Yes, our parish is a busy one. As our daily scripture said recently, “… God loves a cheerful giver…” 2 Cor. Take a look at the faces around you. I see smiling givers. In some cases, as with the Golden Girls AKA the adult choir at St. M’s, I see ‘giggling givers’.

Our earthly partnership is also one of unity and exclusivity. It is indissoluble and perpetual. Entering marriage should never be a quick decision. Mother Church knows that discernment takes time and prayer. Therefore, she asks us to spend time in preparation for this holy covenant. Marriage is for life! Dating and engagement should be times of "Getting to Know You" not "We Got Married in a Fever"! Sexual union consummates the marriage vows and children are the fruit of that love. Not the other way around…with commitment coming after sex and little ones, is there really commitment? Since our Faith is more important than anything else, it is always best to marry a Catholic, but not a given.

Fr. Mark then spoke at length about the need for separation in cases of repeated infidelity and/or danger/abuse to the spouse or children. A civil divorce can be granted for protection of legal rights, but it has no effect on the validity of the original marriage vows and one cannot marry again unless the original marriage is declared invalid. Nullification of marriage can come only when it is proven that there was something lacking in the marriage to begin with, for example: a defect in decision making, refusal to have children, psychological incapacity, etc.

Without a doubt, Fr. Mark's presentation was one of our most informative and perhaps needed by every married or about to be married couple in our parish! If you were not able to make it last night, fear not! We will be inviting him once more.

The Taste of St. Michael’s was a great success. From Filipino Adobo & Lumpia to good old Hot Dogs & Hamburgers. From Italian Crab Cioppino, Mexican Chili, Samoan Palusami, Tongan smoked pig to Portuguese Vinha D”Alhos and Malasadas. When I heard it was a ‘taste’…I thought it would be only that…but wow! What helpings. Of course, we will have to set up several shave ice areas next year. Above all, our deepest Mahalo to those who provided all this delicious food, cooked it, and served it. And a special thank you to our pastor in his cow hat running around offering extra dinner rolls. That was a Kodak moment!

I arrived at morning Mass at 6:30 to find Fr. Johnathan and buddies already at work. I arrived again before nine to drive around several blocks looking for a parking place. I had to leave my ‘job’ of wrapping plastic forks several times to hug and kiss and love up friends and former students (two with triplets!!!). And I watched the joy on faces as they saw neighbors, fellow parishioners, and much of the North Shore. There is NO place on Oahu that compares to our beloved St. Michael’s.

We are a country parish where people know each other and welcome those who come to visit. We are top notch at pot lucks, “talking story” after Mass, raising $$ for World Youth Day, pilgrimages to Molokai, and “our” school. We step forth to feed the hungry, teach RCIA and little ones on Sunday mornings, or clean up after functions (and our hall is well used). We are active in our Finance Committees, Adult Faith Formation, and SMAPPY (Sts. Michael and Peter & Paul Youth), Parish Councils, and School Boards. We take teenagers on Confirmation retreats, reach out to our elderly and aged, support each other in times of bereavement, and rejoice with our newly baptized, confirmed, and First Communicants. We are ONE parish, ONE people, and we worship Our Risen Lord as ONE. Jesus is ALIVE right here and now. Where Jesus is there also is the Father and the Spirit. We ARE the Face of God to each other, to all others.

Thanks, Bishop Larry, for reminding not only the newly confirmed, but all of us, that “Jesus is doing” through us. May the Fire of the Spirit burn brightly in our hearts, our homes, and our parish!

Derik Sagaysay

Molokai was an out-of-the-ordinary encounter that defined,for me, the beauty behind “keeping the country, country.” Getting an inside look into Kalaupapa and the legacy Father Damien left behind was interesting. The descent down the Pali Trail was something else and, even more so, was the strenuous ascent (3+ mi of trail, 26 switchbacks, 1600+ ft. Change in elevation). All I can say is, with God and two hours of sleep, anything is possible. Someday, I wish to revisit this unforgettable experience…

Nichole Rego

OMG! This hike was one of the worst and best experiences of my life. While walking down the trail I saw the amazing breath taking view beauty of Kalaupapa.  I saw pictures on Google and they don’t even compare to the real thing.  The people there are just as pleasant as the view. Uncle Norman was a really good and entertaining tour guide while driving us around in “trusty rusty.”   The whole tour in Kalaupapa was really DEEP! It made me proud to be a Catholic. I know it sounds corny, but No joke!  It really did! J The hike back up was KILLER! It wasn’t easier than going down at all! All the people who said that it would be flew back!! *cough* Father Jon! Haha In the end, the trip was sooo worth spending those long torturous hours parking. NEXT STOP…… SPAIN!!!

