On Saturday, March 4, 2017, clergy gathered together for the annual Chrism Mass and Clergy Education Day. The Chrism Mass took place at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, and was followed by a Clergy Education Day at the neighboring Cathedral of St. Andrew's Von Holt Room. Pictured above from left is Bishop Fitzpatrick with Dcn. Peter Wu during the service; Charmaine Ito was recognized by the Bishop for faithfully serving the Diocese; Bishop blesses the oils of chrism, healing and the catechumenate; Clergy get their bottles filled up with the oils to take back to their churches.

Following the service, clergy strolled over to the Cathedral where Sister Barbara Jean "BJ" Brown would be leading the Clergy Education Day. Sister BJ, an Episcopal Nun for over 30 years, is the founder of Anamchara Fellowship, a new monastic style of Religious Life that follows a Celtic model. She is also the Director of The Interfaith Resource Center, a theological lending library that serves all faith traditions in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

The topic was "Developing Your Spiritual Language" and one of the things that gave the Rev. Diane Martinson pause for reflection (pictured above right flanked by the Revs. Alison Dingley and Richard Shields), was Brown's statement, "The test of a true sermon is that it can be converted to prayer."

Warm, humorous, energetic and straightforward, Sister BJ kept the group engaged as she shared her story and involved them in different "exercises."  The Rev. Malcolm Keleawe Hee, shown below with the Bishop, shared the following:

On Tuesday, February 14, 2017, members of the 'Iolani Guild held their second annual Kalema Lenten Retreat at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Wahiawa. The all-day event was hosted by St. Stephen's that began with a morning prayer session in the sanctuary, then a site visit to the three outreach ministries of St. Stephen's: The Food Pantry with Aloha Sanborn, the Thrift Shop with Marion Chow, and the Resume Service with Gail Honda. A joint Lectionary Bible Study with members of the church and 'Iolani Guild followed, and a wonderful Korean food luncheon prepared by the Sadao and Jean Honda  'Ohana. The retreat was a nice collaboration of preparing for Lent, and mutual learning about each organization's programs and ministries. 

Pictured at top are members of the 'Iolani Guild and ministry leaders of St. Stephen's in the church's food pantry. Below, 'Iolani Guild members President Leimalama Lee Loy, Laurie Lee, Janice Motoshige and Ha'aheo Guanson hold their Lent tokens. At the end of the retreat is an activity called "crafty saints" which is a time to create a craft or token for the Lenten season. This year's materials included bamboo, formica sample, Hawaiian salt, glue, and raffia. The next photos are the 'Iolani Guild group, and the Korean luncheon feast by St. Stephen members. (Photos by Kaleo Patterson)

 

The following contains excerpts from the 'Iolani School website news coverage of this event..

 

With Easter just a couple weeks away, we share some moments from around the Diocese bringing us into the Lenten Season including Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras, Burying of the Alleluias, and Ash Wednesday. Photos are from church newsletters, Facebook pages and other social media avenues. 

 

Celebration of New Ministry: The Rev. Christopher Golding

St. Mary's Happenings

Celebration of New Ministry: The Rev. Ernesto "JaR" Pasalo

On Saturday, February 25, 2017, a Celebration of New Ministry for the Rev. Ernesto "JaR" Pasalo was held in Kapolei. Pasalo, who has been serving as the Vicar of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church since July 2016, normally holds Sunday services in the Kapolei Elementary School cafeteria, but on this special day, the service was held across the street from the school on diocesan land that is currently vacant. Pictured at top, Fr. JaR with his parents and family who flew in from Maui, and fiance, the Rev. Annalise Castro. (Photo by Kevin Shin) Pictured above, a large tent with banner welcomes guests; Clergy turn out to support Pasalo; St. Nicholas musicians, In the Nick of Time, performed with music leader, Kelly Connell.  (Photos by Charmaine Ito)

Above, St. Timothy's Prep provided angelic voices to the service, and Bishop's Warden, Shana Ikeda, gets ready to accompany Pasalo up to the altar for his introduction. Below, the service continues with the Words of Institution, Renewal of Baptismal Vows and Litany for the Mission of the Church.  (Photos by Kevin Shin)

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Closing Makahiki Ceremonies

In a note to Bishop Fitzpatrick and the Diocesan Council dated March 28, the Rev. Kaleo Patterson thanked them for supporting the programs he has been deeply involved with at the Waiawa and Halawa Correctional Facilities. Patterson and Ha'aheo Guanson had applied for and received a Diocesan Council Grant last year to expand their Baibala Pule Project ( see E-Chronicle February 2017), and inmates from both facilities recently held their closing Makahiki ceremonies. 

