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LIFE ISSUE FORUM: Christ Our Hope in Defense of Life

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:04:56 -0400

by Deirdre A. McQuade May 2, 2008 I�ll remember those sunny spring days for a long time. The skies here in Washington, DC were clear and blue�the temperature, perfect with colorful banners waving in the breeze. The very daffodils stood tall and fresh � all to welcome His Holiness Benedict XVI during his first apostolic visit to the United States. It was as if creation itself were giving witness to what his predecessor had called the �new springtime of evangelization� already blossoming in the Church. What fruit might the papal visit now bear as we continue working for the protection of all life? [more] The theme of the visit was �Christ Our Hope.� Throughout his various addresses, Pope Benedict XVI invited Catholic Christians to enter more deeply into relationship with Jesus Christ. Happiness, peace, freedom and justice cannot authentically derive from any other source, even though the secular influences in culture might have us believe otherwise � that it is possible to live without Christ and still live well. The Holy Father cautioned against �a growing separation of faith from life: living �as if God did not exist�,� and exhorted us to remain steadfast in objective truth: May you find the courage to proclaim Christ�and the unchanging truths which have their foundation in him�They are the truths which alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world � including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother's womb (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at Yankee Stadium). Cultivating this kind of faith takes some work on our part. As it says in Hebrews, �faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen� (Heb 1:11), and so much remains �unseen� in our fight to defend the unborn: When will we have enough justices on the Supreme Court with the wisdom and courage to overturn Roe v. Wade�and when that finally happens, will States be ready to enact laws protecting women and their children from abortion? What other cultural and legislative measures will help make abortion unthinkable to men and women alike? Will the multi-generational wound of abortion ever start to heal? Will the most hardened abortion advocates come to see their deep error and start defending innocent life? Given all the unknowns, we may sometimes be tempted to discouragement. And yet, we are called to remain bold and joyful in our work, confident that Jesus Christ has already won the war against death. As the pope encouraged us at St. Patrick�s Cathedral: The proclamation of life, life in abundance, must be the heart of the new evangelization. For true life � our salvation � can only be found in the reconciliation, freedom and love which are God�s gracious gift�[O]ur most urgent challenge is to communicate the joy born of faith and the experience of God�s love (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at St. Patrick�s Cathedral). The pope's visit surely gave witness to God�s love in the world. Let us pray that it will inspire all Christ's followers to do the same � in service to neighbor and enemy alike. The most vulnerable members of our human family are counting on it. ____________________________________________________________ Deirdre A. McQuade is Assistant Director for Policy & Communications at the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

+Fr. Thomas Killackey

Thu, 01 May 2008 18:25:18 -0400

Father Thomas Killackey died on April 30, 2008 at St. Teresa's Residence, Maryknoll, New York. He was 83 years old and a Maryknoll Priest for 51 years. His uncle Father Joseph P. Gibbons was a Maryknoll Priest, who also served in Hawaii. After ordination on June 9, 1956 at Maryknoll, New York Father Killackey was assigned to the Hawaii Region. In July 1981, after 25 years, he was assigned to the U.S. Region and to the Development. In January 1985 he was once again assigned to Hawaii. Wake services will be held at Maryknoll on Monday, May 5th, Mass of Christian Burial will be concelebrated in Queen of Apostles Chapel on Tuesday, May 6th. Burial will be at Maryknoll. [END]

News Regarding the Cause for the Canonization of Father Damien DeVeuster, SS.CC.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:13:10 -0400

I give thanks and praise to God for the news I received this morning! The Theological Consultors of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints expressed their opinion that the miraculous cure of Audrey Toguchi was indeed granted through the intercession of Blessed Damien. Now the case will go to the Cardinals and Bishops who actually compose the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints for their opinion, and then to the Holy Father for final approval. Please keep this process in your prayers, that it will result in the canonization of our beloved Father Damien.

