NKCC

It is with a grateful heart that I thank all of you who con­tributed to the effort of making Friday evening a jubi­lant celebration of our Vicariate community.  Con­gratulations to our 2010 Living Treasures of the West Hawaii Vicariate.  Your commitment to ministry will con­tinue to inspire us.

Many thanks to the priests, sisters, and musicians who traveled to the Big Island to entertain us.  They dedicated this monumental effort in time and talent, also, to motivate and encourage religious vocations in our Diocese of Hono­lulu.  At the present time, we are blessed to have ten men (not all so young) studying for the priesthood.

Friday was the first event of what we hope will become a tradition in our Vicariate.  Each year, we will honor the Liv­ing Treasures in some kind of community event.  Plan­ning for the occasion with the other four par­ishes will begin almost immediately.

The children are back in school and we are now plan­ning for this year’s One ‘Ohana. Registration for Reli­gious Edu­cation will begin next weekend outside the tent after each Mass.  Everyone should sign up—young and old, families, single, widowed, or divorced people.  This is our faith.  There is also a registration form in the elec­tronic bulletin which can be filled out and submitted online.

This year, our One ‘Ohana will focus on The Creed or the basic beliefs of the Catholic Church.  The first session takes place on Sunday, September 26th after the 11am Mass. Lunch will be served at noon followed by prayer and learning activities for all ages.

One ‘Ohana is a choice for parishioners if they wish to learn and grow in their Faith.  I cannot force any of you to take advantage of the opportunity to learn.  There are four groups of young people with a parent, however, for whom One ‘Ohana is absolutely mandatory.  The Diocese issues guidelines about sacramental preparation for reception of each of the Sacraments.  Guidelines for St. Michael’s are the following:

• First Graders who hope to receive their First Commun­ion in 2012.
• Second Graders who wish to receive their First Com­munion in 2011.  They will also be required to attend an additional eight (8) special sessions.
• First-Year Confirmation students who wish to be Con­firmed in 2012.  They will also have several additional ses­sions with their parents and/or Sponsor and a Retreat.
• Second-Year Confirmation students who wish to be Con­firmed in 2011.  They must also attend the special sessions with parents and/or a Sponsor and a Retreat.

Stay tuned for architectural renderings of the new Church.  These will be posted very soon on a bulletin board behind glass.  When you are looking at them, focus on “the big pic­ture” rather than the details.  Re­member that the architect inserts color and furnish­ings just to give you the idea of how it will look overall.  Being able to visualize the Church takes us one more giant step toward realizing what we have to work toward and look forward to.

Peace in Christ,
—Fr. Lio