Feast Day Celebrations: St. Anthony of Padua Church in Kailua, 6/13/2013

A powerful sight to see... 5 visiting priests

concelebrate the Feast Day Mass with our

parish priests, Fr. Clarence (far left) and

Fr. Exsequel (far right).

 

I have just one word to describe my parish's evening celebration in honor of our Patron Saint's Feast Day: AWESOME!  Compared to last year's event, this one was "super-sized" with more food, more people, and definitely more celebration!  My guess-timate counted 300+ parishioners and visitors who came to our Kailua parish to honor and venerate St. Anthony of Padua. 

 

After the Mass, parishioners lined up

to honor and touch the Sacred Relic of St.

Anthony.  In the center is pictured the

votive shrine in our church where the

relic is normally kept.

 

At the start of the festivities, we welcomed five priests from neighboring parishes, who participated in an exhibition basketball game against our parochial school students (the priests were victorious!)... and later concelebrated a beautiful Mass with our priests, Fr. Clarence and Fr. Exsequel.  After the Mass, our congregation was invited to come forward to touch or kiss the reliquary that held the little bone fragment from St. Anthony's hallowed remains.  It was a moving scene to see so many people paying tribute to the holy man who countless devotees around the world have come to recognize and love as a truly great Saint.  I sensed his presence among us... blessing us and interceding for our special prayer intentions and our personal needs.  It was definitely special with the Holy Spirit and power of God being extra-tangible in the church.

 

Just a sampling of the many dishes

that our parishioners brought in for the

celebration. The food reflected the diverse

ethnic background of our community.

 

After the service, everyone headed over to our parish hall where a potluck dinner awaited us.  Tables were set-up in different areas of the hall, reflecting many food dishes from diverse ethnic backgrounds: American, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Mexican, and Portuguese.  It looked like a food court in the hall... and there was even a whole roasted pig (Lechon!), which was a big hit with the hungry crowd; the poor little pig was gone in no time ('loved the crispy pork skin)!

 

Parishioners and guests, gathered in

our parish hall to celebrate with food and

music. Me, and a few of our parish women,

standing watch at the Mexican Food

Station (center).

 

Video: Our "Kupuna" (elders) dance a

prayer of blessing in the Hawaiian language

before the start of our meal.

 

While we enjoyed our meals, several groups of parishioners entertained us with music and hula (Hawaiian dance).  Even the group of priests, instigated by Fr. Exsequel, were persuaded to come up to the stage to sing us a song.  To be fair, they were good and carried the tune well... but I still wouldn't recommend they quit their day jobs any time soon to switch to a career in music - God bless them!

 

Video: 7 priests entertaining

the crowd with a song.

 

All in all, it was a fantastic and memorable evening, thanks to the planning efforts of a small, dedicated group of volunteers... and of course, the generous participation of the parishioners and guests who came to show their love for St. Anthony.  We made our dear Saint the bright star of today's events, and rightfully so... in return, he blessed us by bringing our Kailua community together in enthusiastic expression of our Catholic Faith and Traditions, and in the Joy of Christian Fellowship.

 

Thank you, Lord Jesus... thank you for giving us (and the rest of the world) the gift of St. Anthony of Padua.

 

First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony's Church, 6/1/2013

The Holy Eucharist - that was the theme at this afternoon's First Saturday Rosary.  Being that it was the eve of the Feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ) this year, our night was focused on deepening our faith in the Lord's hidden presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

 

Prior to starting the Rosary Prayer, I shared about the life of Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist (d. 1949), a Carmelite nun whose holy life was centered on Eucharistic and Marian Devotion.  I also displayed her relic during our prayer time as a way of inspiring the people present to imitate the Blessed's love for Jesus in the Eucharist.  Judging by the positive feedback I received after the prayer, many in attendance found Bl. Maria Candida's life story spiritually encouraging.

 

All in all, it was another lovely, well-attended meeting.  There was a new face in the pews and we welcomed back several fellow Catholics from other parts of the island who we hadn't seen in a while... again, always a joy!

 

The next First Saturday Rosary will be prayed next month on July 6th.   All are welcomed to participate in our parish's special prayer for PEACE.

 

A few parishioners, lingering after

the Rosary to continue praying to our

Blessed Mother for their needs.

