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How “with it” is Pope Benedict XVI when it comes to social media? So much so that he made it the focus of his World Communications Day speech (which doesn’t take place until May 16 but was released this past weekend).

In “The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word” Pope Benedict asks priests to “give a ’soul’ to the fabric of communications that makes up the ‘Web’” by getting online.

“Responding adequately to this challenge [to preach the Gospel] amid today’s cultural shifts, to which young people are especially sensitive, necessarily involves using new communications technologies,” he writes.

You can read the pope’s full message here but also check out the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops summary of why you should be excited about the pope’s encouraging online use by priests.

Catholic News Service points out that the Vatican already has charged into the online fray.  Even Mashable likes the idea. We say Pope Benedict just needs to solidify his words by getting his picture taken while tweeting for the Vatican.

Don’t forget that our local priests are reaching our online. Vicar general Father Marc Alexander’s blog, “Musings from the Pacific,” is updated regularly and vocations director Father Peter Dumag co-runs the Vocations Hawaii Facebook page.

The annual Red Mass took place today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. Named after the red vestments and stoles worn by the bishop, priests and deacons at a Mass of the Holy Spirit, the liturgy focuses on praying for guidance for our local officials.

Richard Meiers

This year’s Red Mass guest speaker, Richard Meiers, focused on healthcare reform in his talk. He is the former chief of staff of Tripler Army Medical Center and retired last  year as the president and CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii where he advocated for Hawaii’s heathcare and nursing facilities. Meiers briefly touched on the uncertainty over the election of Republican Scott Brown yesterday as the replacement for the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts senatorial seat.

Another timely connection soon after the Catholic Church prayed with island public servants came this afternoon with the announcement that the Hawaii state senate is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the controversial HB444, which would allow for civil unions. Bishop Larry Silva has gone on record as opposing civil unions.

In lighter news, while clergy always wears red vestments at the Red Mass, this year Bishop Larry Silva sported new ones given to him as a gift.

Bishop Silva before Mass

If you missed the With Grateful Hearts Concert at Farrington Auditorium last month, you can see four performance clips below that the vocations office posted on its  Vocations Hawaii Facebook page.

Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World

I Will Follow Him

The Prayer

Going Out of My Head/You’re Just Too Good To Be True

Even better than video, you can see an encore performance of With Grateful Hearts on Fri., Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. at St. Jude Church  in Kapolei. Bishop Silva is slated to reprise his own singing role.

St. Damien's banner on St. Peter's Basilica, Oct. 11, 2009 (HCH Photo Anna Weaver)

We all know that Father Damien de Veuster became St. Damien on Oct. 11, 2009, and that the Catholic Church in Hawaii rejoiced. Do you know how long and how many steps it took for him to get there?

Jesuit Father Jim Martin breaks down the Catholic sainthood process into 10 steps in this Beliefnet blog. How can you become a saint?

1. Be a Catholic
2. Die
3. Develop a local devotion
4. Have your life investigated
5. A local bishop sends your case to the Vatican. Get declared “Venerable”
6. Pray for a miracle
7. Investigation of a miraculous cure
8. Get declared “Blessed”
9. Pray for another miracle
10. Be named a saint

Do you think the Church needs such a lengthy process? Or should people like Pope John Paul II be able to skip right to a declaration of sainthood?

Filipinos attend Mass outside St. Joseph Church in Las Pinas City of Manila's metropolitan region Dec. 16. It was the first in a series of daily midnight Masses celebrated prior to Christmas in the Philippines. (CNS photo/Roi Azure, Reuters)

Misa de Gallo, or “Mass of the Rooster,” started yesterday, Dec. 16. The early morning Masses on the nine days leading up to Christmas, originated in Spanish-speaking countries and the tradition is now widespread in the Philippines and at some Hawaii parishes.

The crack-of-dawn Masses started when priests decided to hold early services for agricultural workers who wanted to attend Mass during the Advent season but who couldn’t come at any other time during the day.

Bishop Larry Silva (apparently a morning person) will preside at three Misa de Gallo Masses this year:

• Sat., Dec. 19, 4 a.m. — St. Joseph Parish, Waipahu
• Sun, Dec. 20, 5 a.m. — Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Wahiawa
• Thurs., Dec. 24, 5:30 a.m. — St. John Apostle and Evangelist Parish, Mililani

If you want to see what Wikipedia has collected on Misa de(l) Gallo and other Christmas traditions in the Philippines, click here, or check out this site.

