Aloha, with Apology

Fr. Paulo officiating Mass for homeschoolers

Aloha, Everyone!

May your Advent be filled with joyful expectations of the coming of our Lord!

My apology to all. I have to temporarily close this blog for lack of time to update it, mostly due to a densely streamed schedule in school. I do love learning and sharing what I learn, but the sharing part must come at a later time. Should that time not come at all through this blog, I am certain God will bring it to completion somehow. My husband's call to the diaconate formation is most crucial to him, to me and our children. (No, I am not saying that he will definitely make it, but we are giving it our best. Please pray for him; his name is Joe.) I must acquiesce to the will of the One whose voice is stronger than mine. Perhaps, we will encounter each other again.

Update: My husband was ordained into the permanent diaconate on January 31 of this year 2015. We thank you for your prayers! He has been assigned to the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, HI. Come visit the Cathedral Basilica if you are in the area! Mahalo!

The most visited post on this blog, which precipitated nearly 100,000 hits, is the one that has my poem for priests: Poem: A Tribute to Our Priests. You may copy it, all of it: Title, Name of author, and the full Content of the poem without rewording it or claiming is as your own, since it is how copyrights are protected and respected. I do thank you. 

This poem has been printed in numerous newsletters, church bulletins, and cards. It is recited at anniversary gatherings in celebration of a priest's birthday or ordination, which served as a gift for priests. It will be printed in my next book -- my gift for all priests.

I will be at Passionate about LIFE as often as time allows. You are welcome to visit the blog Spiritual Mom's Apostolate that I share with Esther Gefroh. My dearest friend Esther runs several blogs, the most popular one being A Catholic Mom in Hawai'i.

May God richly bless each one of us. May our journeys toward him be one of joyful experience and encounter of the God whose love is boundless, shapeless, and most inconceivably enormous. May we never turn away from strangers, but be a joyful light for them.

Aloha nui,
Easter Almuena

Greetings: January 1, 2012

Today marks the end of Christmas Octave and the beginning of the New Year 2012.

Mele Kalikimaka and Hauoli Makahiki Hou to all priests, seminarians, spiritual mothers, and to all of you who come to visit this blog!

May this day, the first of the New Year, as well as our days to come be fully blessed with God's ageless grace and strength, healing and renewal, joy and birth, love and mercy, and all that we need to keep ourselves ever so focused on God!


With confident hearts, we walk with Mary towards Christ.


A Blessed Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God!

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num 6:24-26).

Merry Christmas!

A joyful Christmas to one and all!

We especially greet our beloved priests a very Merry Christmas, from all of us who pray for you.

May your days of serving our High Priest, of being his ministerial representative, be filled with his joy and peace. May you always remain faithful to your vocation, and may you be surrounded by people who will help to keep the torch of Life and Light burning in you. This we ask in Jesus name, amen!

Mele Kalikimaka to you all!

Happy 25th Anniversary, Fr. John!

Happy 25th Anniversary,

Fr. John Speekman!

I am honored to greet my favorite priest there in Down Under, Fr. John Speekman, who celebrates 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on Monday, August 17.

I had the privilege of interviewing him before lent this year, which was done through email. His response was full of fond memories of his youth and how he was raised by very devout Catholic parents.

Read his profile below and then get to know him better through the interview right here.

I have to admit I'd read it more than once because it inspires me to raise my own children the way Catholic parents should raise God's precious ones entrusted to them.

Fr. John Speekman runs a blog called Homilies and Reflections from Australia. Do send him your greetings. Mahalo.

Here is his profile:

I was born in Holland and migrated to Australia with my family at age 5 - grew up in Victoria and attended Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools. After a BA and Secondary Teacher training at Melbourne University I taught for 12 years - completed 2 years National Service in the Army (PNG) and entered the Seminary in 1981 - was ordained priest on 17th August 1984 by bishop Eric D'Arcy and have served in the Diocese of Sale and the Archdiocese of Sydney.

HAPPY 29th ANNIVERSARY, FR. MARK!

Fr. Mark del Rosario

Congratulations, Fr. Mark!

Fr. Mark celebrated his 29th year into the priesthood

on the 19th of April, 2009. He belongs to the

Blessed Sacrament order and is the parish priest

of Star of the Sea Church in Honolulu.

God continue to shower upon you

an abundance of blessings!