A Tribute to Fr. Benedict Groeschel

You must have seen the video below, but it's quite alright. We all need to be reminded of our priests' accomplishments - more than a few imperfections that media has spotlighted. The world will always remember the bad, but almost hardly the good. We who understand and know that many, many deeds have been performed by many, many priests, should echo to the world that goodness abounds - because of what our priests do, or have done.

We praise and thank God for having given us a good priest who has accomplished much that we may know, receive, and understand much.

Thank you, Fr. Benedict Groeschel!

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

If you are searching for a seminary, be sure to check out Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Thanks to my good friend, Gary!) This place of formation for the priesthood is located in Denton, Nebraska, United States. Lincoln and Omaha are the two largest cities nearby. The seminary itself is located within the territorial boundaries of the Diocese of Lincoln.

Two years are spend in the study of Philosophy, followed by four years of Theology. Philosophy is foundational in the study of Theology -- something that I am learning these days on my pursuit of M.A. in Theology. Philosophy is not an easy subject to deal with, but it stretches the mind and gives it the basics for a sound theological reasoning and learning. I am most certainly learning to appreciate it.

If you are searching, or in discernment, or know of someone who is, please leave your name or a name, and I will pray for you.

A blog by teens discerning priesthood

This is a blog put together by young men

who are seriously considering the call to the priesthood.

Apparently, it was nominated for

Best Group Blog and Best Overall Catholic website for the year 2009.

A Vocation to be a Priest?

I found this site at Anne Bender's blog, Imprisoned in my Bones-Releasing my Inner Jeremiah!

National Vocation Awarness Week

from my backyard


National Vocation Awareness Week to be Celebrated

January 11-17, a USCCB News Release

Another Amazing Event - continued

When we got to the 5th floor, I met my favorite young priest, Fr. Paul Li. I told him about TJ and sure enough, we found ourselves laughing again, just like we did when he helped me put together an anual Mass for the homeschoolers last year.

So there we were, seated at a round table: Fr. Peter, TJ, my other children and I. We had all smiles on our faces, especially TJ. One thing I noticed about him was he had this most comfortable, joyful and peaceful demeanor, but of course, being his mother, I won't give it any meaning. :-)

Fr. Peter had an application form on the table and jotted down information which the siblings mostly answered for TJ, and yes, with smiles and giggles. The questions in the back made most of us laugh:

Are you suffering from mental illness?
Have you seen a psychiatrist?
Are you taking any prescribed medications?
Do you have any debts?
If so, how much do you owe?

HA HA HA...

Oh what joy! What joy! But soon we had to go. 3 of my children left a few minutes early to prepare and put their albs on to serve as acolytes for the 12 noon Mass.

In many occasions, the family, except TJ, served at various Masses. My husband and I sang with the cathedral's choir and sometimes cantored while the 4 children altar served. Soon, he will be joining the team.

Thinking of TJ serving at Mass is making all of us nervous. He's the baby of the family, and in some ways, still acts like one. This child still remains in the metaphysical stage where his connection with God is in the wonder and awe. Full of wonder and awe for God and his creation, yes, that is TJ. He also possesses a natural ability to make us laugh with his simple siliness.

TJ will receive his first Sacrament of Reconciliation this Saturday, March 15. His God-chosen godfather will be there to support him (a beautiful thing!). His First Holy Communion will take place on Sunday, March 30.

Fr. Peter, we thank you! The seed has been planted. It is a day we will not forget.

I was encouraged by Fr. Peter to continue nurturing the call. The priesthood may very well be TJ's vocation, but being his mother, I won't overly give it meaning. I will just have to occasionally talk about this joyful interview with friends and family. That's all. :-)

As for the nurturing part, I will continue to take him to daily Mass with his siblings, teach him the richness of our faith as best I can, give him lots of hugs and kisses and affirmation, and the rest is God's.

Another Amazing Event

Going back to Friday...

