Welcome to the new Hawaii Catholic Herald Blog! This is the official blog of the newspaper for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu. Here, we will share 
some of the experiences Herald contributors encounter during their reporting, writing, shooting and creating of each issue. We hope to bring personal insights to the articles you’ll find in our paper. Enjoy! (And don’t forget to subscribe to our blog through the “Widgets” menu at the top of the page.)
Family Fiat-sco
Epiphany with kids
Do you mark Epiphany or Three Kings Day with your children?
This feast day marking the arrival of the Magi (or Three Kings or Wiseman) allows us to emphasize that Christmas isn’t over after Dec. 25. We keep our tree and decorations up through Epiphany, Jan. 6, and have a small celebration to mark the day as well.
This not only helps with the post-Christmas Day letdown for our little ones but also reminds them that the Catholic liturgical calendar has an entire season of Christmas that starts on Dec. 25.
In the past, we’ve had our kids make star-shaped sandwiches, decorated paper crowns and eaten a Kings Cake with tiny plastic Jesus or a dried bean hidden inside. Whoever finds the baby or bean gets to pick out our next takeout meal. Others declare the finder the king or queen of Epiphany.
Here’s our eldest finding Jesus in his piece of cake last year.
We also have chalked our front door with the new year and the initials of the Three Wisemen (traditionally believed to be Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar) over our front door along with a blessing.
Looking for more ideas? You can make this star-shaped bread (and it can also be done with storebought dough) from In Honor of Design.
Kendra Tierney at Catholic All Year has many ideas on how to celebrate to Epiphany.
Her family moves the Magi and camels closer to their nativity scene as Jan. 6 approaches, leave food out for the candles, and little treats for the kids.
And here’s a video of her kids enjoying “imitation” King Cake a few years ago.
Have you tried any of these ways to mark Epiphany?
Recovering from Holy Week
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Christmas looms larger in the secular (and sometimes Christian) mindset. But Easter and Holy Week leading up to it is really the “bigger deal” when you think about it. That’s both from the perspective of Jesus’ resurrection being the most important moment on the Church’s liturgical calendar, and the number of Masses and services surrounding Easter.
On Easter Sunday, I was talking briefly to a parish priest about if he gets extra time off after Easter. He said diocesan guidelines actually give priests three days off (as opposed to the one day off a week they normally get). A well-deserved mini-break, I think.
That led me to write this article on how Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum can be quite tiring for the lay ministers and clergy who make it happen.
Funnily enough, when I started reporting on the story. I called several parish offices to talk to priests only to find they were out “recovering” after Easter, either traveling or taking vacation. Good for them! Tougher on me to track down story sources.
Thank you to Fathers EJ Resinto and Alfred Omar Guerrero, as well as, Bishop Larry Silva for taking the time to talk to me for the piece.
Bishop Silva went right from Holy Week into a jubilarian Mass, confirmation/first Holy Communion Masses season. Since our diocese is spread out over multiple islands, he’s a frequent flyer.
Everyone’s priest
Then-Father Gary Secor delivers the homily at the author’s wedding on July 9, 2011, at St. Anthony Church in Kailua, Oahu.
(Photo: Christie Pham Photography)
By Anna Weaver
When my editor asked me to write a profile of Msgr. Gary Secor for the Hawaii Catholic Herald, I knew I was not an impartial writer by far on the priest.* But with a two-person writing staff and the editor also knowing Msgr. Secor well, it would’ve been hard to recuse myself. (I’ve written about traditional journalistic conflicts of interest clashing with “it’s a small island” and a small newspaper staff practicalities before.)
So for the story, I tried to use my personal knowledge of Msgr. Secor to further flesh-out the profile of him while not letting my bias overwhelm it. I used the voices of five people in the story, all of whom know Msgr. Secor very well: the bishop, a priest who has known him since seminary, a young adult he mentored, a former parishioner and friend, and his sister. As those five shared, Msgr. Secor is approachable and welcoming and has made many people feel like they are a part of his extended family and friends network.
Over in our Hawaii Catholic Herald Families Facebook group, Melissa Padilla shared that while then-Father Gary was pastor at her parish of St. John Apostle and Evangelist in Mililani, she especially loved hearing his homilies because “I learned how the Word of God is connected to my everyday life.”
I hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about our vicar general here in the Diocese of Honolulu.
*My Msgr. Secor connection: He was one grade ahead of my father at St. Anthony School in Kailua. He baptized me as an infant at St. Anthony. My husband and I asked him for counsel while we were dating and engaged, and he presided at our wedding. And Msgr. Secor is the godfather of our second child.
Star Of Wonder
By Father Pat Killilea
“O star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright.
Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.”
–John Hopkins Jr. in 1857
I am not exactly known as a star gazer but I do recall times in my high school years when, during class time, I caught myself looking out the window, either because I was desperately looking for inspiration or was just plain bored in class that day. Still I have looked toward the heavens on a few occasions in my time, be that to forecast the weather or to check out a twinkling star or an approaching unidentified flying object.
So it was last night, as daylight faded away and clouds drifted past, I sat on my front porch in the company of my three cats—their feline brothers have gone to cat heaven—and looked skyward to the southwest over mainland Molokai. After some cloud cover had moved away, I saw it, the fabled “Star of Bethlehem.” As I kept my gaze focused on it, I could see the near merger of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. It was obvious that, even in this time of Covid-19, this pair were not observing social distancing. Actually, they appeared to be hugging and kissing and, as my eyes were fixed on them, they seemed to wink at me.
It had been an extra busy week for some of our resident workers. Not only did they have their regular tasks to perform, they spent much of their spare time prepping for the annual Christmas Lion’s Club celebration. This year’s highlight was the candy cane competition. It was an evening of lights and candy cane displays and was a spectacular production. As a joke, I had entered, as a candy cane, a carrot striped with a Bic whiteout and topped with the hook from a white plastic clothes hanger. Later I was shocked to receive a prize for the only edible candy cane presented. I pray that nobody was tempted to taste it.
Saturday morning found us in St. Francis Church preparing the sanctuary for the celebration of Christ’s birthday on Christmas. It was a team effort since we were somewhat shorthanded this year. You will not see the star of Bethlehem because it was not in range at the time of the photo taking, but be assured that it will be shining down on us on Christmas Eve along with the myriad of stars in the heavens, as we celebrate the birthday Of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright.
Aloha.
Sacred Hearts Father Pat Killilea is the pastor of St. Francis Church, Kalauapapa, Molokai.
Marriage and the military
By Anna Weaver
Aloha all,
Your friendly Hawaii Catholic Herald associate editor Anna Weaver / Lopiccolo here.
As I write this, my family is moving across town, having been lucky enough to purchase a home closer to my parents (thanks, historically low mortgage interest rates) after renting for 2.5 years.
Buying a house after first renting in a new area for a few years might sound typical for most families. Same goes for choosing to live closer to family. But it’s more atypical for my kind of family.
That’s because my husband is an active duty Navy service member, and military life often means moves every few years, far from family.
When I met and started dating Joe a decade ago, we had many discussions about how his military lifestyle might play a role in our future together. When we got engaged, it was with the knowledge that he’d be pursuing a Navy career, likely until around the 20-year retirement mark. Nine and a half years into our marriage, we continue to work on balancing our marriage, our kids, our careers, etc., with the ups and downs and unexpected surprises of a military lifestyle.
I’ve had to “give it up to God” many times as a military spouse, moving between states and jobs, making new friends and settling our kids into new schools. So I prepare for what I can and try my best to let everything else rest in God’s hands.
The same might be said for getting ready for marriage itself. You’ll never fully be ready for married life. Sure, Catholics who marry in the church do go through some sort of marriage preparation process, whether it be a weekend retreat, meeting a few times with a priest, or taking a handful of classes. But you often get a ton of information all at once and then no follow-up support. Or you don’t get much substance and more of a checklist wedding prep experience. Neither of those seemed enough to Joe and I when we were preparing to receive the sacrament of matrimony. And others agree.
So we did more. We attended the required two Saturday sessions of Pre-Cana that our archdiocese offered. But we also went on an additional Engaged Encounter weekend, took a communications seminar at a nearby parish, and pulled topics from the USCCB’s For Your Marriage site to discuss.
