Aloha and Mahalo the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Are Leaving Kauai After 71 Years
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HAWAII HAWAII HAWAII WORLD myParish App: Faith Teacher and writer, 26 sisters, brothers, clergy Returning from Fatima, information, inspiration Sacred Hearts Sister Mary celebrate decades of pope says he has doubts at your fingertips Dolorine Pires dies selfless service about Medjugorje Page 3 Page 4 Page 11 Page 14 HVOLUME 80,awaii NUMBER 10 CatholicFRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017 Herald$1 HCH photo | Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP The last Franciscans at St. Theresa School in Kekaha, Kauai, pose with a school banner, from left, Sister Janet Rose, Sister Michael Ann O’Donnell and Sister Mary Ann Tupy. Aloha and mahalo The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity are leaving Kauai after 71 years By Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP the S.S. Mariposa. Special to the Herald Franciscan Sisters On Aug. 15, the Feast of the Assumption, of Christian Charity in Hawaii Sister Rita Forgach, Sister Bridgetine Gauth- KEKAHA, Kauai — From 1946 to the present, ier, Sister James Van De Hey and Sister St. Hawaii school children and parishioners have 1946-2017: St. Theresa Parish and Margaret Rufus stepped off a small plane reaped the blessings of the Franciscan Sisters School, Kekaha, Kauai on Kauai to begin their apostolate of educa- of Christian Charity. On June 7, they will say 1956-1991: Cathedral School, Honolulu tion to the westernmost parish of the United their final “aloha” as the last three sisters 1965-1979: St. John Vianney School, States, St. Theresa in Kekaha. leave St. Theresa School in Kekaha, Kauai, Enchanted Lake, Kailua The Franciscan Sisters had responded and move back to their Wisconsin mother- to one of the 108 letters the Kekaha pastor, house and on to other missionary work. Marist Father Joseph Robeck, had sent to Mahalo nui loa me ke pumehana dear all the people I had the opportunity to work Mainland religious communities requesting Sister Michael Ann O’Donnell, Sister Janet with and encounter — even the strangers for school sisters. Rose and Sister Mary Anne Tupy! God’s walking the beach.” On Sept. 1, 1946, Bishop James J. Swee- blessings forth! ney blessed the new school built of recommis- They will be missed. From Wisconsin to Kauai sioned wooden Army barracks and restored St. Theresa pastor, Father Emerson De los The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Char- Quonset huts. Grades kindergarten through Reyes, said the sisters’ impact will be felt long ity in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, were founded three opened on Sept. 3 with 135 children. after they leave. in 1869 by Teresa Gramlich, Rosa Wahl and A new grade was added each year until a full “Their presence will continue to be here three other women who had come together elementary school was established. among the people because they have done so three years earlier to teach catechism and Cathedral School was an all-boys institu- much for the people,” he said. start a school in Clarks Mills, Wisconsin. tion founded in 1933 by the Marianist Broth- Sister Michael Ann, likewise, reflects the Seventy-seven years later, on Aug. 7, 1946, ers at the old Saint Louis College site in Ho- feelings of her fellow sisters when she says, four members of their growing congregation nolulu near Chinatown. To meet a growing “I will miss most the joy and friendliness of set sail for Honolulu from San Francisco on Continued on page 10 2 HAWAII HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD • MAY 19, 2017 what we are here for. If we had the most Bishop beautiful liturgies on the planet, but missed the fact that the risen Jesus is physically Hawaii Larry Silva present with us in the Eucharist, the beauty WITNESS TO JESUS would soon fade into boredom. And when Catholic people tell me they do not “get anything out of the Mass,” I am sure their boredom would Herald Jesus — a person — is the way melt away if they realized that Jesus is truly Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu present with us. But if we can be more con- Founded in 1936 Published every other Friday This is the prepared text of Bishop Larry recorded music available, with harmony and scious of the fact that the Savior of the world, PUBLISHER Silva’s homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, beautiful instrumentation, and simply play it who loves us more than we can imagine, is Bishop Larry Silva May 13, delivered at Our Lady of the Mount over the loud speakers at the proper time. here — even if our songs are a little off key (808) 585-3356 Church, Kalihi. These things will never happen — and or the lector stumbles a bit — that will be all [email protected] never should happen! Even though the qual- that we need to feel refreshed and fulfilled EDITOR hen I was a pastor and was try- ity of lectors or musicians might not be at the in our journey toward our final destination. Patrick Downes (808) 585-3317 ing to make the liturgy in the professional grade, they are not “canned,” We can have the same issue with our Cath- [email protected] parish as engaging as possible but real people, with real faith who are pro- olic schools. Even if they offer the finest edu- REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER for the parishioners, I knew that claiming the Word of God or leading us all cation, and even the finest religious educa- Darlene J.M. Dela Cruz Wit would take a lot of hard work. First, the in the singing of God’s praises. And it dem- tion, if the education does not lead to finding (808) 585-3320 place we gather has to be in good condition onstrates that when God wanted to show Jesus and putting him who is the truth as the [email protected] and its order and decor need to reflect that his merciful love and save the world from its grounding of all truth, whether in science, ADVERTISING Shaina Caporoz something very important is happening here. sins, he did not send a rule book or a curricu- math or religion, then they may be producing (808) 585-3328 Lectors need to be recruited, properly trained lum, or a protocol or a set of procedures. He a good “product,” but they are missing their [email protected] and scheduled. The music had to be engaging sent a person, the Son of God made human, essential mission. CIRCULATION and beautiful, with the liturgical music leaders Jesus. This, of course, was hard to grasp, The same could be said for a parish. If we Donna Aquino understanding the purpose of the liturgy and since people wanted results and guidelines only focus everything here, and never take (808) 585-3321 the interconnection of its various parts. The by which to live. They wanted to know the what we learn here out to our families, our [email protected] extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD way to arrive at their final destination, to be places of work, and our body politic, then our (ISSN-10453636) Periodical postage had to be trained not only in proper methods happy forever in heaven with God. faith can become like a canned performance, paid at Honolulu, Hawaii. Published ev- and techniques for distributing Communion, not meeting the challenges of the mission to ery other week, 26 issues a year, by the but in the theology of the Eucharist, so that nd so Jesus makes it very clear that he take it out to every corner of the world. This Roman Catholic Church in the State of they would understand what they were han- — a person — is the way, the truth and Hawaii, 1184 Bishop Street, Honolulu, HI A is why when the apostles were stretched be- 96813. dling. It seems so simple, but it is a lot of work. the life. One could follow all the command- yond their limits, they did not write a manual ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES There were times when I thought, for ex- ments, keep all the rules, follow all the prop- for evangelization or a rule book for taking Hawaii: $24 ample, “With all the electronic resources avail- er procedures in our faith, and still miss the care of the neglected widows, they appointed Mainland: $26 able to us today, why do we need lectors at goal of it all. But if one first has a relationship seven persons, whom we now call deacons, Mainland 1st class: $40 all? Wouldn’t it be better to have someone with Jesus and focuses on that, then the rules to make sure the ministry always had a per- Foreign: $30 who is a really good lector record the read- and procedures make sense. Then they are POSTMASTER sonal touch, hands that could be grasped, Send address changes to: ings, and then we could just play them at the not dead letters but living things that help us and hearts that could truly be compassionate. Hawaii Catholic Herald, 1184 Bishop proper time? We would no longer have to re- enter more deeply into the relationship. God The parish is extremely important, but it is Street, Honolulu, HI 96813. cruit and train lectors, worry if they are going builds his house with stones, but they are liv- not the way. Jesus is the way! We encounter OFFICE to mispronounce words, speak with an accent, ing stones, based on the one stone the build- him here in the parish, especially in the Eu- Hawaii Catholic Herald or mumble. Everything would be proclaimed ers rejected that became the cornerstone. 1184 Bishop St. charist, and we open the way for others by Honolulu, HI 96813 crisply and clearly.” The same could be said Just as the early disciples of Jesus did not taking him out to the streets so that others, PHONE for music.