“The Colbert Report’s” Stephen Colbert interviews a Vatican meteorologist on whether Catholics can believe in aliens.

more about “Gold, Frankincense and Mars – Guy Con…“, posted with vodpod

A few years ago we had a story on how to make a Hawaiian themed Advent wreath. It’s not too late to set one up now.

Also consider using the annual “Prayers Around the Advent Wreath” in your candle lighting this Advent season.

Here’s a new feature we’re going to try out — highlights of recent Catholic news you might have missed.

• St. Andrew isn’t a Scotsman. The archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh laments the widespread misperception in Scotland on the saint’s feast day
• Catholic News Service writes about a new Advent celebration — “Thug Sundays”
• Busted Halo has an online Advent calendar with spiritual food for thought, daily and weekly giveaways and a grand prize
• At US Catholic, some thoughts on the firing of Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis
• A New York Times Op-Ed on the Latin Mass

The large Norfolk pine motorists saw being set up yesterday in front of Honolulu Hale in anticipation of Christmas has Catholic origins. It’s a 60-foot tree from the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Kalihi-Palama, which the parish donated. The tree was leaning and would have needed to be removed in a few years anyway. Instead it will make its official debut in a City and County of Honolulu tree topping ceremony Dec. 4 and lit up during the Honolulu City Lights parade Dec. 5. at 6 p.m.

The Co-Cathedral's Norfolk pine is cut down, Nov. 17. Photo courtesy Lynette Seto.

Check out a video of the tree going up at Honolulu Hale taken by The Honolulu Advertiser:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20091119/BREAKING01/91119029/Christmas+tree+set+up+at+Honolulu+Hale

Student Mosaic of St. Damien “baseball cards”

Students singing from the Cathedral balcomy

Mass

I remember days when I was younger…when my elementary school teachers after big recess would have us red-faced and sweaty kids file into our classrooms and put our heads down upon the cooling hardwood desks.  There was magic to this way of settling us down.  But even more magical was when the storybook would open.  My teachers at St. Anthony’s School in Kailua loved to read us stories.  Yes!  Stories of enchanting places– like “The Island of the Blue Dolphins.”  Stories of inspiration– like “I Heard the Owl Call My Name.”  Stories of courage– like “Holy Man: St. Damien of Molokai.”  I even remember letting go of my precious quarter (from hard earned allowance– washing dad’s car!) to buy the story of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque during one library book fair!

St. Anthony’s School formed us with the stories and examples of holy people.  They taught us in little ways how to become saintly by: saving our pennies for Botswana and other missions; giving up candy or other snacks for Lent (the spirit of a little sacrifice); getting mom and dad to join in Operation Rice Bowl (money collected for poor countries) once a week with a simple soup and bread dinner (“giving up” shrimp burgers and slush shakes!); making time to go to church during our free time– even if it was just to stop in the church to say “Hi Jesus!” before or after school, or during recess periods.

Times have changed, like the “Seasons of Love” from the Broadway show “Rent”…”Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred moments so dear ... How do you measure a year? … Seasons of love…”  Gone are our black and white oxford shoes, white starched shirt with red and blue emblem.  The plaid skirt is familiar, but now paired with a red sports shirt.  Gone are the old-style hula lessons with Mrs. Beamer (around the corner Foodland– where the kayaking stand now is).

Instead, the students graced the Cathedral floor to more contemporary beat and hula moves.  Gone are the days of “cut and paste” for art.  The students have impressed pilgrims stopping by the Cathedrals’ Kamiano Center for a bit of respite, with their work in cubism, self-published brochures on St. Damien, and a mosaic of “baseball” size “St. Damien cards.”  Yes, Damiaan Inspireert! “Damien Inspires”!  Forms may change, but spirit remains.  I’m grateful for the faith foundation St. Anthony School instilled in me, and to see the tradition continued in new and varied ways.  It is up to us to continue to inspire others.  Aloha ke Akua!  It has been wondeful being able to share with you.  Mahalo!