Ten years on, we were excited to be invited recently to record a short interview on “Military Life and Marriage” for the Catholic Engaged Summit. The virtual conference’s goal is to offer engaged couples a huge range of resources through more than 30 seasoned Catholic couples/speakers on topics like parenting, finances and natural family planning.
We are far from “Military Life and Marriage” experts but want to encourage other couples who started out like us. Take a look and register for free.
We are blessed to be a Catholic military couple because when things aren’t what we planned, we have God and his infinite love on which to rely.
Anna Weaver became Anna Lopiccolo upon marrying her handsome husband Joe Lopiccolo. But she continues to use Anna Weaver as her professional name. She is the associate editor of the Diocese of Honolulu’s newspaper, the Hawaii Catholic Herald. She was working at the Herald as a reporter/photographer when she first met Joe. Thanks to military adventures she has also worked for the Catholic Standard in Washington D.C. and Northwest Catholic in Seattle and freelanced for U.S. Catholic along with having her work appear on the Catholic News Service wire. She’s a 2012 Tillman Military Scholar class member, having been selected as a military spouse while earning her master’s degree in multi-platform journalism from the University of Maryland-College Park. She was born and raised in Hawaii.
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Accidentally on Audio
Kalaupapa’s pastor reports back on staying connected during COVID-19
I played around the monitor screen with my mouse and fiddled and diddled until I heard a voice, a familiar voice, the voice of Bishop Larry Silva. Then the video screen began to fill up with the priests of our vicariate.
I had reached the advertised GoToMeeting, and there was Bishop Larry speaking to his priests by teleconference on the subject of COVID-19 and its consequences.
I continued to fiddle and diddle like I was blind until I heard the bishop tell the group that Pat Killilea was on audio. I had unintentionally requested to speak and now I was on the spot.
So I said “Hello” to my brother priests, answered Bishop’s query in regard to our patients and gave my apology for appearing in “my house dress.” Bishop seemed amused and told me not to worry because he could not see me on the screen. Shortly thereafter I clicked myself on screen but made sure that I kept my big mouth shut. This was my first time on a teleconference.
Today as I meditated on the horizontal (a.k.a. in bed), I began to imagine how it would have been for Father Damien if, in his time, he had the possibility of Skyping and teleconferencing. It would have been fascinating to join in such a media wonder and to see him in action. He would, I am sure, addressed his superiors and civil authorities as “Your Excellency,” then told it like it is in as civil a tone as he could muster. I don’t doubt that he would have used our modern methods of communication to further the cause of his afflicted people.
Today the sun shines brightly and warmly here in Kalaupapa and the palm trees sway gently in the breeze. On this workday, it is quieter than usual because many of our workers have gone home to their families during this time of crisis, leaving a team of essential workers. Some do their work online.
As of this time, there are no reports of anyone being sick from the coronavirus. It is indeed ironic that the same cliffs and ocean that imprisoned so many victims of Hansen’s disease on this peninsula over the years now help to protect us from this deadly virus.
The TV, which brings us each day the stories of the spread of the virus throughout our world, is silent at the moment. My computer is getting some rest before I put it to work to send out this story. My cats are all taking their afternoon siestas.
The mynah birds, on the other hand, continue to squawk, doing their own teleconference, perhaps telling us that things will return to normal in our world in the Lord’s time. Let us all pray for that time.
Aloha!
Father Pat Killilea, ss.cc.
Pastor, St. Francis Parish, Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii
Ghostbusters Of Kalaupapa
By Father Pat Killilea
I was here in my easy chair, where I tend to think better, when they burst onto the scene. Some were carrying white buckets while others were toting back tanks from which hoses protruded. They looked like ghostbusters. I wondered if they had been sent here by the Board of Health to fumigate the church property or perhaps the resident pastor himself. Then I recognized their supervisor was Kaohulani McGuire of the National Park Service. So I felt safe to go out to meet and greet them.
In actuality, these “ghostbusters” are a group of students from the University of Hawaii at Hilo on the Big Island. They are with us for a couple of weeks spraying and scrubbing the many grave markers of the peninsula under the guidance of Kaohulani. They seem to enjoy their work, judging by their laughter, and there is no need for Kaohulani to crack the whip. After I had encouraged them with my signature greeting, “Let us Spray!” they did just that as they went to work cleaning the concrete base of the Sacred Heart statue on our front lawn.
