Hawaii’s permanent deacons By Gwenda Mapa Special to the Herald My name is Gwenda Mapa, and I am the wife of Deacon Charley Mapa of St. Joseph Church in Hilo. Deacon Charley and I have been married for 53 years. We have two children, our son Charley Jr. and our daughter Brenna. Both are married, […]
Hawaii’s permanent deacons: Fulfilling a lifelong call to serve
By Deacon David Bruce Special to the Herald My journey started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 19, 1960, when our loving God blessed my parents (William Arthur Bruce Sr. and Frances Cvercko Bruce) with their third and youngest child. My name is David Gene Bruce. This is my life story, according to God’s plan. I was born a […]
The journey of a deacon’s wife: Embracing the call to serve
By Lani Wong Special to the Herald My life started in San Pedro, California, where I was born and baptized at Mary Star of the Sea Church. I attended first through third grade at Mary Star of the Sea School and received my first holy Communion at the same location. I grew up with and […]
Hawaii’s permanent deacons: My wake-up call from the Lord
By Deacon Derek Wong Special to the Herald It took me 59 years to become a member of the Catholic faith. Why so long? One would think that graduating from a Catholic high school (Damien Memorial, 1975) and a Jesuit college (Loyola Marymount University, 1979), I was already a Catholic. My parents always wanted my […]
God’s love shines brightest in darkest times
Hawaii’s permanent deacons By Deacon David Watson Special to the Herald I was born in Washington, Iowa — a small farming community in southeast Iowa where my parents owned a dry-cleaning business. Neither my brother nor I were baptized as infants, and we did not attend church. Our family was not religious in any way […]
