owen F. Campion: A savior is born for us

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CHRISTMAS Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 The liturgy includes several Masses for Christmas. These readings are those assigned for Mass during the day. The third section of Isaiah supplies the first lesson. To understand the reading, it helps to be aware of the historical context surrounding the composition of this part of Isaiah. God’s […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: How do I keep the Lord’s day holy?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: I write to ask for guidelines on the Third Commandment — keeping holy the Lord’s day. I do not consider some of the things that I do to be work — cooking, for example, minor cleanups, mowing, trimming, weeding. Does the church look upon all chores as work? I find it very […]

Laura Kelly Fanucci: Jesus was a teenager, too

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FAITH AT HOME If I asked you to imagine Jesus’ childhood, you’d likely picture him as a baby in the manger. But have you ever considered that Christ was once a teenager, too? In this season that sings of “the little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes,” we can forget that the incarnation means Jesus […]