By Jennifer Rector Hawaii Catholic Herald Easter is right around the corner, and many thousands of people across the country are awaiting the day with anticipation to enter the Catholic Church. That includes 241 catechumens in the Diocese of Honolulu who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil. Each one of them prepares for the […]
RCIA is now ‘OCIA’: What’s behind name change?
By Daniel Meloy Catholic News Service IRA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — For anyone interested in becoming Catholic, wishing to complete the sacraments or wanting to learn more about what the church teaches, the answer for decades was “join RCIA.” The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the process by which the church brings in new converts […]
Easter welcomings
Chuukese deacon helps reconnect fellow Micronesians to east Hawaii Island Catholic community By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald MOUNTAIN VIEW, Hawaii — If you browse the names of those entering the Catholic Church in Hawaii this Easter, you’ll spot one of the longest lists of names under the small St. Theresa Parish in Mountain View […]
Easter conversion story: ‘Lord, I am not worthy’
‘Wonderful’ school community helped lead art teacher through her final steps to the Catholic faith By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald Stacey Taylor has made her art class mobile at Mary, Star of the Sea School in Waialae-Kahala due to COVID-19. Instead of students coming to her art room, she wheels her “art cart” between […]
Easter stories: A family faith affair
Though the pandemic has put Easter Vigil initiations on hold, two Oahu families are eager and waiting to become Catholic By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald For Tiffany Welch, it was a surprising statement by her preschooler. For Jason and Victoria Castiglione, it was going on a marriage retreat. Both experiences led these Hawaii residents […]
A fighter turned believer
Professional martial arts competitor, father, entrepreneur found an answer to his life’s chaos: the Catholic faith By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald Quirino B. “Reno” Remigio Jr. is a fighter. Literally. He is a professional mixed martial arts competitor. He is also a father, an entrepreneur and, since May 4, a Catholic in full communion […]
Dream come true: a ‘little bit’ Catholic to the real thing
Conversion story Enrollment in a Catholic school leads to baptism at Easter By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald When Dream Poe-Shippy transferred from a local public school to St. John the Baptist School in Kalihi at the start of the 2018-19 school year, he was ready for a change. The seventh grader had struggled some […]
Why I want to become a Catholic
By Tatum Vayavananda Special to the Herald My faith journey started about 12 years ago at a U.S. Marine Corps boot camp when a Holy Bible was given to me as part of my standard issue. Though I read it throughout my time there, I had no clue as to how it would affect me […]
I want to be a Catholic because …
I want to be a Catholic because … … I was called. We are all called by God at different stages of our lives but it’s a matter of listening and not just hearing it. I listened to the call when I chose life over death in 2011. With the help of my friend Preston, […]
Family-style evangelization: The Holy Spirit stirs close, loving relationships to spark a conversion
Hyun Soon Han Maerki and her daughter Su Jung.(HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz) On April 4, 200 catechumens will be baptized, confirmed and receive First Eucharist during Easter Vigil services across Hawaii. While the faith journey of each catechumen is unique, behind every one of them is the love and support of catechists, […]