Resurrection of the Lord Church
Religious Vocations
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Prayer for Vocations Gracious
God, Bless
us with discerning hearts. Inspire
men and women to respond generously We unite
our prayers with the whole Church, |
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From the desk of Father Paul The word
"discern" when applied to our thinking process is defined
as "to perceive or recognize; to make out clearly". The word
"discernment" is the process for doing this. In fitting with
the year of the Priesthood declared by Pope Benedict (begins June 29,
2009), the Vocation Office for the Diocese of Honolulu is sponsoring
two discernment days, one for young men and women of high school age
and the other for those young men and women 18 years old and older. |
| I
don't feel old enough, but I actually did attend the old-fashioned three-room
school house for my first thru eighth grades. We had three nuns who taught
most subjects for two or three grades each. One of them was better in
music, so she visited all of the classrooms . They lived in a convent
on the church grounds and had another nun, Sister Cordelia, who cooked
and cleaned for them. Whenever one of the teaching nuns was sick (which
was almost never), Sister Cordelia would come in and take her place.
It was a different time and place. I don't remember there being a single family in our parish who had less than five children. Many had eight or more like ours. Most of them had a "Mary" in them…Mary Beth, Mary Ann, Mary Catherine, etc. . The rest of the kids were named after the saints, too….Thomas, Francis, John, James, Ann, Elizabeth, Joseph, etc. If one of the children decided to pursue a religious vocation, the family's position in the parish rose significantly. One of my younger sisters decided after eighth grade to enter the convent. The summer before she was to leave, she enjoyed the attention usually devoted to a celebrity. Our grandparents took her to a movie and lunch and then paraded her off to visit relatives they hadn't seen in years but wanted to impress with the fact that their granddaughter was off to the convent. In the long run, she did not become a nun but has fulfilled her vocation as a wife and mother of three wonderful boys. Today,
most discussions about a child's future revolve around what college
to attend and what career to pursue in order to "make a decent
living." This year we have been asked to pray for those already
honoring a religious vocation and those who may be considering it. We
can extend those prayers to the parents who may encourage their child
to "make a decent living" by serving God. |
Hawaii,
Capuchins blessed with new priest
The newly ordinained with his parents Carmen and Ben, and his siblings, from left, Patrick, Maribel, Mark and Michael.
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