The Reverend Alejandro Geston (age 84) died on Wednesday evening, June 7, 2023. Alex retired as the Rector of St. Stephen’s Church, Wahiawa, in 2001, having served there since 1993. Alex began his ministry in the Philippines (then a constituent part of The Episcopal Church). He served in this Diocese as the Vicar of St. Columba’s Church, Paʻauilo, and Resurrection Church, Hilo (1972-1979); the Vicar of St. John's Church, ʻEleʻele, and St. Paul’s Church, Kekaha (1979-1989); and the Assistant to the Rector of St. Timothy’s Church, ʻAiea, and the Diocesan Campus Ministry Chaplain (1992-1993). He also served in the Diocese of Los Angeles as the Vicar of St. Benedict’s Church, Alhambra, California (1989-1993).

Alex was well known to many for years after his retirement, as an active supply priest throughout the Diocese. He and his beloved wife, Simeona, were active in the Diocesan retired clergy (spouse/widow) group.

Please keep Simeona and the Geston family in your prayers.

The service time is pending.

The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick

 (Pronouns: he, him, his)

Bishop Diocesan

The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i

Bishop-in-Charge

The Episcopal Church in Micronesia

On Saturday, June 3, 2023, the Waiolaihui'ia Center for Ministry's (WCM) first Licensed Lay Ministry class celebrated their completion at a special ceremony and service held at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Hilo. Nine of the class's eleven students from four of the main islands, were present for this event. Congratulations to the following: READ MORE

The Diocese will be holding its first ChurchBiz Conference on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at The Cathedral of St. Andrew. The conference is open to all and is dedicated to all things dealing with "church business." From finances and reports to live streaming and relationships, the conference is designed to assist clergy and lay (especially volunteers) to better understand and tackle some of the more challenging or even mundane tasks required for the church to function smoothly and properly.

TAKE THE SURVEY - There will be at least 15 different topics to choose from, but to help us better plan the conference, we invite you to fill out a survey to let us know which subjects interest you most. Read the descriptions of the different workshops being considered on the ChurchBiz webpage HERE. Then take the survey on the page or click on the button below. Survey deadline is June 22, and registration with your top picks will open during the last week of June.

Will you be attending The Episcopal Church's "It's All About Love: A Festival for the Jesus Movement" this July in Maryland? If so, let Canon Sandy Graham know! The Diocese has ordered a few swag items to share with participants using a Hawaiian translation of the event logo (shown here)!

Tapping into her connections, Executive Assistant Nani Carroll contacted Ka‘iwakīloumoku, the Hawaiian Cultural Center at Kamehameha Schools, to get the proper translation. Folks may also want to join together to carpool and share other costs. For more information about the festival, click HERE, and to connect with others, contact Canon Sandy HERE.

This summer, Camp Mokulēʻia has wide variety of programs to choose from:

Campers will make new friends and lifelong memories while participating in a variety of age appropriate activities such as snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking, arts & crafts, group games, team building, a high ropes challenge course, and hiking. For more information about Summer Camp please contact Tara Lee Tani for registration and scholarships HERE, and for program information, contact Lynea Mitchell HERE, or visit the website HERE.

Our Chaplains to Retired Clergy Families (CRCF) met with the Bishop yesterday, and also enjoyed lunch at Fete Restaurant. Our CRCF Ministry consists of (pictured from left) The Rev. Heather Mueller, Norma Chun, The Rev. Canon Frank Chun, The Rev. Carol Arney and The Rev. Bruce DeGooyer. They are active and engaged to keep folks connected! (Photo: The Rev. Bruce DeGooyer)

On Sunday, June 4, 2023, athletes and coaches from Special Olympics Hawai'i were blessed in The Cathedral of Saint Andrew, before participating in the State Games at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. They also took part in the service taking turns reading. Pictured above from left, acolyte Emily, who just graduated from Kaiser, is recognized by Canon Heather Patton-Graham; special guest readers at the lectern with a sign language interpreter in front; Pastor Dale Burke (ELCA-Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) gives the sermon; and more special athletes. Pastor Burke is also a "Special O" father and coach. Refreshments were served following the service. (Contributed photos)