+ Larry Silva

Bishop of Honolulu

Statement on EEOC and Holy Family Academy Consent Decree

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:24:57 -0400

Holy Family Catholic Academy has entered into a consent decree with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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The consent decree concludes a dispute arising outof a complaint filed by a former employee, Roxanne Castilliano. Theterms of the consent decree are a matter of public record and HolyFamily will not elaborate upon them. In accordance with the consent decree, the lump sum of $100,000 will be delivered to Ms. Castilliano's attorneys.

Holy Family does not admit Ms. Castilliano's allegations but has agreed to the terms of the consent decree to avoid further litigation expenses and to be able to direct its full resources to its mission of providing a quality Catholic education to its students. Holy Family intends to follow its current policy of non-discrimination, which is in full compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations.

Holy Family Catholic Academy was established in 1956 adjacent to Pearl Harbor Naval Base and Hickam Air Force Base. It serves a varied student population, including military dependents and the children of local families with strong cultural roots. Principal Christina Malins said, "Holy Family is justifiably proud of its record of service to the community. We have elected to accept the consent decree rather than pursue litigation that could distract our faculty and students. We are a school, not a business. We want to put this matter behind us and move on."

[END]

Emergency Contraceptive Bill DEAD!

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:22:53 -0400

The joint Senate / House Committee voted on Friday, April 26, 2008, to indefinately defer the contraceptive bill (HB 466). That means the bill is dead for this session.

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This was a complicated legislative process as the bill morphed several times after its introduction. HB 466 HD1 did not contain a religious exemption for St. Francis. When the bill crossed over to the Senate, the language of HD1 was gutted and replaced by language relating to mental health and forensics (SD1 and SD2).

When the bill reached conference committee, discussions about gutting the bill again and replacing it with the original contents of HD1 took place. Thankfully that did not happen.

We are asking that people take the time to contact Senator David Ige @ (808) 586-6230 and Representative Josh Green @ (808) 586-9605 to thank them for their role in killing the bill.

We appreciate everyone who took the time to make the call.

Quotations from the Pope & the USCCB on Life Issues

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:30:13 -0400

We would like to equip you with a 3-page resource with select background quotations from the Holy Father and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on abortion, stem cell research, euthanasia and assisted suicide � as well as on the fundamental right to life and its relation to other human rights.

Click here for links

Click here for bulletin quotations.

CATHOLIC DIOCESES PROMOTING CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:21:00 -0400

WASHINGTON�Catholic dioceses nationwide will promote Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. Plans call for raising awareness through special prayers during Sunday Masses, diocesan and parish lectures, and other educational activities.

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Child Abuse Awareness is a major initiative of the Catholic Church in theUnited States. As a result an estimated 1.6 millions persons have undergonebackground checks; 1.8 million priests, deacons, candidates for ordination,educators, employees and volunteers have gone through safe environment programsand approximately 6 million children in parish school and religiouseducation programs have received age-appropriate instruction in this area.

Some, such as the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas; and Grand Island, Nebraska,also are joining their efforts with the Blue Ribbon Campaign of the NationalExchange Club Foundation, which promotes the blue ribbon as a national symbolof child abuse awareness. The foundation produces materials for publicawareness.

The diocesan and parish efforts were urged by the U.S. bishops� Committee forthe Protection of Children and Young People. It provided educational materials,homily resources, prayer cards, intercessory prayers, posters and othermaterials to each of the 195 dioceses in the United States.

�We can never rest when it comes to protecting children and teenagers,� saidBishop Gregory Aymond, Committee chairman. �The prevalence of child abuse inour society calls for vigilance of parents, pastors, teachers, indeed, allresponsible adults. Child Abuse Prevention Month deserves our attention in bothprayer and action.�

In the Corpus Christi Diocese, for example, the Office for Safe Environment hasdistributed brochures outlining hiring, screening and training requirementsrelated to preventing child abuse. The diocesan newspaper, �South TexasCatholic,� also scheduled a series of articles such as �Grooming Behaviors ofSex Offenders� and �Preventing and Identifying Child Sexual Abuse.� Thenewspaper also plans to offer a tribute to local Safe Environment Coordinatorsin mid-April.

