Viriditas2: Soul Greening Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald On Feb. 24, St. Catherine Church in Kapaa, Kauai, recognized Cresencia Labuguen for her over 60 years of service to the church. According to fellow parishioner Carol Aki: “Every single day, Cres opened the church before 5:30 a.m. and spent the first […]
Domingo and Mary Jane Espinueva: 72 years of faith and love
VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald On Feb. 2, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Pearl City, Domingo (Espi) and Mary Jane (MJ) Espinueva celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary. Sister Malia: Tell me a little bit about yourselves. MJ: I was born in Kahului, Maui, but […]
Ivan Toguchi, sacristan, St. Michael Church, Kailua-Kona: Connecting with others
VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald As a dentist, my enjoyment comes from working with people and delving into their stories. Drawing inspiration from a mainland dentist, I’ve embraced the idea that a successful interaction is when, after half an hour, I know everything about my patient while […]
Anne Keamo, parishioner, Our Lady of Good Counsel: God has a mission for each of us
VIRIDITAS2 Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald Every day I awake with the thought that anything that I might do today is God’s plan, not mine. Whether it be in helping other people, or just being open to wherever life’s mission may take me, I simply accept all with faith. Many […]
Sister Ursolina Santos Asinas (Sister Rosal), Missionary Sisters of Faith: Be fruitful, be happy
VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald Before I came to Hawaii in 2021, I worked in a school and in my religious congregation in Italy for about 10 years. As a Missionary Sister of Faith of 39 years, I remember early on a priest telling me, “Wherever you […]
Sister Monica Ja Len, Missionary Sisters of Faith: Signs of hope
VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald When people ask me how I keep on going amidst all that has gone on concerning the Lahaina tragedy, I look at the people around me. When things happened, many people extended their hands. Even though they have lost everything, with faith […]
Tae-young Jeon, seminarian, Diocese of Suwon, South Korea: I like to talk to God
VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald My name is Tae-young Jeon and I am a seminarian of the Suwon diocese in South Korea. After studying for a year at Saint Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, I finished Theology 2. This is my pastoral year (spent in service […]
Helen Turner, professor, Chaminade University: God finds a way
VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald During a lunch with some new team members at Chaminade, a colleague posed an intriguing question: “When did you first want to be a scientist?” As the conversation circled to me, I found myself answering (to everyone’s surprise) “As a teenager I […]
Father Roland Bunda, Marianists: Being in the presence of God
VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald On my 75th birthday, Marianist Father Stephen Tutas sent me an email. He always sends the brothers and the priests little “favorinos,” favorite sayings. This one said, “Be aware, be keenly aware of the action of the Holy Spirit in your life. […]
Carmela Esser, parishioner, Sacred Hearts Mission, Kapalua
VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING To do as much as I can Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald Interviewed Sept. 7 at Sacred Hearts Mission, Kapalua Residing in Kapalua, we knew nothing of what was happening in Lahaina until someone showed us a picture of the devastation. It was unbelievable to see that. […]
