The more I learn about our Catholic faith, and the devotions of the people, I come to realize that God’s view of perfection weighs heavily on diversity and that ALL things point to God. In Psalm 148, the psalmist begins by inviting all beings to praise God! Through all of heaven and all of earth, […]

Who remembers the Hawaiian Tel commercial featuring the song, “Far Too Wide”? Anyone who has spent time living on the Mainland can relate to the young man in the commercial making a “long distance” call home as the lyrics are sung, “I wish that there were some way to walk across the sea.” Every year, […]

Last week, I attended the National Diocesan Directors’ Institute in Washington, D.C. It was my first time there, and it was great to see the national monuments standing as reminders of why and what we stand for. I came to realize that in the same way these monuments are statements of our national history, mission […]

Every young adult wants to learn about the traditions of the church, even if they don’t say so. For so long (spiritually) I felt like that kid nagging his parents again and again, “But why?” I had many questions about what the church teaches and even more questions about what she does. Many questions were […]

Every month, I receive a Year of Faith newsletter from Pauline Books and Media. This month featured a column written by Daughter of St. Paul Sister Kathryn James Hermes. Her driving point was that the most profound way we can speak of Christ is through, “the goodness of our hearts and lives, which, like a […]

In March, we held a series of retreats for leaders of ministries for youth and young adults. Dann Ebina volunteered to help us at each one and even paid his own airfare to the neighbor islands! At each retreat, Dann would constantly say, “You’re awesome!” When asked why, he’d say, “Cause you’re awesome!” Everyone who […]

Last Friday during the “Collect” of the Mass, we prayed “that what we celebrate by professing the faith we may express in deeds.” Father Peter Miti said in his homily that day that the disciples were unsure of what to do with the truth of the resurrection made known to them. Father Peter said that […]

While volunteering at LA Youth Day 2013, I attended the workshop, “It’s All Good in God’s House.” We went through a group discussion and the first question was, “Have you ever been categorized or put in a box?” One of the adult chaperones stood up and shared instances of parishioners and parish leaders dismissing her […]

What’s the first thing people from Hawaii do when they meet someone new? Whether you ask, “What school you went?” or “Where you from?” they all are setups for this question … “Do you know (insert every person’s name you know from that school or town here)?” Every job interview I ever went to had […]

“Common sense!” I bet as soon as you read that exclamation, the voice in your head yelled it back at you. This is not a very supportive comment, nor is it a comment that provides any clarity. I’d go so far as to say that, 9 out of 10 times, there’s an awkward silence after […]