Jeremy Sabugo

My Molokai Experience was awesome and I would like to thank everyone who made my experience possible. Being in Kalaupapa answered the question, what is heaven like? There is nothing on earth like Kalaupapa. Being there is a place out of reality, a place of history, a place almost fantasy like. I stood in front of Fr. Damien’s grave in silence with tears in my eyes and a gust of wind came and blew me off my feet. Fr. Damien reminds us to think about others and not always yourself. Almost every time I visit Molokai, there is always something new. Taking into consideration the size of the island it’s, almost impossible to not miss anything. I felt there was a sense of connection to my own personal sense of truth. If I had a choice to live on Molokai and help with the Molokai project, I would accept the offer. I believe Molokai is the only place on earth that would mainly nurture my faith and change my perspective on life. In the end, I can see Molokai in twenty years, just the way I had found it this past weekend.

Elaine Pinacate

The hike down and up the trail left my body semi-immobilized and in painfor a few days, but it is the spirit and holiness of Moloka'i thatleaves me paralyzed forever. As I walked on the grounds of Kalawao andKalaupapa, suddenly the realism of the stories of a man of hope,courage, and leprosy began to unfold. When we visited St.Philomena'schurch to see this man's grave, many reached out their hands to touchhis tomb- many with sorrowful tears. It became evident that FatherDamien was not only a man who built churches, dug water irrigationsystems, or dressed wounds and ulcers, he was a man who loved the peopleafflicted with the Hanson's diseases because he loved God. He was a manthat ardently walked up and down the mountain to fetch potable water andmedicine for his people. He was a man of God, and today he is aHoly-man. It was truly a blessing to have had the opportunity to visitthe holy land that was touched by Father Damien.

To view all photos taken on the Molokai Pilgrimage to the Photo Album section above.

In case you are wondering, there WAS a balance. We laughed and complained about hiking aches and pains, we bonded at meals while wonderful local entertainers kept us moving (some on the dance floor). We laughed nervously on tiny airplanes, bought Molokai bread late at night, sang on the buses and pulled and pushed the “brave of heart hikes” up and down the steps. To sum it up…it was a weekend of total blessing not to be forgotten.

God’s Tear. Taken from the Movie Passion of the Christ.

Afterward, we celebrated mass with Fr. Marc Alexander, one of the three priests that was involved in the cross walk. After Mass, we ate spaghetti and had a lot of yummy desserts. At the end, Geena and I represented St. Michael and received a special black and gold cross walk shirts for being the ones to bear the cross in Waialua.
Click here to view the letter from OSM.

On Ash Wednesday, we stood in church and received a mark of ashes on our forehead as a token of penitence. We were reminded of our mortality, our sinfulness, our need for penance and prayer. But those ashes weren’t just scraped together from the bottom of somebody’s fireplace. They were the remnants of burned palms.

I would like to share just one thought about something that is a vital and meaningful part of this weekend. It is the part, in fact, that gives this Sunday its name.

Last week I decided to clean the altar of my mother’s holy statues of Jesus and Mary. It was a very crowded altar with all sorts of candles, angels and fake plants made out of ceramic and plastic. Behind the altar, there was a rosary hanging on the wall along with a bible and a bottle of holy water from somewhere in the world. Tucked in among them was a small folded cross made of palm leaves, a remnant from Palm Sunday’s past.

This week I spent most of my free time at different churches and experiencing different masses . On Wednesday I had the oppotunity to be elected to recieve the newly refined oils. In the midst of the mass I was shocked to hear a full choir with an ensemble. The best thing about the mass is that Bishop Larry celebrated it. The music made me jubilated as the choir’s voice was meant for a prince. I felt that all we did in the past few weeks will lead us to what we are about to experience next week. Take these palms. Let them be a reminder that we are entering the holiest week of the year. These Palms are the iconic symbol of our christian faith.

Today we stand here again, six weeks older. Maybe, hopefully, six weeks wiser. We hold in our hands new palms. New growth.

Ultimately, that is what these weeks are about. Burning away, clearing out, and cultivating something new. That is Lent.

We may come from different backgrounds, religion, culture, and ethnicity, but it’s communication that brings us together as human beings. Meet Matt Harding, “Dancing Matt” is his celebrity name. He became famous for his viral videos that show him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations. Harding has since received widespread coverage of his travel exploits in major print and broadcast media outlets. When I first saw this video it almost made me cry. Even-though it seems that our world may be in war, there will always be a group of people in the world dancing. Seeing people from different parts of the world with the mixture of the background music; manifested itself as a message of hope. God is acting, this is the work of God.

People want to feel connected to each other. They want to be heard and seen, and they're curious to hear and see others from places far away. He shares that impulse. “It's part of what drives me to travel. But it's constantly at odds with another impulse, which is to reduce and contain my exposure to a world that's way too big for me to comprehend.”

