Sabbatical Journey

Parish Happenings

2011-04-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes - erected on Holy Saturday Vigil at St. Anthony Church

First Jazz performance at Hard Rock Cafe in Lahaina

David Choy with Norm Franco at Hard Rock Cafe in Lahaina - Jazz Festival in April 16th

Farewell Fr. Jerry

Tribute of love by Lilia Koa for Fr. Jerry

Sending alohas and love - grade school students

Fr. Jerry's farewell on January 24, 2011 Fr. Jerry is greeted by Art Fillazar

Rowena and Herman Andaya along with Herman III at Sunday Eucharist

Les Yokote, Judy Yamanoe, and Debbie Yokote before tasting the delicacies at Misa de Gallo breakfast

Missa De Gallo Breakfast - some much delicious masalap food donated by parishioners

Mercedes Neri - active Filipino parishioners at St. Anthony parish

Kindergarten Alicia and Fr. Roland

Grade School Christmas program

Blessings to your hearts during this Easter season 2011 which we began last Sunday on April 24th. A lot has happened since I last wrote on my blog this past October; imagine six months ago. I was reminded to update my blog by one of our parishioners couple - Les and Debbie Yokote; their daughter Erin was inspirational in moving me to give you all a photo remembrance during the past six months here at the parish; I call it "Parish Happenings"

We begin with the season of Christmas with three of our parishioners at our Christmas Mass. Notice the Jesse tree filled with gifts for children most in need during this joyful season. The grade school Christmas program was one of the highlights anticipating this joyful season of Christmas.

Happenings in October 2010

2010-10-24T15:19:00.001-07:00

Photo of Iao Needle given to me by Bro. Tony Pre-School Children gathering - Halloween

Greetings from Wailuku, Maui on this October Autumn day. Photo of Iao Valley taken from my bedroom via the window and screen. On the left is our Thrift shop which opens Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. With the economy being what it is now we have quite a lot of people coming here to buy all kinds of house hold goods including clothes, shoes, pictures, benches, sofas, kitchen ware, etc. Parking lot is filled during the week and on Saturday and Sunday when we have Masses here at the parish. Iao Valley is located just 10 minutes from our Rectory and is a great tourist attraction; they will be charging a fee for automobiles and buses for the tourist; local residents are not subject to the fees entering the park.

This afternoon our pre-school children, ages 3 year old and 4 year old gathered at the rectory to sing couple of songs before "trick or treat". Our staff welcomed them and I gave out "goodies" to the children. This annual Halloween ritual is one of the highlights for the children before going home this weekend to join their families on Halloween night. Our teachers for the pre-school helped them with their baskets and pumpkins. More photos taken at the school.

Waihee Ridge Trail

2010-08-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Waihee Ridge Trail is one of the fascinating hikes here on Maui. It takes about two and half hours to reach the top of the trail with a beautiful view of Kahului Bay and the towns of Wailuku and Kahului. Fred Silvereis and I took a hike on Saturday afternoon. It has been over a year since I've been on this trail. It was a beautiful cloudy day when we began hiking up in the mountains seeing lots of waterfalls and water in the stream below the West Maui Montains. In the background is the famous Haleakala Mountains rising above the clouds at 10,023 feet above sea level. The West Maui Mountains and Haleakala Mountains act like a wind tunnel when airplanes approach the Kahului airport. It gets a little shaky when planes land at the airport with the winds howling in from the ocean. The Valley Isle - Maui gets its name from the valley between the West Maui Mountains and Haleakala. I would recommend this hike when visitors come over to Maui.

2010-08-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

Roland Bunda with Norm Capinpin, novice from Ewa Beach, who is presently at the Marianist novitiate in Dayton, Ohio enjoying a moment of friendship

Lay Marianists from Ohio, Missouri, Texas,California, Indiana, Hawaii, New York during prayer gathering at Mystical Rose Chapel

Lay Marianist enjoying a meal together and conversations during the Assembly Marianists from Maui - clockwise, Rowena Enemoto, Tehani Shimabuku, Debbie Melton, Roland Bunda, Jim Vorndran, Gloria Dulay