"We were blessed this year to have the special endorsement and support of Princess Abigail Kawananakoa, UH West O'ahu, and Bumpy Pu'uhonua Kanahele, and others," said Patterson, and thanked the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for once again providing a "sumptuous Hawaiian meal."

He also mentioned the various churches and organizations involved in this year's ceremonies that included several Episcopal churches: St. Peter's, The Cathedral of St. Andrew, St.Nicholas, St. John the Baptist, and St. Stephen's, with special acknowledgments to Gerald Madison and the Rev. Ernesto "JaR" Pasalo.

St. Michael and All Angels Annual Jazz Festival

St. Michael and All Angels in Lihue kicked off their 11th annual All Angels Jazz Festival on Friday, February 3, 2017, and ended on Sunday, February 5 with their popular jazz masses. The weekend featured two concerts, a reception, and two Sunday jazz masses, bringing together some of the finest jazz musicians in Hawai'i. This year's line-up included Abe Lagrimas, Jr., Hot Club of Hulaville, Bruce Hamada, Matt Lemmler, and Na Hoku Hanohano winner, Maggie Herron from the Big Island. The Sunday jazz masses paid tribute to legendary Duke Ellington.  The event requires an army of volunteers including Music Director Alan Van Zee pictured at top far left with local DJ celebrity Ron Wiley in the center, and Reception Coordinator Deborah Gilikin with the kitchen crew at bottom. (Top left photo by Catherine Steinmann; all other photos by John Harter)

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All Saints' Preschool Celebrates 50 Years

On Saturday, March 11, 2017,  All  Saints' Preschool celebrated its 50th anniversary in conjunction with their annual Discohana fundraiser. Proceeds from the event support the  All  Saints' Preschool Student Scholarship Fund. During the event, students, parents/guardians, alumni, and friends enjoyed dancing, face painting, a scavenger hunt, a photo booth, games, and lots of great food.    All   Saints ' Preschool was originally started in 1966 as a preschool for children of the congregation. It was located in the  All   Saints ' Gym with a staff of two and has since grown to nearly a dozen teachers/aides and over 40 students located in the church's Sloggett Building. (Photos from the All Saints' Church E-News)

 

A Cup of Cold Water Milestone: Honoring Its Founder Keku Akana

One of the Diocese's most successful outreach programs, A Cup of Cold Water (ACCW) on Maui, held its annual meeting on Thursday, February 24, 2017, at the Parish of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Wailuku. It was a momentous time for the community care van program, with Keku Akana, its visionary founder and President, handing over the reins to the new Interim President, Paula Baldwin, from Trinity By-the-Sea Episcopal in Kihei (at right with Keku). Keku, who is a member of Good Shepherd, was thanked for his four years of tireless leadership, commitment and dedicated service. (Photo of Paula and Keku by Bruce DeGooyer)

A month before the annual meeting, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, proclaimed January 21, 2017, Keku Akana Appreciation Day in honor of Keku's hard work to bring ACCW to fruition, and his excellent leadership. The proclamation coincided with the Tasteful Benefit event, a fundraiser for ACCW, at Trinity By-the-Sea in Kihei. Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu came out to read the proclamation during the Tasteful Benefit and the Mayor invited Keku and his entire family to his office for the physical proclamation presentation shown at top.   (Photo from the Maui Mayor's Office, contributed by Chuck Spence)

Back in 2013, with the blessing of Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick, and armed with a Diocesan Council grant of $5,000 and a $15,000 United Thank Offering grant, the fledgling program was able to purchase a van that would deliver food, water, clothing, and other supplies to the neediest of Maui. Members from the four Maui Episcopal churches supplied the initial base of volunteers to get the project off the ground, and on October 13, 2013, ACCW made its first run. It wasn't long before Keku, who continued to develop the vital ministry, saw an outpouring of support from the community.

Today, there are over 20 churches involved along with Buddhist missions, the Maui Dharma Center, hotels, businesses, and numerous individuals who come together as a team to serve people in the community at their point of need. It takes an incredible amount of organization and teamwork to run the island-wide program, but the ministry has been especially blessed with enthusiastic clergy and volunteers from all of the Maui Episcopal churches, too numerous to name, who actively raise funds, collect and sort donations, and make the arduous runs to those in need. Be sure to read their Annual Report with special attention to page 8, that lists the Board and organizations who help lead this ministry. 