Just before going in the church for the 12 noon Mass, my son and I met Fr. Peter Dumag. He shook my son's hand and introduced himself and said, "Would you like to become a priest?" To which my son replied, "Yes!" (with little jumps of joy). Fr. Peter continued on to say, "I invite you to come to my office to fill in an application form. You will be my youngest prospect." (You must know that this priest has a pretty good sense of humor).

During Mass, I found my son looking preoccupied, and pretty well-behaved. Just before consecration he came up to me and asked, "Mom, where is Father's office?" I couldn't make out what he was saying, so I said, "Ask me after Mass." He said, "Ok, Mom."

Right after Mass, just outside of the cathedral, our friend, Jack, told my son that Fr. Peter's office is on the fifth floor of the chancery building. My son must have asked me about 10 times to go up to the fifth floor to see this priest.

I called his office to see if he was in and my son spoke with him. My son has an appointment to see the Vicar for Vocations on Wednesday this week, at 11:30 a.m.!

My son's name is TJ and he is six years of age! And he is excitedly counting the days!

Amazing indeed! :-)

Amazing events!

THE most amazing thing happened yesterday, actually, amazing things! Our friends, Esther and Joey, came to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace for Stations of the Cross, and for Esther and me to sign a letter to Bishop Larry that we both wrote together. We are requesting Bishop Silva to support us in our endeavor to find more women in our diocese to spiritually adopt our priests and seminarians.

After we signed the letter, Esther said that we go see the Bishop. Gulp! Doesn't she know that one has to make an appointment ahead of time to see a bishop? Ha ha ha... That friend of mine, ours actually! She is one petite lady, but my gosh, what guts she possesses!

Anyway, it was a good try. Though Bishop Silva was unavailable, the amazing thing was that we saw the right people who could help us. Did I say Vicar General Fr. Marc Alexander knows Esther? Yes sireee! He, Fr. Mark Alexander, and Fr. Pascual are going to post our announcement in our major catholic website and major newsletter circulated to priests and important people in the diocese. Yipeeee!!! God wants us to pray for his priests and seminarians! (la la la...)

I hope you will be back for another amazing thing that happened that day.

David considered priesthood when someone asked

David Soares

picture from Hawaii Catholic Herald

Meet David Soares, 21, a Big Island resident and

St. Joseph, Hilo, parishioner.

He recently began studies for the priesthood at

Mount Angel Seminary and Abbey at Saint Benedict, Ore.,

with another new seminarian for the Diocese of Honolulu,

Kauai boy EJ Resinto.

Read this article by Ann Weaver of Hawaii Catholic Herald.

Please join us in praying for David and our other seminarians.

A letter from one of our newer seminarians

Aloha,

Hope all of you are having a Blessed Sunday! It's been a month since I reached here at Mount Angel Seminary, I can't believe how time flies here. Classes are going great and assignments are coming up quick. But I think I'll be ok.

I experienced my first snowfall last Sunday, we had a good five inches of snow! I had a blast making a snowman and playing in the snow. (cheap thrills for a boy from Hawaii). I am getting adjusted to the weather, it has been raining a lot the last few days. Today it cleared up a little.

On Friday Feb. 1, 2007 the College I class did a "Personal Poverty" retreat at the Downtown Chapel of St. Vincent De Paul in Portland. The chapel is an outreach center for the poor, homeless, and needy of the area. We were split into groups and were assigned to do certain tasks like distribute clothes, personal hygiene products, bus passes, laundry vouchers etc. My job was the host. I got to meet and greet all the needy and bring them down to get what they needed.

We served them Coffee, Cocoa, and Bread as they waited. It was a time for us to sit down and chat one on one with our guests. It was such a great feeling to see them so happy as they got their products and it made me realize how much I have and how much I need to be thankful for to God. I couldn't believe that "Corporate America" is developing so much in that area, with no concern for the homeless. I was upset too, by hearing that many of their families doesn't want anything to do with them because of a mental illness, addiction or sexual orientation and that is how they ended up in this situation. This brought up a question to me "What then is family?".