Korean Lay Marianists

The eighth Lay Marianist Assembly gathered in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 22-25, 2010. Representatives from North America, including United States, Canada and Mexico were gathered with Lay Marianists from Korea (group picture in front of Mystical Rose Chapel). The liturgies were celebrated in English, Spanish, and Korean. There were 150 delegates including the staff and team from Honolulu lay Marianists. What a gathering to solidify our Marianist identity and mission throughout the world. Geographically, there are over 14,000 lay Marianists all over the world. This gathering was a glimpse of the charism of Fr. Chaminade to share partnership in mission with the Marianist Family and other persons to educate and form persons and communities of apostolic faith that advance justice, reconciliaton and the integrity of creation in our sociedty and in our Church. Representatives from the United States including AJ Wagner from Dayton, who is the representative of US and Isabelle Moyer, the International representative, who hails from Winnepeg, Canada gave a broad perspective to the Marianist gathering, the first one in Hawaii. Enclosed photos taken during this historical assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Vision 2020 - Louisville, KY

2010-07-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

Fr. David Paul (St. Louis, MO) along with Bro. Jose DeGorio (Honolulu, HI) at the gathering of 307 religious Marianist in Louisville, KY on June 29-July 4, 2010. The gathering celebrated eight years of the United States Province which began in July 2002. The Marianist reflected and shared their Vision 2020 for the next ten years regarding life and mission in the Society of Mary.

To revitalize the apostolic mssion inherited from our Blessed Founder Chaminade for our time, the brothers and priests of the Marianist Province of the United Sates, commit themselves to be: faith-filled communities in mission, faithful witnesses to the charism of Blessed Chaminade and partners in mission with the Marianist Family and other persons to educate and form persons and communities of apostolic faith that advance justice, reconciliation and the integrity of creation in our society and in our Church. Areas of Focus centered on Communities, Vocations and formation, Sponsorsip, Partnership and collaboration, Lifelong ministry, Development, Leadership and Distincts and foundations of the Society of Mary.

Fruitful discussions followed reflections by members of the lay and religious Marianists. Several members of the laity were there to share their experiences collaborating with the brothers, sisters, and priests. It was a great opportunity for bonding, deepening friendships, and praying together as we shared common mission with apostolic imagination and daring to move into the future.

Roland waiting for the "fast ball" at the Louisville Slugger Museum - background with bats used at the World Series by the Phillies in the 2009 series with the Yankees.

Fr. Tim Kenny(St. Louis, MO) and Bro. Bob Hoppe (Honolulu, HI) celebrating during the closing dinner on Saturday night. Fr. Jerry Pleva (black aloha shirt from Wailuku, Maui) celebrating with Marianist brothers, sisters and priests.

Closing Liturgy at Marianist gathering in Louisville, KY with Fr. Marty Solma, newly elected Provincial of the Provinceof the United States, assisted by Fr. Jim Tobin.

Class '60 Reunion

2010-06-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

George Karonis, chair and committee member, makes the announcement -our class raised $170,000 for the school; the largest donation from any graduating class from St. Louis School.

David Silva, Roland Bunda, Eddie Hayashi and Richard Chang "displaying their Class shirt, medallion, and traditonal red and blue leis. "

Classmates: Ronald Kunihiro, Mike Adair, Stanford Yuen, Marion Magruder, Roland Bunda, and George Karonis before the Graduation Exercise at Blaisdell Arena

Class of 1960 at the Graduation Exercises held at the Blaisdell Arena - "still young and rascal"

Fr. Roland receiving his 50th class "Golden Diploma" at the Luau held at the St. Louis Alumni Clubhouse in Honolulu; Dr. Walter Kirimitsu, president of St. Louis, presented diplomas to the Class of '60 after the Graduation Exercises. There were 45 classmates who attended the graduation at the Blaisdell Arena that afternoon.We were given the tradional red and blue lei and a golden medallion besides our diplomas. Prior to the Graduation at Blaisdell there were eight activities held over five days beginning on May 25 through May 29; the highlight being the Graduation of the Class of 2010. We began the festivities with "stag night" on Tuesday, May 25 followed by a tour of China town and luncheon on Wednesday followed by Baccalaureate Mass on campus with the class of 2010; later that night we went to Aloha Tower for dinner and to listen and dance to the music of the 60's at Don Ho's restaurant. On Thursday, we participated in a tour of Pearl Harbor followed by Chinese dinner at the Golden Palace. Friday was the golf tournament at Olamana golf course followed by the nineteenth hole at St. Louis Alumni clubhouse - time to eat ono food and "brag" about our scores and win money for birdies, closest to the pin and low gross. Overall, it was a memorable time for all of us as we gathered to reconnect and share stories of our journeys since graduating from school in 1960. Lots of laughs, stories, ono grinds, beer, singing our Alma Mater and conversations - "talk stories" of the good ole times. The best is yet to come.