While these young students work on the graves, (I do not know if they have encountered any spirits) Deacon Mike Shizuma from St. Damien Church on Topside Molokai has been laboring over a hot stove at McVeigh Hall in an effort to keep their growing bodies nourished and healthy. All of this is happening here in this peninsula where we are cut off from the rest of the outside world by sheer cliffs and the surrounding ocean, even as the feared virus, COVID-19, is ravaging much of the civilized world. We are blessed to be living in the land of Saints Damien and Marianne.
Here in Kalaupapa tours are not operating at this time, we are not receiving visitors and we are not celebrating public Masses at the directive of Bishop Larry Silva and his advisers. Other than that life goes on as usual. The grocery store shelves are stocked with the usual items including the all-important tissues. My third feline, Mr. Gray, has returned to my front porch after being AWOL for some weeks, and the landline is working again. For these and all our blessings, we thank the Lord, St. Damien and St. Marianne, as well as the ghostbusters of Kalaupapa.
Sacred Hearts Father Pat Killilea is the pastor of St. Francis Church in Kalaupapa, Hawaii. You can read more of his blogs at sscc-usa.org/blog-post-formats.
Ad Limina 2020: Last weekend in Rome
Bishop Larry Silva accompanied by Msgr. Gary Secor, vicar general, is in Italy from late January through early February, primarily for his ad limina visit to the Vatican and Pope Francis. Msgr. Secor is sending back regular bulletins on their experiences in the Eternal City. Note the 11-hour time difference between Hawaii and Rome when reading.
A few leftovers from Friday:
We were dropping off some Bishops for a meeting and I believe this is a photo of Santa Marta, the place where the pope lives inside Vatican City.
Back at the North American College yesterday evening I got this photo of our Diocese of Honolulu’s Coat of Arms on the walls of the college.
And there is the Hawaiian flag.
SATURDAY, Feb. 1, 2020
Here is the courtyard inside the North American College early on the last morning there, today. We have now moved back to the Hotel Sant’Anna for two nights and an early departure on Monday morning for our long trip home: Rome, Paris, Los Angeles, Honolulu!
This afternoon we visited and had lunch with the Superior General of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Community, Father Alberto Manuel Toutin Cataldo, (pictured next to Bishop Silva) and his community.
I took this photo below of the entrance of the SSCC residence in Rome as we left.
Pictured in the doorway is a French SSCC member who is their archivist in Rome. He showed us some wonderful artifacts including some letters in St. Damien’s handwriting to his superiors. They also have a collection of items from Hawaii and other Pacific places.
Tonight we had dinner with Bishop Thomas Daly, the Bishop of Spokane Washington. His group of bishops begins their Ad Limina visit Monday.
SUNDAY, Feb. 2, 2020
Today is the Presentation of the Lord, when Jesus Christ shows us that he is like us in all things but sin by being presented in the Temple as every firstborn son was in his day. He is in all of us, even those most in need.
We decided to do some walking today to Trastevere and came upon this sculptor outside Santo Spiritu Hospital.
“I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink.” It is done by Timothy Schmalz. (He’s everywhere!)
Here is another one outside the same hospital. “I was ill and you visited me.”
We again saw a number of churches. Ones like this are everywhere! So many, I can’t keep track of all the names. Note the alarm notice on the altar at this one to deter any vandalism.
A church
Another beautiful one!
In this church is a side altar where Vietnamese Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan is buried. He was evidently many years in prison in Vietnam before being released and coming to Rome.
Outside the (I believe) original headquarters of the Sant’Egidio movement in Rome. The “Homeless Jesus,” statue I mentioned in an earlier post. I have a replica in my office.
This is where Blessed Sacrament Father Bob Stark, the head of the Diocese of Honolulu’s Office of Social Ministry, works when he comes to Rome.
Another church!
This is the Church of St. Cecilia in Rome.
This is her tomb.
A closer view. Note that her head is covered and the hands have only 1 finger and 3 fingers. One God, three persons, according to Bishop Larry
Outside the church
Had to take this photo in Trastevere.