After Mass and Lunch, we took a walking tour of the Downtown Portland area and visited many of the agencies which help the poor and needy. We also got to see how and where these people were living. It is not pretty. That night we got to work at the soup kitchen put on the the Chapel, and again got to mingle and eat with the homeless. It was rainy and cold on Friday and you could see that the soup (for many, their only meal that day) just hit the spot. They were all so thankful for something so simple.

I am glad that we got the opportunity to do this because it has not only made me realize how fortunate I am but also the awareness of this growing problem. In this upcoming season of Lent, let's not give up something, but rather "GIVE" something in return and remember those less fortunate than us in these cold winter days. We have so much to be thankful for.

Thanks again for all your love, support and prayers. You remain in mines. Have a Holy and Blessed Lenten Season.

God Bless You,

EJ

Local seminarian list growing!

Here's the list of Hawaii's diocesan seminarians:
1. Anthony Rapozo
2. Jason Nunez
3. David Soares
4. Jon Cabico
5. EJ Resinto
6. Andrew Northrop
7. Brother Marvin Bearis (religious)

Glory and parise be to our Most Higt Priest, Jesus Christ! And how we thank Mary, Blesseds Damien and Marianne for their intercession. Their prayers are bearing fruits! So are the prayers of the laity! Our list is growing!

Many of our churches are praying the Diocesan Vocations Prayer after each Mass on Saturdays and Sundays. St. Elizabeth's Church has started doing this recently. What a wonderful way to pray for vocations! Praying this prayer as One Body in Christ strenghtens all the more the already growing need for more young people to join the religious life.

God be praised! We continue to pray for our seminarians and priests...

Hawaii Diocesan Prayer for Vocations (found on CT's sidebar)

Heavenly Father,

Your divine Son taught us to pray

to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers

into His vineyard.

We earnestly beg you to bless our Diocese

and our world with many priests and religious

who will love you fervently and

gladly and courageously spend their lives

in service to your Son's Church,

especially the poor and the needy.

Bless our families and our children,

and choose from our homes those whom

you desire for this holy work.

Teach them to respond generously

and keep them ever faithful

in following your Son Jesus Christ,

that under the guidance of the Holy Spirit

and with the inspiration ofBlessed Damien

and Blessed Marianne,

the Good News of redemption may be

brought to all.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Youth and religious vocation here on our island

Rainbow Park, Big Island

Picture by Me :-)

I am so happy about this new venture that Hawaii Catholic Herald is undertaking. It caters to young adults ages 18-35. Too bad, I don't qualify anymore. :-) It sounds really exciting! Our young can ask for advice from our model couple, Mason and Teo Matsuda. I have met this wonderful couple through the BCC retreat my husband and I attended the other year. They are both very talented, so energetic that even though they are now in their 40's they can still relate to our young. I recall them presenting a thought provoking skit at one of the retreats last year. It surely made me cry. The message was love. Love now before it is too late! God be praised!

Take a peak: Mana'olana.

This page also encourages supporting our priests and the religious and encourages the young to consider for themselves a religious vocation.

Here are the 5 suggestions of Fr. Peter Dumag,

Hawaii's Director of Vocations for National Vocations Week

(or any week!):
1. Pray for priests, deacons, religious sisters and brothers
2. Send a thank you card to a priest or consecrated person
3. Invite one of them to dinner
4. Pray for more vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life
5. Consider a religious vocation for yourself!

Call him at 585-3355 for more information

From Fr. Don's Vocation Blog

Let us include these two postulants in our prayers...

Nathan Ribar

Andrew Wood

This is from Father Don's Vocation Blog:

Fr. Don Miller shares his views and observations about travel and vocation experiences in his personal web log. He welcomes your comments and reflections in this informal—and we hope, thought-provoking—conversation.