Youth Sunday

2010-01-24T22:37:00.001-08:00

Youth getting ready for the relay races

Balloon Scripture that the students enjoyed today.
Art Filllizar welcoming the youths

Today was Youth Sunday at St. Anthony parish. The core team of fourtheen youths organize a day for our youths of our parish with a fun day and getting to know each other. A number of our Confirmation students participated in this event along with a number of students from the public schools along with St. Anthony Jr/Sr High school here on campus. Mr. Art Fillazar is the youth coordinator for the youth program along with Sr. Eva and Greg Correa. Here are some photos that the students participated in the fun activities.

St. Damien Celebration

2009-10-28T23:16:00.001-07:00

Bishop Larry Silva and servers get ready to begin the celebration at St. Damien celebration

Uluwehi Guerrero chant one of the songs at the Mass

Clergy at the Celebration of St. Damien at the War Memorial Gym

Fathers Roland and Efren Thomas along with Deacon Bissen. Fr. Damien of Molokai was canonized a saint by Pope Benedict in Rome on October 11 of this year. There were over 600 people from Hawaii that attended this historical moment along with eleven patient from Kalaupapa, Molokai where Fr. Damien ministered to the lepers for sixteen years he died of leprosy on April 15, 1889. Here at St. Anthony Church we were blessed to have his first class relic here for four hours on October 24th. We begin this vigil with Mass at 5:00 p.m. followed by silence, quiet prayer and meditation. Our parishioners were able to approach the koa box that contained the relics and offer prayers. Later, the recitation of the rosary and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy were celebrated. The next day parishioners around the Island of Maui celebrated a Mass in the Memorial Gym with Bishop Larry Silva presided along with fouteen priests and five deacons from Maui.

September Vacation

2009-10-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

Wine tasting at Jefferson Winery with Serg, Sr. Kathleen, and Judy

Dinner with Serg at The Tombs at Georgetown University; local student hangout

Thomas Jefferson home at Monticello, Virginia

Sentry at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery

Cousin Titing Rubio and Roland at Angel Park golf course in Sumerland, Nevada

Baby Suzy with Mom Joy and Jen along with Grace and father Richard

Archbishop Mitty HS Girls' Volleyball team; # 1 in the nation

Dinner with friends in San Jose; Steve Gray, Lucille Mazzeo, Jen and Jim Garvy, and Antoinette and Dave Gray

Golfing with Rudy Quijance at DeLaveaga Park in Santa Cruz, California

Leavenworth -up in the Cascade mountians of Washington

Eileen with Marilee and Fred Slusser at Index, WA

View of Emerald Lake at Lake Tahoe.

What an incredible vacation and meeting with friends, family, and our Marianist brothers during this past month of September. Rounding off such pleasant memories, I had a wonderful time in Washington DC with Judy and Serge along with Sr. Kathleen at the Jefferson Winery sipping wine and tasting delicious cheese after visiting Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, and winery at the end of September. This vacation began on September 1st when I left Maui for San Jose via Hawaiian Airlines to Honolulu, Los Angeles, then to San Jose. Great visit with Sr. Marcia at Mission San Jose, then visit with Bill Littell in Santa Cruz to pick up my golf clubs, then an exciting trip to Lake Tahoe. On Labor Day, I went to Seattle to visit my sister Eileen and family. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Index to visit one of our parishioners, Fred and Marilee Slusser, who have a home along the Sykomish river. Then a delightful trip to Leavenworth, Washington - quaint German Baravian village up in the Cascade mountains of Washington. Back to San Francisco, then to Menlo Park for our annual Marianist provincial chapter meetings on Strategic planning. Later, a week in Cupertino visiting our brothers at the Care Center and visiting friends in the Santa Clara and Santa Cruz areas. Lots of time for hikes up at Rancho Park, reading, golf, prayer, meals with our brothers, and friends from the past. One highlight of my visit was seeing Archbishop Mitty High School; watched the girls volleyball team at their host tournament; imagine, seven seniors going to a Division 1 school with full scholarship. Mitty girls team is # 1 in the country and they proved it by winning their tournament that weekend. Over that weekend, I drove to southern California to visit our Marianist brothers at West Hills and presided at the baptism of Suzy Shah, the second daughter of Kishal and Joy Shah. Later that Sunday evening I had dinner with our Bunda family at a Chinese restaurant in Torrance; all you can eat and enjoy. The next day I drove to Las Vegas to visit my cousins; great times of golfing, visiting the casinos where I donate money - you can't win there, but to have fun. Great reunion with my cousins; lots of sharing, food, and conversation. Drove back to Los Angeles, then to San Jose, then off to Washington DC for my final three nights visit with Judy, Serge and Sr. Kath. Fond memories captured by these photos. Left for Maui on September 30th after a memorable and delightful trip to the mainland.