Over at NPR, he's offered his thoughts on what that exercise taught him:
My brain was designed to inhabit a fairly small social network of maybe a few dozen other primates — a tribe. Beyond that size, I start to get overwhelmed. And yet here I am in a world of over 6 billion people, all of whom are now inextricably linked together. I don't need to travel to influence lives on the other side of the globe. All I have to do is buy a cup of coffee or a tank of gas. My tribe has grown into a single, impossibly vast social network, whether I like it or not. The problem, I believe, isn't that the world has changed, it's that my primitive caveman brain hasn't.

Check out the rest right here. And, while you're at it, watch that wonderful video again, and smile. We all need it...now, more than ever.

The Gallup Poll is the division of Gallup that regularly conducts public opinion polls in the United States and more than 140 countries around the world. Gallup Polls are often referenced in the mass media as a reliable and objective measure of public opinion. (wikipedia)

Looking at this Gallup poll reminded me of a book I've found while waking up after an afternoon nap. The book was snuggled under my pillow covered with dusk. I flipped the book showing the front cover and noticed the title "Ten Ways the Church Has Changed" What history can teach us about uncertain times By Christopher M. Bellitto, Ph.D. I remember buying this buying this book in the summer at Daughters of St Paul-Book & Media Center. The book talks about the Catholic Church living in a difficult season of self-examination, prayerful reassessment, and change: change in policies, in practices, in the way we see ourselves as Catholics. Here is a few keypoints the book covers.

• How has Church organization and governance changed?
• How did the papacy evolve?
• How has the Mass developed?
• Were the sacraments ever different?

• How has spirituality changed?

• How did religious orders develop?
• How has the Church related to other faiths?
• What are the greatest challenges the Church has ever faced?

If you are interested in this book, buy it at
Daughters of St Paul-Book & Media Center 
1143 Bishop Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
  (808) 521-2731

March 26, THURSDAY (Overview)

Today was the last day the cross traveled through the North Shore. The North Shore course took two days to complete. The numbers of participants fell short this morning causing Dominic the Cross Walk coordinator, to start the walk alone and keep the cross moving. Then he was then joined by three St. Michael Parish Youth at the half point. The group made it all the way to the end coming across many of the beautiful beaches of Hawaii (Sunset Beach, Pipeline and Shark Cove). They later met up with St. Roch at Turtle bay Resort and handing over the cross to them as they make their way to Windward Side.

Click to play video

The morning started early for the Youth and Young adult of St. Michael and Sts. Peter and Paul as they were involved in the Hawaii Cross Walk 2009. They began walking from Ka’ena Point to Sts.Peter & Paul, Waimea Bay which is about 19 miles and approximately took 8 Hours. Jesus said to them in prayer during to pick up the cross and follow him. The cross walk will continue tomorrow at 8 AM. If you are interested contact Jeremy 389-8897. Schedule is attached below. We will be back on the roads tomorrow. show your support and horn your horns!

March 26 Thursday
Sts. Peter & Paul to Kualoa Ranch (8 hours, 20 min. 25 miles)
Kamehameha Hwy.

Central (4 hours)
8 a.m. Sts. Peter & Paul,
1. 8:20 Sharks Cove, 59448 (Sunset School crosswalk),
2. 8:40 Sunset Beach,
3. 9 Kahuku Motor cross Track (yellow sign, mauka),
4. 9:20 Fruit Stand (across Waile? Beach Pk.),
5. 9:40 Fruit Stand (Kahuku Land Farms),
6. 10 Turtle Bay Resort entrance,
7. 10:20 Fruit Stand (across golf course, by “R” sign),
8. 10:40 Fumi’s Shrimp Farm,
9. 11 Kahuku Hospital/Bridge,
10. 11:20 Malaekahana Bridge,

ROL and St. Michael Parish group picture at Sts. Peter and Paul.

Our Mission:

Our Goals:

• Direct Services:
  OSM addresses immediate crisis needs of all persons without distinction and provides services to sustain the dignity of all people.Justice Education:
  OSM educates people and institutions on issues that affect the poor, powerless and marginalized. We strive to address the root causes of social problems, promoting systemic change by influencing public policy and legislative initiatives.Advocacy:
  OSM empowers people to organize and advocate for themselves and others toward a just society, promoting self-determination for all.
  Community Development:
  OSM seeks partnerships with parishes and other groups to help mobilize and build stronger, more self-reliant communities.

Big Island Carol Ignacio Diocesan Director, OSM Executive Director, OSM, Big Island Branch 140-B Holomua Street Hilo, HI 96720 Phone: (808) 935-3050 Fax: (808) 935-3794 email: Carol Ignacio