Dinner with Bishop

Here in our diocese, our clergy for vocations puts together, once a year, a boys' and young men's dinner with our bishop. Fr. Peter Dumag, who is the priest behind the scene, does a great job of doing that.

On Tuesday of this week, Bishop Larry Silva of the Diocese of Honolulu spent a good three-hour dinner and chat with 17 boys and young men! That is the biggest number ever that we had in our diocese.

Many of our seminarians have graduated from that simple yet warm approach to get to know our most humble, hardworking and very dedicated bishop. If you had the chance to know him, you'd be amazed at how simple and warm he is. He is the guy next door, the priest who shows up unannounced to say Mass at the Cathedral, the listener when Mass has ended, and the authority who creates positions, encourages and advices.

I must say that our bishop has a lot to do with our increase of attendance at his annual dinners and the increase in number of local young men going into the seminary (about 3 locals to now a total of 9 seminarians, and growing). That is so true, but in truth, our work in the diocese is collaborative. Many of those who already have been employees of the diocese have been tapped at greater degrees, an awakening to a level of more consciousness: putting passion in the work force by creating positions to attain goals that meet the needs of the parishioners.

My son, Joseph who is twelve, had the chance to attend the Dinner with Bishop. Unsure about going at first, my husband encouraged him to go and just enjoy himself. He did! Now, he looks forward to attending the next one.