Celebrations at St. Anthony

2009-08-30T16:48:00.001-07:00

We honored one of St. Anthony's parishioner, Laverne Teves, who celebrated her 75th birthday today at the Maui Lani restaurant; picture here with Laverne is one of her friends.

This morning at St. Anthony Grade school the school ohana had an open house with students, faculty and parents. It was special day since we dedicated the new basketball court. Daniel Borges, a member of the boys scouts troop #249 helped to build this court for the grade school. Daniel's dad, Ken was also instrumental in making the project a reality. Pictured here is Daniel, Fr. Roland, with two students along with their favorite teacher, Karen Takashita. Also a collage of pictures of parents, with their children enjoying the potluck after the blessing. Fr. Roland blessed the basketball court and gave blessings for the food and gathering in thanksgiving for God's bounty and gifts to our Ohana here at St. Anthony community.

39th Ukulele Festival

2009-08-01T12:27:00.001-07:00

Kekis playing "Wipe Out" at the Ukulele festival at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki

Zoe Clark proudly showing off her ukukele at the Festival in Honolulu

The 39th annual ukulele festival held at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki on July 19th was a memorable gathering this year. My cousin Kathleen Clark's daughter Zoe played with several youths. Zoe is learning to play the uke and she has really improved. What an opportunity for her to come in contact with the Hawaiian culture, especially the music of Hawaii. It was a delightful experience for me listening to the "young keikis" playing the ukuleles with proud parents and relatives enjoying the music and their kids. Terry, Eileen and I joined Aunty Meding and family at this festive gathering. Here are a collage of pictures taken at the festival. Here on Maui we will be having our 3rd Ukulele festival at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in October. It is sponsored by Roy and Kathy Sukuma who have begun the ukulele festival in Honolulu. They are doing a great community service enhancing the music and culture of Hawaii.

Mike and Robbie's Wedding

2009-07-21T23:51:00.001-07:00

Collage of pictures taken at Mike and Robbie's wedding at the Willows in Honolulu. A great family celebration uniting the Bunda and Hueu families. July 18th - Saturday was such a memorable day for Mike and Robbie.

Photo taken before the wedding at the waterfalls at the Willow Restaurant. Eileen Weathers, sister of the groom along with Robbie and Mike, Senia Bunda and her son Roland.

Marianist retreat in Kalihi

2009-07-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

Marianist retreatants at Kalihi retreat center

Sr Grace along with Bro. Claude and Jim Pera pose with the beautiful background of flowers at the Kalihi retreat center. Twelve Marianists along with retreat president and music director were present at the annual retreat in Honolulu; theme of the retreat focused on Mary, the Mother of God. Presenters, Sr. Grace and Fr. Rudy gave presentations on Mary highlighting Mary in Scripture, Images of Mary and Mary and our religious founders.

Alumni Weekend

2009-06-30T23:24:00.001-07:00

Special guests and alumni at the Sunday Mass

During this past weekend at St. Anthony School, the Alumni of the class of 1959 gathered for their 50th class reunion which begin with the Hoolaulea celebration at the football field on campus. Fr. Jim Orisini welcomed the class of '59 along with the classes of '49 and '69. The Alumni enjoyed a festive luau with lots of entertainment and song along with dancing. Picture - above- at the Sunday Eucharist is the Principal of the School, Fr. Jim Orisini along with the pastor of St. Anthony, Fr. Roland Bunda along with one of the outstanding alumnus, Mr. Herman Aizawa, along with associate pastor, Fr. Jerry Pleva. The 50th alumni received a special diploma after the Eucharist at the Church Center. It was a memorable and cherished event for many of the graduates who shared memories of the school and "talk stories" besides dancing away in the night with local musicians and singers.