"Come and See" Weekend
Nathan Ribar from Monroeville, PA (left) and Andrew Wood of Columbus, OH (right) joined our community this weekend of a Come and See. Nathan had a bit of a traumatic trip here traveling by bus. It seems a suspicious package was discovered and the bus was pulled over in Cambridge, OH for over four hours. Andrew was good enough to wait change his plans and meet Nathan at the bus depot to get him here for the weekend. They arrived late, but all went well once they arrived.


It was good having these two men with us. The Postulants had just returned Friday from their retreat at Gethsemane in KY. (I am waiting for some photos from that event to post on this blog.) They were happy to welcome others who are discerning a vocation with us.

Seven Reasons to be a Priest

St. Jose Maria Escriva

Seven Reasons to be a Priest

First: The World Needs Heroes

Second: To Make Christ Present to More People.

Third: To Forgive Sins.

Fourth: To Be a Living Icon of Christ.

Fifth: To Be Like Mary.

Sixth: To Preach and Teach.

Seventh: To Expand Your Family.


Read more about this at National Catholic Register.




Though Esther had already posted this on her blog, I am posting this on mine to raise greater awareness in all of us of the need to be more passionate about supporting our Catholic Church in its efforts to produce more priests. I, for one, need to be constantly reminded of this noble endeavor. It is my prayer that we also remember with love and compassion, our seminarians who have given their life to Christ in the hope that one day, they will join the family of priests whom God loves so dearly.


Esther and I are thankful for all your prayers and support for our priests and seminarians!


God bless you all abundantly!

Support our local seminarians

Special prayers for seminarians of Hawaii, from Fr. Secor:

Jon Cabico is finishing his second year of theology in Wash D.C. He is from Pearl City-OLGC parish.

Anthony Rapozo is in his first year of theology at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, CA.

David Soares, from St. Joseph's Hilo, was just accepted for college studies at Mt. Angel Seminary in Oregon (where E.J. will be).

Jason Nunez, from Our Lady of Peace Cathedral, is in his first year of college seminary at Mt. Angel.

Added: EJ Resinto Mount Angel Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and I report there January 6, 2008

Also: Marvin Bearis. O.F.M.

Reminder:

All catholic churches in the diocese of Honolulu will have a special collection for the education of our local seminarians this Saturday and Sunday, January 12-13. Please give generously.

Please pray for these young men that God will continue to give them the wisdom and strength they need to nurture the calling, and that all parishioners will give generously for their education.

Mahalo!

A Tribute to Jeremy Gray

From Ed of In God's Comapny

Jeremy Gray died while in training for the priesthood.

A Kiwi priest has died a hero after sacrificing his life for a 7-year-old boy drowning off the coast of New Caledonia.

Jeremy Gray, 29, was walking in shallow water with the boy while on a New Year's church picnic celebration, when the pair fell into a hole in a coastal reef at Yate, near Noumea.

Neither of them saw the hole because the water was muddied by the recent rainy season floods. They were trapped by the swirling seas.

Gray managed to push the boy out of the deep water and back into the shallows and, despite being tired from his efforts, refused to take the youngster's outstretched hand.

"Jeremy shouted 'go back, go back'. He knew he would pull the small boy back into the water and they would both die," said Father Bernard Girol, one of those at the picnic.

"He used all his energy to save the boy and he got tired. It was Jeremy who saved his life."

The 7-year-old ran to get help and returned with his father, who dived into the rough water to rescue the unconscious Gray, but it was too late.


"Jeremy was already gone, and the boy's father almost drowned too; he got caught in the whirlpool as well," Father Girol said.
Other rescuers pulled both Gray and the 27-year-old father out - but the trainee priest was dead.

The father was taken to hospital in a serious condition, but has since been released, and his son was treated for shock.

Yesterday Jeremy's mother Allayne Gray paid tribute to her only child, who she said was a wonderful young man who loved people and his faith.

"I know he touched the lives of many people who knew him and loved him."