St. John the Baptist has five youth attending the Episcopal Youth Event in Maryland, so they have a lot of fundraising to do! You can support them by purchasing the hugely popular Nom candies for $5 a bag. They are willing to come to your church or even ship to neighbor islands at flat-rate. To make a purchase, contact Kanoa Saturno by email HERE, or call the church at (808) 696-5772.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church will be bringing your favorite food trucks to Kailua this summer. Mark your calendars, and be sure to head to Emmanuel on June 10, July 8, and August 12, from 4:00 PM-8:00 PM, and enjoy your summer nights with some enchanted eats! For more information, call the church office at (808) 262-4548. Emmanuel is located at 780 Keolu Drive,

'Iolani School in Honolulu is seeking a full-time Chaplain Curate for a two-year period. Housing is provided. The full job description can be viewed HERE. Apply directly with the school through their online portal HERE.

All Saints' Episcopal Church in Kapa'a hosted a special benefit concert on Friday, June 2, for two of their youth delegates heading to the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE23) this summer. Enrico and Soloman Levi were on hand to welcome guests, and Enrico played two numbers, one that was an original composition! Their father, Hank Curtis, who is a gifted pianist, also played, along with two guest musicans. You can watch the concert which was recorded live HERE. (Photo: S. Nishioka)

Zoë Mounts, who was featured in the last issue of the Chronicle for her film about the environment and conservation, is in the news again. Zoë is pictured here presenting Father George Wong, with the certificate awarded by the Hawaii Interfaith Power and Light as a "Cool Congregation." The church is also investing in Energy Star appliances as old ones wear out and looking for other ways to get greener.

"We hope to harvest our first batch of homemade compost from our rotating composter at our Garden Day on June 17," said Zoë's mother Julenne. "We continue to coach members about how to use the waste sorting system. It takes a village!"

For more information about cost-saving, environmentally-safe practices, visit the Diocese's Environmental Justice and Creation Care webpage HERE or contact the Revs. Jenn Latham and Bree Lloyd HERE.

June 4, 2023, was "Wear Orange Sunday" and "Trinity Sunday" at The Church of the Holy Apostles in Hilo. Pastor Katlin McCallister's sermon gave us hope by reminding us of seemingly impossible struggles (slavery, civil rights) fought by people of faith as we struggle with the evil of gun violence. She also read from Bishop Bob's Resolution "The Episcopal Church in Hawai'i Gun Free Zone," copies of which can be found on our Welcome table on Sunday mornings. Our Intercessory prayers were adapted from the "Episcopal Peace Fellowship" and included prayers for all impacted by gun violence. If you missed it, I encourage you to log onto our Facebook page to watch the service and hear Pastor Katlin's powerful sermon HERE.

For more information on Wear Orange Sunday and its history as well as upcoming events, click HERE. Other important resource links: Gun Violance, Pride Month, Juneteenth

[June 8, 2023] Following a recent hospital stay that detected internal bleeding and a new instance of heart arrhythmia, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is receiving thorough testing and monitoring to understand the relationship between his medication for atrial fibrillation and the episode of internal bleeding. READ MORE

REGISTER FOR THE 2023 CLERGY CONFERENCE - Registration is now open for the Diocese's 2023 Clergy Conference taking place on the Garden Island of Kaua'i, August 14-16, 2023. The theme is "A Splintered Vine Bears No Fruit: The fracturing of American Society and how the church can heal the breach" with guest speaker Jay Wittmeyer from the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center. Group rates have been secured at the Sheraton Kaua'i Coconut Beach Resort in Kapa'a. For more information and to register, click HERE.

Required Safe Church Training - This is a reminder that Safe Church training is mandatory for all clergy, employees, vestry members, and most volunteers. Please read The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai‘i Safeguarding Policy and the Diocesan Safe Church Training Webpage. This training needs to be renewed every three years. Contact your church's Safe Church Administator or priest for more information, or if you have questions, email Nani Carroll.