“Silence and Word”

St. Francis de Sales

Jan. 24 was the feast of St. Francis de Sales, a patron for authors, journalists, writers, and the Catholic press.

Pope Benedict XVI marked the occasion by releasing in advance his message for World Communications Day. Titled “Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization,” the pope addresses the irony that exercising silence — to listen, reflect and discern — is actually key to effective communication in our Facebook-and-Twitter world.

Here are some quotes from the pope’s message:

“When word and silence become mutually exclusive, communication breaks down, either because it gives rise to confusion or because, on the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of coldness; when they complement one another, however, communication acquires value and meaning.”

“Silence, then, gives rise to even more active communication, requiring sensitivity and a capacity to listen that often makes manifest the true measure and nature of the relationships involved. “

“In our time, the internet is becoming ever more a forum for questions and answers – indeed, people today are frequently bombarded with answers to questions they have never asked and to needs of which they were unaware. If we are to recognize and focus upon the truly important questions, then silence is a precious commodity that enables us to exercise proper discernment in the face of the surcharge of stimuli and data that we receive.”

“If God speaks to us even in silence, we in turn discover in silence the possibility of speaking with God and about God.”

For the full message, click here.

World Communications Day will be celebrated on May 20.

What do you think about Pope Benedict’s message? How do you personally think silence helps in communication, evangelization and practicing your faith?

Expecting the unexpected

It’s Friday, and that means a couple of things for us at HCH: 1) An update to our blog; and 2) Trying to get as many of our articles done before “paper day” on Monday.

In addition to the usual diocesan news, we’re working on a couple of feature stories for our Jan. 20 issue. One of these features highlights the ”miracle” case of Sharon Smith. She’s the Syracuse woman who wasn’t expected to live after suffering from a severe bout of pancreatitis. Sharon’s friends and the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities prayed to Blessed Marianne Cope for her healing, and it was her miraculous recovery that was recently approved by the Vatican as the miracle needed for Mother Marianne’s canonization.

The late Hugh W. Brown (left)

Another story that’ll be in our Jan. 20 issue is about the monetary gifts given to local clergy and religious by the late Hugh Brown. Brown was a devout Catholic who had lived in Hawaii for more than 30 years. Just before his death in 2010, he worked out a portion of his trust to be given to the priests, brothers and sisters listed in the Diocese of Honolulu directory. Many of the clergy and relgious we spoke with who received gifts from the Hugh Brown trust say it was an unexpected surprise.

It’s been fun to put these stories down on paper and see a different side to our diocesan news. You just never know what to expect with each issue.

Happy Friday (the 13th)….

Year in Review

Welcome to 2012, dear readers.

It’s been quite a year for the Hawaii Catholic Herald. We’ve made several strides in the digital realm, launching a new “e-Edition” of the newspaper with full-color photos and clickable links. Our Facebook and Twitter pages are also growing in followers, thanks to your support.

Ordination of Anthony Rapozo

Transitions — like integrating print and electronic media, per se — seemed to be a general theme for local Catholics in the past year. Among the many things that happend in 2011, Hawaii witnessed the ordination of a new diocesan priest and the approval of its soon-to-be second saint.

The folks at Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly recently compiled a Top 10 Stories of 2011 list, chosen by its readers. You can check it out here.

We’d like to know what you think the top 10 stories in the Hawaii Catholic Herald were in 2011. World Youth Day? Blessed Marianne? The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts merger?

Happy new year, and happy Feast of the Epiphany.

Missal launching

Weighing in at 8 pounds, here's the Hawaii Catholic Herald's own copy of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.

You’ve heard about it. You’ve read about it. Now, it’s here.

This past weekend, Catholics in English-speaking countries around the world implemented the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. In our Nov. 11 issue, we highlighted some ways the Diocese of Honolulu prepared for the revised Missal translation.

Justin Agustin from St. Joseph Church in Waipahu told us about their ‘Roman Missal Team’:

“From there, we collaborated with our Pastor, Fr. Greg to come out with a plan and timeline to catechize our parishioners as well as our ministers.  We had three major Roman Missal Third Edition workshops with our parish in the summer.  Our members have also attended diocese-sponsored workshops for the Roman Missal and Music.  Since then, we have been doing weekly catechesis before the mass.  The music ministry have done monthly workshops to introduce the mass setting music and newly revised chant responses.”

How did your parish do with the new changes? We’re curious as to how Islanders fared with the prayers, music and creed.

Leave us a comment, and let us know how the “Missal launching” went!

Respect Life Month

October is “Respect Life Month.” How have you been participating in the movement?

Here are a couple of pro-life related news bits:

In our Oct. 14 issue, we featured a story on the Pearson Foundation of Hawaii and its Pregnancy Problem Centers. Pearson Foundation of Hawaii president Ruth Prinzivalli and several counselors shared their approach, struggles and faith in fostering a culture of life in the Islands.

We touched briefly on the Pearson Foundation’s connection to the Rachel’s Vineyard retreat program, which helps anyone who has had an abortion, or has been involved in the decision of an abortion, to heal from that experience.

A Rachel’s Vineyard retreat is coming up this weekend, Oct. 21-23.

Lisa Shorba, a Pearson Foundation counselor who is involved with the Rachel’s Vineyard ministry, shared the following info about the program:

“The Rachel’s Vineyard Weekend Retreat program is an opportunity to examine your abortion experience, identify the ways that the loss has impacted you in the past and present, and helps to acknowledge any unresolved feelings that both women and men struggle with after an abortion.  Married couples, mothers, fathers, siblings, and grandparents of aborted children have come to Rachel’s Vineyard in search of peace and inner healing.