The Tiber River. Looks pretty clean!
Church of St. Bartholomew where he is buried, I believe.
Of course, we had to have “pranzo,” or lunch, before walking back to our hotel.
Here we are walking back along the Tiber River to our hotel.
We have had a quiet evening, and I need to turn in since we have a 3:30 a.m. pick up for our 6 a.m. flight out of Rome. Rome-Paris-Los Angeles-Honolulu all in one day.
This has been a blessed trip for me. Aside from meeting the Holy Father, praying at the tombs of Peter and Paul, and the public masses, I had a chance to spend significant time in prayer and reflection.
With my batteries charged, I pray that I return to Honolulu with the light of Christ shining. And maybe a diet plan since the abundant nourishment has not just been spiritual but physical!
-Buono Notte from Rome,
Msgr. Gary
Ad Limina Visit 2020: St. Paul Outside the Walls
Bishop Larry Silva accompanied by Msgr. Gary Secor, vicar general, is in Italy from late January through early February, primarily for his ad limina visit to the Vatican and Pope Francis. Msgr. Secor is sending back regular bulletins on their experiences in the Eternal City. Note the 11-hour time difference between Hawaii and Rome when reading.
FRIDAY, Jan. 31, 2020
Here we are at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls for the final Ad Limina Mass for the Region XI bishops. Bishop Silva is at the center of this picture (fourth from right in the first row).
The Diocese of Oakland’s Bishop Michael Barber is presiding.
We are having Mass at a side altar, but here is a view of the main altar over the tomb of St. Paul.
After Mass, we gathered around the tomb of St. Paul for prayers. (You can see Bishop Silva to the left of the tomb).
Another photo of St. Paul’s Basilica, Rome.
I saw this outside St. Paul’s Basilica and couldn’t resist taking a photo. This sculpture is done by Timothy Schmalz, the same sculptor who did the “Homeless Jesus” and the “Angels Unawares” refugees sculpture.
Here at the North American College in Rome, in a hallway depicting American saints, is a statue of St. Damien given to them a number of years ago.
In the same hallway are pictures of Sts. Damien and Marianne.
This is our last weekend before flying back to Hawaii.
-Msgr. Secor
Ad Limina Visit 2020: St. Mary Major and time to reflect
Bishop Larry Silva accompanied by Msgr. Gary Secor, vicar general, is in Italy from late January through early February, primarily for his ad limina visit to the Vatican and Pope Francis. Msgr. Secor is sending back regular bulletins on their experiences in the Eternal City. Note the 11-hour time difference between Hawaii and Rome when reading.
Catholic News Service has a video including an interview with Bishop Silva in Rome about his meeting with Pope Francis, in which the bishop talks about asking the pope about the difference between proselytizing and evangelizing.
THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2020
This is the sacristy of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the first churches built in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Much of this church dates from the fifth century. Here we are pictured preparing for an early morning Mass.
This basilica houses a relic of the crib of Jesus where we prayed after Mass.
Here is the view looking toward the main door with the morning sun brightly shining within.
Here we are!
Here are the bishops in attendance. Bishop Silva is second from right. Click on the image for a closer look.
What a beautiful church!!!!
Check out the ceiling.
This is the chapel that we had the Mass in.
Part of the outside of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
Here we are, this evening (Thursday) at Villa Stritch, the residence for United States priests working in various Vatican departments. They hosted a reception for all of us.
Another view of the interior of Villa Stritch–not too shabby!
I thought I would share another photo of St. Peter’s that I took on my way back from an errand I was involved in today. We had a beautiful sunny day, but it was in the high 30s in the early morning.
Since the non-bishops accompanying the bishops are not involved in the meetings with various Vatican departments, we have a lot of free time, time I have been using for a sort of mini-retreat, which has been very spiritually enriching.
This is the Chapel of the Good Shepherd at the North American College-Rome. This is where I have been spending a lot of prayer time while the bishops have been off at their meetings. Thank God for these grace-filled days.
-Msgr. Gary
A few more Catholic News Service photos from the Region XI U.S. bishops Mass at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore:
Click on the picture below to play “Where’s Msgr. Secor?”
Hawaii Catholic Herald Blog 