Father Brian Cummings, vicar of the New Zealand Society of Mary, said Gray died "doing an amazing thing".

Gray had been in New Caledonia for one year, on a two-year pastoral placement as part of his priesthood training for the Catholic Church, working in the local parish.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman confirmed Gray had died as a result of a drowning accident. His body is expected to return to New Zealand today.

During his training in Auckland, the Waimate-born Gray wrote on the Marist seminary website that he felt called to priesthood in 1996 and began formal studies three years later.

"At the moment, I feel grateful that He has called me to Marist life, and am happy to try and abandon myself more and more to Him," Gray wrote on the website.


A memorial service for Gray was held in New Caledonia yesterday with more than 1000 locals attending. Mourners spilled out on to the streets from the St Louis Mission, which has room for only 500 people.

"Many came to pay tribute. The whole church was full, the whole community. Jeremy really touched the hearts of the people. He was a popular guy, very kind," Father Girol said.

Another service will remember Jeremy Gray in Auckland today and his funeral will be held in Christchurch on Tuesday.

A young man fishing from the rocks fell 15m to his death after plummeting off a cliff and into the water off the Taranaki coastline yesterday.

Rescuers searched for the man by boat and by climbing down the cliff.

Police eventually recovered the floating body in the water off Wai-iti Beach, north of New Plymouth.

Police have yet to formally identify the man, who was with a friend, but believed he was in his mid-20s.

DEVOTION TO GOD

Twelve years ago, Jeremy Gray chose a life of devotion to God. In a diary posted on the Marist Seminary website, the 29-year-old explains the path which led him to spend two years of his life serving the Catholic Church in New Caledonia before he was tragically killed.

It reads: "My name is Jeremy Gray and I am a student here at Marist Seminary, Auckland, New Zealand. My hometown is Waimate in South Canterbury.

"My journey began in 1996. During that year I felt a deep call to the priesthood, a call that came quite explicitly through Mary. ... I applied to study for the Diocese of Christchurch, and so having already lived there the year before, in 1999 I began formational studies at Good Shepherd House, a pre-seminary in Christchurch.

"In 2000 I continued my studies at Holy Cross Seminary, Ponsonby. Towards the end of that year, I discerned something of God's personal vocation for me: how He was calling me to live the Gospel in a way unique to my person. ... Things started to resound deeply in my heart: I wanted to live in the Spirit of Mary, in a Society that was under her name, a Society that seeks to make her present in the Church today, as she was at Pentecost. So, after three years studying to be a diocesan priest, here I am discerning my vocation more deeply.

"At the moment, I feel grateful that He has called me to Marist Life, and am happy to try and abandon myself more and more to Him."

- Jerome Gavelle

My deepest thanks to Ed Sousa for his prayers and deep love for our priests and seminarians. God bless you and your family!

Encouraging Collection for our Seminarians

Diocese initiates second collection for seminarians


Bishop Larry Silva has adding a new second parish collection, the first one of the year, for the education of local seminarians.
The collection will take place Jan. 12-13 at all Masses in the diocese.

The diocese has three seminarians.

The bishop announced the appeal on Dec. 4 in an e-mail message to diocesan leaders.

According to Bishop Silva, the extra collection was “recommended” by the presbyteral council, his priest advisors.

The diocese generally has 12 extra or “second” collections a year, one a month. The new seminarian collection means two January appeals. The other is a national collection for the Church in Latin America and Black and Indian Missions.

The seminarian collection is being coordinated by the diocesan Office of Vocations under the direction of Father Peter Dumag.

The office is hosting an evening gathering of prayer and reflection for those interested in the priesthood and religious life, 4-8 p.m., Dec. 15, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Honolulu. For information, call the vocations office at 585-3343 or e-mail Father Dumag at manao @rcchawaii.org.

Source: Hawaii Catholic Herald
Posted on Friday, December 14, 2007 (Archive on Friday, January 25, 2008)
Posted by pdownes Contributed by pdownes