“Participants are invited to deeply enter into the grieving process and identify all the ways that their abortion may have affected them. A number of powerful exercises, rooted in Scripture, are integrated on the weekend, which allow the soul to speak its grief and sorrow.  These exercises help connect participants to their inner voice, to each other, and to the love and mercy of God. The exercises help participants to accept forgiveness for themselves and others. Participants are also given an opportunity to re-connect on a spiritual level with their children who have been aborted, to give them honor and dignity through many special and creative spiritual exercises as well as in a memorial service.”

Shorba said the retreats also include group sharing, prayer and adoration. People often experience hidden grief after an abortion, and Rachel’s Vineyard aims to be a team of a support with a safe place to rebuild self-esteem and help people return to their “core truth.”

The retreats are intimate and open to 5-12 people. It is open to Catholics and others of any faith.

You can contact Shorba for more information about this month’s retreat at RVinHawaii@gmail.com.

Also during Respect Life Month, the Respect Life Committee at St. Ann’s Church will be hosting a screening of “unPLANNED” on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Kaneohe parish. The film spotlights Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee from Texas who underwent a dramatic spiritual transformation to join the Coalition for Life.

Do you know of any other pro-life activities coming up? Leave us a comment!

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WYD Videos

Ryan Ragus from the St. Francis School WYD group sent in a couple of videos showing some of their most memorable WYD moments.

The Pope Mobile passes through the streets of Madrid:

Scenes from Portugal, Italy and Spain (a trailer for an upcoming DVD on St. Francis School’s WYD experience):

Visit the St. Francis School Show Choir YouTube Channel for more videos.

Fotos y recuerdos

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We asked our Island pilgrims to submit their favorite WYD pics to HCH for a special printed montage in our 09/02/11 issue. There were so many submissions, we weren’t able to fit them all on a single newspaper page! Check out the slideshow above for an “extended” WYD photo montage.

Thanks to all our faithful pilgrims for sharing their WYD experience!

Be sure to visit our HCH website, and pick up a copy of our 09/02/11 issue to see more WYD pics and to read more reflections on WYD 2011 in Madrid.

Words will never describe my experience

(Glen) I haven’t yet quite adapted back to our Hawaiian clock or my body is  rejecting my current location LOL whatever it is I hope to settle back in.From the moment we arrived in Spain I knew something extraordinary was to unfold before us pilgrims.At the airports and @ the registration pickup we began to signs  , various volunteers  in green running around with excitement .What I didn’t know is this great adventure was about to take place right before my eyes.What I didnt know was this is probably one of the most memorable times in my life.This is my 1st WYD that I participated in,along with 1.5 million young catholics…hundreds of nations,Iraq,Germany,Italy,Sudan, Brasil , Korea present in one place.Fully displayed was the universality of the church, many enthusiastic about  Pope Benedict and cheering “Benedicto” and chanting “Esta es la juventud del papa” this is the young people of the Pope.The running and walking from and to the metro defined the word pilgrim ,making sure no one from our group was left behind among the thousands, except for me I got cut off while exiting the airbase while the rest of the pilgrims took another exit we eventually met up when they sent in a rescue squad to retrieve me back. Back to the Pope’s arrival we were blessed to have the best seats in the house 12 hours in the sun and a mosh pit of bodies all for getting a picture, I was blessed to have great film footage that id like to share.Words will never describe the experience you had to be there for now all we have to hold on to are those memories ingrained and pictures to remind us of one of life’s greatest adventures.World youth day Spain Madrid 2011

Glen Escobido is a parishioner at St. Joseph Church, Waipahu

12 hours.

(Glen) Hey Homies back home,not quite fully recuperated from yesterday but ready to troop back into pilgrim mode,yesterdays experience was quite to behold,12 hours fighting heat dessert conditions,fighting dehydration,disregarding mother natures call for fear of losing your prime real estate and the surge of pushing of bodies going on,managed somehow to make thru thanks to the firemen who went around hosing down all the pilgrims who were chanting joyfully in anticipation of the Pope’s arrival, I was told that military was deployed as well in providing protection, you knew this was a world event and we were blessed to be part of it, I have living proof of video that would make most CNN journalist jealous. Lol, tonight we will have stations of the

Fireman hosing down the crowd.

cross with Pope Benedicto leading the prayers. Cya all later viva el Papa Benedicto. Adios!

(Jon) Waited 12 hours in the blazing hot sun. 12 hours of pilgrims trying to get as close as they can. 12 hours and only had a light breakfast, half a sandwich for lunch. 12 hours of sitting and standing. 12 hours and only drank 3 bottles of water and one bottle of coke. 12 hours to wait and see El Papa. Trust me. It was WELL worth it.

(Maricel) Stood up for 12 hours body to body just for the Pope, and it was well worth it. Viva El Papa!!!

Bienvenidos Papa!

(Lisa) Yesterday Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Madrid for World Youth Day!  Our group woke up at 6:30 a.m.  then started our trek to Plaza de Cibeles.  We arrived the plaza at 9 a.m. and got comfy in our spot for the day.  The morning hours were overcast skies with a short period of rainfall, but the rest of the day was VERY HOT! Thousands and thousands of people began to fill the streets of Madrid.  At approximately 7:30 p.m., the Pope rode pass us.  The energy in the air was awesome! Cheers of ‘viva Papa’ and ‘Benedicto’ were roaring! Once the Pope got up on stage, we had a celebration of the Word. One of prayer intentions is: “For all youth gathered here together in this great assembly, so that moved and edified by the Word of Christ and strong in their faith, they will be courageous witnesses of the Gospel and make the salvation of Christ present everywhere.”  Yesterday was definitely an experience that none of us will forget.