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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.

Tags: Young Adult

“Christ Be our Light” In those four simple words, lie all the glory, passion and joy of lent in which we celebrated this week. That right there my brother and sister, is Easter. It’s is the savior of our liturgical year. Easter is a time of honoring and renewing.

On Saturday night at St. Michael, Christ lit and guided our way to the resolution of our lenten journey. In the darkness of saturday night, one flame ignited hundreds of others, and the light spread. Person by person, candle by candle. And we stood in this sacred space embracing that light.

We stood in faint darkness with our candle flames glowing on our faces while the choir sings beautiful Easter melody “Christ Be our Light” and the “Gloria”. As we began to sing “Christ Be My Light” I felt a harm feeling within me because it was one of my favorite catholic hymns. I started to get a little teary while hearing the piano strike the first chord that reminds me of the songs. That very simple solemn chord learned by heart placed vivid images of me at the age of six years old. I remember sitting byside my mother in the same exact church singing to the same song calmly bringing joy to my heart now. That night, i felt right at home and when we sang that beautiful song, i didn’t need to look at the lyrics because it was embedding heart, next to my Christian faith. There are some things in life that brings comfort to you and whenever I am in church, I witness God’s presence and all the lyrics pops into my heart making me sing unconsciously, loud, with confidence and love. That is the works of God.

We are the Body of Christ. Bruised. Broken. But resurrected and given new life, new hope. Changed forever. We are men and women and children who hold the light. We must continue our service to the homeless and pass the light to those we are in search of God. Let us be servant to one another, making God’s kingdom come.

This Easter, keep the flame burning. Remember all who came before us, and all who are joining us today.

Click to view video. “Christ Be Our Light”

Tags: Holy Week

Feeding the homeless on Easter sunday has been more rewarding than most of us expected. I work closely with the youth and young adults and I haven’t seen a greater service response from them. Geena Pinacate, one of the young adults leader said, she enjoyed her Easter Sunday because she was able to serve and have fun. She is extremely excited that she will be joining us on the Molokai Pilgrimage next weekend.


She also said that she is eager to visit Blessed Fr. Damien’s tombstone. At that same time, I thought about Fr. Damien and his extrodinary dedication of caring for the lepers. Fr. Damien ministered to lepers and cared for all of them. I envisioned myself as Father Damien, helping those outcasted similarly to the lepers. His message is the reason why I was feeding the homeless on Easter Sunday and should be an example for our all people whether we be Christians, Jews, Muslim or any other religion.

Tags: Holy Week, youth, Youth Adult, Social

This afternoon the cross speaks to us as we reiterate the story of his passion. It speaks of the one who suffered and died upon it. Personally, this for me can’t be a day like any other. I sat in church venerating while Fr. Johnathan gave his powerful homily. I was disturbed by the deep and mournful absence - no consecration, no bells, no final blessing. The altar was stripped. The feeling of sitting across an empty tabernacle was depressing. I felt as if the heart of the church had been ripped open and thrown far away. For some people, it’s still customary to turn off the radio, shut off the TV, draw the curtains … and pray. Some may light candles. Others may follow the Way of the Cross or pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary. It may seem depressing, seeing the church clothed with painful memories of struggle and death, but it opens our minds to find our inner faith.

On this day we celebrated one of the most haunting liturgies in the church. It's proclaimed in the gospel, that when Jesus took in his last breathe, the world literally cracked open. A Mother and Father giving up their only son. The lenten journey is not all about sacrificing, it's about the preparation of the ultimate sacrifice. How are we going to prepare to continue to live in God's image. We were reminded today that it is our faith that was sealed with nails, and splinters, and blood.

To this day, we cannot help but remember what was done for us. As the old spiritual tells us, it causes us to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord.

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

Tags: Holy Week

At St. Stephen Church in Nu’uanu, catholics from all parts of Oahu celebrated Palm Sunday vigil. The mass then was followed by a Cross Walk 09’ after party Celebration hosted by InHim Ministries. I was accompanied by Geena Pinacate one of our youth leaders at St. Michael. The celebration kicked off with an uplifting praise and worship, then we were recognized for being involved in the cross walk.

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.

Tags: Youth Adult, youth, Holy Week

Palm Sunday today. Ash Wednesday almost six weeks ago...

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.

Tags: St. Michael, Reflection, Miscellaneous, Holy Week

To view in HD click on the HD button on the bottom right.

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.

Tags: World News, Miscellaneous

A new Gallup analysis finds that Catholic Americans are more liberal than the rest of the country on a handful of so-called moral issues and that they hold the same views as non-Catholics on other such issues. This graph tells the story:

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

Tags: News, World News

Click to play video

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.

Tags: Youth Adult

WEDNESDAY, March, 25, 2009

The cross arrived at Ka’ena point 11:00am with Fr. Marc Alexander bearing it and handing it over to the Young Adults of ROL (Resurrection of the Lord). Meanwhile, ROL was joined by the Youth/Young adults of St. Michael Parish, making the cross walk group 15 people strong. The sun was blazing hot as they reached to Haleiwa town. Fortunately, a parishsioner from St. Michael Parish passed out water and bananas to the cross walker to fuel up. One of the particpants said “the bananas were a boost of God’s Holy Spirit that kept him going through out the whole walk.” As they reached the middle point of the course ROL made it their pit-stop and was relieved by the youth of Our lady of Sorrows. St. Michael Parish and Our lady of Sorrow finished the course ending up at Sts. Peter and Pul church, Waimea Bay.

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.

Tags: youth, Youth Adult

To live out the Gospel message of Jesus. Luke 4:18-19
This was the opening to Carol Ignacio’s speech, the keynote speaker of the St. Michael’s Social Justice meeting on thuesday 3/24. The only way we can call ourselves catholic, is by taking care of the homeless and seeing Jesus in them. Carol humbly shared about her personal encounters with the homeless people in Hawaii and said “helping and nurturing for these many homeless people has brought me face to face with God”

One thing that surprised me the most was witnessing her enthusiastic characteristic and bold knowledge of social ministry. She also admits on having the most kinkiest hair among all of us in the room. Overall the speech by Carol Ignacio was a great informative awareness speech that has soften our hearts to be more loving and caring to human-kind . Even-though it takes a lot of work in making social ministry happen at St. Michael - all we need to do it pray. She closed her speech with the sayings “Jesus’s death was not a simple one, if you continue putting homelessness a priority through good friday, there will be many happy easter sunday.

In 2007, there were 6,000 people counted as homeless. 37% were Hawaiian.
Most of the children are 5 years of age and lower.

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners . . .” (Isaiah 61)

Our Mission:

To meet the challenges of the ever-changing communities by utilizing spiritual, human and material resources to empower those we encounter to experience dignity and respect.
Our belief in the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all our services. We believe every person is precious and that people are more important than things. The purpose of the Office for Social Ministry is to enhance lives and promote the dignity of every human being.

Our Goals:

To strive to live out our mission through the four-sided model of action:

• 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

Tags: Social Justice, St. Michael