"May this mission of charity and love continue with vigor and may we continue to march in unison and go to where the need is," said Keku in his final message as ACCW's President that appeared in the 2016 Annual Report.  With a heart as big as his stature, Keku remains a humble servant, preferring to focus on others and the work at hand, and shunning the limelight.  "Jesus meant it when he said, 'whoever wants to be first, must be last of all and servant of all.'"

Mahalo nui loa Keku, Paula, the Board and to all of the devoted volunteers of ACCW for being a brilliant example of Christ's love in the world, and who have made this program such a wonderful and successful ministry!

To view the 2016 Annual Report that contains a powerful message from Keku, click HERE , and for more information on ACCW, visit their webpage HERE .

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Good Shepherd Completes Sesquicentennial Celebrations

On Sunday, February 26, 2017, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church completed their year-long run of sesquicentennial events with a special Homecoming Sunday Celebration and luau. Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick was on hand to celebrate at the service and share in the festivities.  The service featured songs and readings from the 1910 service to dedicate the new church building, and church youth participated as lay readers and performed a hula. 

One of the most anticipated highlights of the day was the opening of a time capsule from the corner stone of the present structure built in 1910. Peter Lee carefully brought out the time capsule from the bluestone box that housed it for over 100 years. With Mother Linda Decker ready to assist, Lee opened the capsule that ultimately contained two Hawaiian Kingdom coins dating back to 1883, and what appeared to be a rolled up newspaper. Unfortunately, they were not able to get the paper out, and didn't want to risk damaging it without the proper tools. To view the video of the capsule opening on Facebook, click HERE.  

A grand luau with live music, traditional Filipino dances and delicious food followed. Pictured above at far right, even the Bishop got to be a part of the entertainment by trying out Tinikling, a traditional Filipino bamboo dance! To view more photos of the day's event, visit the Good Shepherd Facebook page HERE.

Good Shepherd still has Sesquicentennial items for sale. Pictured at right is Louise Aloy sporting the t-shirt, canvas tote bag, and mugs available for purchase. Prices are as follows:

Contact the church office at (808)  244 4656 for more information and to buy some great memorabilia. (Photos from the Good Shepherd Facebook page)

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Centering Prayer Workshop at Holy Innocents

By Paula Baldwin

A common interest in the practice of centering prayer brought people together on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Lahaina. Brother Jim Vorndran led us in a workshop to discuss and discern the value of centering prayer to live in a spirit of radical optimism. Seventeen of us heard the story of the Black Jaguar from the ancient people of the Americas. We centered together, we ate together, we discussed and discerned together. Some quotes from the group: "a beautiful day of quiet blessings"; "inspirational music, comfortable sharing of thoughts and experiences"; "time to encounter God." 

Christ Church Celebrates 150 Years

On March 4 and 5, 2017, Christ Church Episcopal in Kealakekua celebrated their sesquicentennial with a Heritage Weekend "Honoring the Past." The weekend events included a play, exhibits and a guest speaker to honor "the gifts and sacrifices of those who came before us in this specific place." 

Nancee Cline, Christ Church's historian and author of Queen Emma's Church in Kealakekua, Crossroads of Culture, embraced the challenges of researching and helping organize their sesquicentennial activities. 

"When Queen Emma stayed in the Hulihe'e Summer Palace, she rode her horse 15 miles to attend services here at the Christ Church mission," she said in an e-mail, sharing historical accounts of Christ Church. "According to a letter Rev. Charles Williamson wrote in 1868, crowds of adoring subjects came to church whenever she did.  So many attended that they could not all fit inside the chapel; 'many have been obliged to follow out the Hawaiian mode of sitting squatted on the ground.'"

It is fitting then, that the folks at Christ Church included a play about Queen Emma in their weekend activities. Pictured above left, Denyse Woo-Ockerman portrays Queen Emma in a one-woman play written by Jackie Pualani Johnson, called  Vespers at Hānaiakamālama.  The play was originally performed as part of the Diocese's own sesquicentennial celebration in 2012, that came about as a vision of the Rev. Moki Hino. Ockerman received a standing ovation for her performance and continues to perform this moving account of Queen Emma throughout Hawai'i.

