By Lisa Dahm and Celia K. Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald When Bishop Larry Silva submitted his age-mandated resignation in August 2024, a period of nervous anticipation set in among Hawaii’s Catholics as they waited for the Vatican to name a successor. They waited. And waited. Was the Holy See honoring Bishop Silva’s humble request to […]
Faithful welcome Father Castori as bishop-elect
By Lisa Dahm Hawaii Catholic Herald Jesuit Father Michael Castori was quickly and warmly welcomed by isle Catholics earlier this month as Pope Leo XIV announced he would become the sixth bishop of Honolulu. Whether they were familiar with Father Castori from his previous ministries or saw him for the first time during the Diocese […]
Jesuit Father Matthew Yim: Community and prayer
Viriditas2: Soul Greening Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald After working at the Bishop Museum for some time and meeting regularly with a spiritual director, I spoke with my pastor about my growing sense of a call to the priesthood. Since I already had a master’s degree, he suggested that I […]
Aiea-raised Jesuit Father Ganir makes profession of final vows
By Celia K. Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald More than two decades after beginning his vocational journey with the Society of Jesus, Father Phillip Alcon Ganir has taken the last step in his profession as a Jesuit priest — but it’s hardly the end of his formation. Father Ganir, who was born in Seattle and grew […]
Jesuit priest with isle roots celebrates 25th jubilee
By Jennifer Rector and Celia K. Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald The young boy running across the grounds of St. Elizabeth Church and School in Aiea in the 1980s probably wasn’t thinking about joining the priesthood. Fast forward through grade school at St. Elizabeth, high school years at Damien Memorial School and college life at the […]