Others, such as Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa,Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas and Diocese of Monterey, California, willpromote awareness through their diocesan newspaper.

Dioceses are providing information via their Web sites. The Diocese ofManchester, New Hampshire, for example, plans to post on its site a coloringbook, originally developed by the Archdiocese of New York for sexual abuseawareness. The resource can be reproduced and distributed or used in schools orreligious education programs. Each Monday in April the diocese will featurearticles and resources about child safety.

The Diocese of Orlando, Florida, will provide a child abuse prevention video onits Web site. The video can be viewed by anyone, but all diocesan employees arerequired to view the video and there is a corresponding test that employeesmust pass. The video was part of a diocesan training program.

Some dioceses are printing �Did You Know� announcements developed by theArchdiocese of Los Angeles for weekly parish bulletins. One announcementhighlights the prevalence of child abuse in society and reports that �anestimated 9.6 percent of all school children will be molested by an educator oran employee of a school between kindergarten and 12th grade.� Theinformation comes from Professor David Finkelhor�s article, �CurrentInformation on the Scope and Nature of Child Sexual Abuse.�

The Diocese of Orange, California, will host a guest speaker who works withadults and child sexual abuse victims to address �The Impact of Sexual Abuse onthe Child and the Family.�

The Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, is publishing on-line a special springedition of St. Raphael�s Messenger, its parent training series so pastors canprint it for parents in their parish.

The resource materials sent to dioceses were developed by the Secretariat ofChild and Youth Protection and underwritten by the Catholic CommunicationCampaign, which is supported by a collection taken up annually in parishes tosupport church media efforts. The resource material is available at http://usccb.org/ocyp/april_cap_month.shtml.

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Rosary for Vocations

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:05:47 -0400

Below is the link for the Rosary for Vocations document which can be useful inour efforts to create a culture of vocation awareness in our diocese. Reproducethem if you wish so that it can be available to everybody. Many Thanks! If you have any questions, contact Fr. Peter Dumag at (808) 585-3355.

(Click for document)

Spiritual Adoption for Priests

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:03:36 -0400

In response to the directive coming from the Vatican,Easter Almuena and Esther Gefroh, both Catholic mothers in our diocese, haveformed a ministry of "mothers" to spiritually adopt priests andseminarians here in the Diocese of Honolulu. What that entails is a desire andcommitment to pray daily for a priest or seminarian appointed to you. Pleasesubmit your name to Esther Gefroh at estherjoeysmom@gmail.com,or call her 538-3158, or to Easter Almuena at easter4g@yahoo.com, or call her at(808) 227-7309.

Click here for main document regarding this directive may be found here:Vatican Seeking Spiritual Moms for Priests And Dioceses Willing to OfferPerpetual Eucharistic Adoration:

ATTN: All Employees and Volunteers in Hawaii Catholic Parishes, Schools, Diocesan Offices and Organizations

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:28:38 -0400

The Diocese of Honolulu has asked the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators (NACPA) to review and evaluate the services offered by the diocesan central offices to parishes and schools. The goals of the study include assessing the need for services, the quality, responsiveness and methods of delivery of diocesan services and whether some services should be modified, expanded, limited, and/or better coordinated. This survey is open to all employees and volunteers in Hawaii Catholic parishes, schools,diocesan offices and organizations.

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An electronic survey has been prepared in an effort to learn of your concerns and opinions about the services you currently receive and services the Diocese could provide in the future to assist you to meet your pastoral ministry responsibilities. We ask you to respond to the questions as openly and candidly as possible. Responses will remain anonymous and confidential. No one at the diocesan offices will see the individual survey responses. NACPA will summarize the survey and make recommendations to the Bishop based on a careful analysis of the responses.

If you are interested in completing the survey, click on this link.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a second survey with a different focus from the one sent only to church employees. This second survey is open to ANYONE involved in any aspect of ministry. We appreciate your assistance in completing this survey no later than Friday, April 18. It will take about 15 to 20 minutes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sharon Chiarucci, 203-6733 or schiarucci@rcchawaii.org.

Thank you in advance for your participation.