 

Saint of the Month - June 2013: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Patron Saint of the Youth

Feast: June 21st

Born on March 9, 1568, this month’s featured Saint – Aloysius Gonzaga – was a youth descended from a line of illustrious nobles from both his father’s ancestry and his mother’s. He was the eldest of seven children, who from the tender age of four, was groomed to be both a courtesan and a soldier in the royal houses of Renaissance Italy. He stood to inherit his father’s title of Marquis, as well as enormous wealth and prestige... but as the boy grew, it was apparent that God had another path chosen for him.

At the age of eight, Aloysius was sent with one of his brothers to the court of Grand Duke Francesco de’ Medici, to serve as a page and to also be educated and trained in the social etiquette of life in court. Shortly after his arrival with the Medici’s, he fell ill with a form of kidney disease, which intermittently plagued him for the rest of his life. His higher education afforded him the ability to read so the boy providentially occupied his periods of incapacity by reading the lives of various Saints, who collectively sparked in him a desire for prayer and spirituality. This worthy past time made a deep impression on Aloysius and he reportedly made a personal vow of chastity at the age of nine.

The next tenure for the Gonzaga brothers was in the court of the Duke of Mantua where they were sent to serve in November, 1579. The precocious Aloysius, who was resolute in his practice of piety and purity, was not happy in Mantua given the careless life-style of this particular court; he returned to his hometown of Castiglione where he was fortunate to come under the influence of Cardinal Charles Borromeo (also a Canonized Saint, d. 1584).  It was from the hands of this holy prelate that Aloysius received his First Holy Communion in July, 1580.

In the next four years - between 1580 and 1584 - the Gonzagas spent several time in Madrid, Spain, in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor before returning to Italy. During this period, Aloysius continued his high standard of moral living and was even practicing various forms of self-mortification such as a strict fasting regimen.  When able to, he shared his faith by catechizing the poor and by visiting monasteries of various orders in anticipation of entering religious life.  In the end, he decided to join the Jesuits since it was his goal to become a missionary, but his father (not surprisingly) strongly opposed his vocation.

After unsuccessfully trying to dissuade him, Aloysius’ family reluctantly consented to his desire, and the pious youth entered the Jesuit novitiate in Rome on November 25, 1585. By joining a religious order, he was well-aware that he was effectively renouncing his inheritance and the worldly honor that it entailed… but Aloysius could not have been happier. He was noted for being a model religious with a caring, self-sacrificing spirit. In fact, his superiors had to reel him in a little by limiting his voluntary penances for the sake of his precarious health.

This is how A.I. technology interpreted

how St. Aloysius looked in life.

It was sometime in 1590 that Aloysius was forewarned by St. Gabriel the Archangel that he would soon die. His chronic kidney condition was causing him serious health issues along with migraines that often robbed him of sleep… in addition, the black plague broke out in Rome in 1591 and Aloysius had generously volunteered to nurse the stricken in a hospital administered by the Jesuits. It was there he contracted the dreaded plague from one of the victims, and although the disease didn’t outright kill him, the effects of it combined with his existing health problems left him severely weakened. His death occurred on the day he predicted - June 21, 1591 - after he was consoled and prepared by a second heavenly vision; Aloysius was only 23-years-old.

The Saint's ornate tomb-shrine in the Jesuit

Church of St. Ignatius in Rome, Italy

  

The exceeding virtue and heroism of the young Jesuit was not forgotten by his companions and the populace of Rome.  Aloysius was already revered as a Saint in his lifetime so it wasn't surprising that his tomb immediately became a place of pilgrimage where many graces were received through his intercession.  Even the great St. Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi (d. 1607), from her Carmelite convent in Florence, claimed to have witnessed a vision of Aloysius entering into eternal glory after his death.

The holy young man was eventually Canonized on December 31, 1726, by Pope Benedict XIII.   He is considered a Patron Saint of the Youth and his Feast Day is commemorated each year on June 21^st.  May St. Aloysius come to the spiritual aid of our modern young people!

A Reflection

"It is better to be the child of God than king of the whole world."  ~ Words of St. Aloysius

A Short Prayer

Dear Lord, through the intercession of your faithful servant, St. Aloysius, we ask for the grace to love you above all earthly treasures and honors.  Amen.