The center photo features quilts made by living artists of today from Aloha Quilters of Kailua-Kona  to "represent the weavers, embroiderers, seamstresses and quilters of the past, and to celebrate generations of women-named and unnamed-and the beautiful work of their hands."

The third photograph features the Rev. Samuel Davis' Koa fount, and in the background, his glass plate photos from the 1870s that disappeared from the church more than 100 years ago. Rev. Davis, the church's second vicar, arrived in 1872, when photography was still very young. From old accounts, they know he sold his photographs including some to bishops and other clergy in England. For Cline, tracking them down and getting them reproduced has been a story of creativity, discovery and perseverance that began in 2006.  

" Other local historians have cared about these original glass plates for decades," said Cline. " This has absolutely been the most fun of all my history detective mysteries!" (Photos contributed by Nancee Cline)

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Prayer Shawl Ministry at St. James': Providing More than Warmth

St. James' Episcopal Church in Kamuela has a wonderful ministry for all persons who like to sew, knit, crochet, or quilt. The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets twice a month, the first and third Thursdays of each month, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM, and try to get together for lunch. Last year, they gave away 67 shawls to people on their prayer list and any person who in need of a little comfort. They give lap blankets to patients at North Hawaii Community Hospital and quilts to graduates of high school or college who are relatives of any church member. The material and yarn are paid for out of the church budget so anyone can be involved as there is no personal cost to take part, and all are welcome to join this fun ministry. (Photo from the St. James' Weekly E-News)

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Kamp Kamuela: Bringing Joy to Keiki and Volunteers

Spring Break for the keiki and folks at St. James' Episcopal Church in Kamuela was filled with excursions and activities that brought endless smiles to both the children and volunteers that helped make it possible. Twenty children took part in the week-long program with as many adult volunteers involved who made sure that they all had a great time. Pictured above, the children experienced a number of fun activities that included outrigger canoeing, a visit to an animal sanctuary, beach picnics, ukulele lessons, hundreds of water balloons, and lots more!  To view more photos of Kamp Kamuela, visit the  St. James' Facebook page.
 

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's Easter Message 2017:

"Go forth to be people of the Resurrection. 

Follow in the way of Jesus. 

Don't be ashamed to love. 

Don't be ashamed to follow Jesus."

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Ghana Reconciliation Pilgrimage a 'Homecoming'

Photo and article by Lynette Wilson, Episcopal News Service

[ENS-Accra, Ghana] Most Episcopalians and Americans know the United States' history of slavery, and how Union and Confederate soldiers fought a bloody civil war opposing and defending it. But lesser known is the horrific story that preceded slaves' journey to the New World; a journey that carried them from Africa to plantations and cities in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Anglican, Episcopal Women Gather at  UNCSW's 

Annual Look at Women's Status 

Article and photos by Mary Frances Schjonberg, Episcopal News Service

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President Gay Clark Jennings told women from across the Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion gathered for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women that their advocacy is God's work.

Church of Ireland Refugee Working Groups Launch Resource on Supporting Asylum Seekers and Refugees

[Anglican Communion News Service] The Church of Ireland's Refugee Working Groups have launched a new resource on supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The 14-page document summarizes how the Church of Ireland has supported asylum seekers and refugees in recent years and highlights opportunities for members of the Church to become more involved in this area of ministry and service.

The Rt. Rev. Patrick Rooke, Chairman of the Republic of Ireland Working Group, said "This is an excellent resource for all those who want to be informed about the refugee crises and what the response of the two Governments and the Church of Ireland has been. The many statistics and other factual points it contains are testament to the research and information gathering involved."

The Rt. Rev. Ken Good, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Working Group, said, "It is clear that public awareness of the plight of asylum seekers and refugees fluctuates considerably depending on the emotional impact of media coverage.  This resource seeks to provide helpful information to keep before us the scale of the human need while also acknowledging people's fears and concerns. Being informed about the facts is important. It is also encouraging to read some good news stories about the practical ways in which Christian Churches and other agencies are responding to this crisis."

The resource is available online  HERE.

Pictured above from left: The Rt. Rev. Ken Good, Chairman of the Refugee Working Group (Northern Ireland); The Most Rev. Dr. Richard Clarke, Archbishop of Armagh; The Most Rev. Dr. Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin; and The Rt Rev. Patrick Rooke, Chairman of the Refugee Working Group (Republic of Ireland). ( Photo Credit: Church of Ireland)