St. Anthony Feast Day

2009-06-13T14:55:00.001-07:00

Parishioners attending the Mass on the feast of St. Anthony

Today is the feast day of our patronal feast - St. Anthony of Padua. We celebrated Mass and had a festive brunch prepared by our parish staff and volunteers of the parish. Fr. Roland Bunda presided at the Mass and John Duarte, a parishioners for 30 years, gave the reflections on St. Anthony, his life and mission along with his spirituality. John also reflected on his personal experience with St. Anthony having been baptized here at the Church, attended grade and High School here at St. Anthony parish. Pictured here are our parishioners enjoying the festive brunch after Mass. Every year we hope to celebrate the feast of St. Anthony. It was good to hear John's presentation which reminded us of the great preacher that St. Anthony was to his parishioners in Padua, Italy. In one of his sermons, St Anthony says that "the man who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks in different languages. These languages are different ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, patience and obedience; we speak in those languages when we reveal in ourselves these virtues to others. Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actoins speak." We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfillment."

Kaupo, Maui

2009-05-31T23:38:00.001-07:00

St. Joseph Catholic Church established in 1842 by the Sacred Heart Priests from Belgium

lava beaches and Kaupo Gap

After celebrating Eucharist on this day of Pentecost I went with friends to visit Kaupo, the southern side of Mount Haleakala. It was a beautiful drive from Wailuku passing the towns of Kula and Ulupalakua where St. James the Less Catholic Church and Tedeschi Winery are located along the Pi'ilani Highway. The roads were paved until we traveled up to Kuakini Bay. We passed St. Joseph Church which was established in 1842 which faced the Kaupo Gap. The landscape changed from black lava into lush and bucolic country side where it was filled with trees and green mountains. What a contrast of barren lava beaches to green country side.
If you ever travel to the Island of Maui be sure to visit this area of the Island which can be approached from Kula or from Hana passing Kipahulu Valley. Besides the elegant hotels in Ka'anapali and Wailea Maui offers natural beauty of mountians and beaches.

Beauty of the North Shore at Turtle Bay Resort

2009-05-14T15:16:00.001-07:00

Surf at the North Shore of Oahu
pool area and lounge at Turtle Bay Resort

Surfer's paradise along the north shore

Golf course on the left side of the ocean

Priest Convocation '09

2009-05-14T15:05:00.001-07:00

Lounge area with the famous parrot

Priest participants during the presentation Our Bishop Larry Silva initiated the priest convocation this year at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Oahu this year for all the priests in the Diocese of Honolulu. It was a great gathering on May 4-8, 2009 for the priest to get together to share prayer, reflect and discuss issues of prayer and justice preaching. We also were blessed with Sr. Nancy from Washington DC who presented a critical area in our lives, namely spiritual direction and the importance of having time to share faith with each other besides preparing our homilies. During the afternoon there was time to relax in the hospitality room, go swiming in the pool or snorkling at the beautiful beach outside the resort area, golfing, walking along the sea shore or just enjoy the beauty of the north shore.

Palm Sunday Walk

2009-04-05T17:39:00.001-07:00

Today is Palm Sunday when our Youth for Christ walked from St. Anthony parish to St. Ann Church. Let by our parish youth minister, Chiree Souza, the students and parents, walked four miles this morning after our Palm Sunday liturgy. This was our 2nd annual walk for Christ and to pray the mysteries of the rosary as we stopped at 14 stations to pray and reflect. We end each station by reciting the Our Father and Hail Mary as we prayed for peace and reconciliation. We were joined by another Christian denomination as we approached Happy Valley. Pastor Greg led us in prayer and we sang Majesty to praise God for the gift of Jesus in our lives. Here in this photo we gather to begin prayer at one of the stations.

Birthday Celebration

2009-03-28T23:33:00.000-07:00

What a day of celebration - began with Eucharist at our chapel this morning at 7:00am with parishioners singing "Happy Birthday" after Mass. During the day it was great to hear from family and friends via phone calls, letters, emails and at the parish after our 5:00 p.m Eucharist. Bro. Jim gave me this "flashy golf hat" in honor of my birthday. When I walked into the rectory, I received a surprise from our lay Marianist parishioners. It was a great gathering with lots of local food, especially Filipino food and Hawaiian desserts too along with chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream; so much for Lenten fast on this day. During the day I went up to Iao Valley to spend time walking around the river and reflecting on the gift of life and giving thanks to the Lord for many blessings here in Maui. So grateful for many friends and family who have supported me here at St. Anthony parish. Praise the Lord.

Lay Marianists Maui

2009-03-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Fr. Jerry and Roland - Iao Valley

Blessings and greetings for the New Year; imagine, it has been four months since I've updated my blog since November 20th. Yesterday, on March 20th, the first day of Spring, has been a beautiful day here on Maui. School and parish are doing well and we are experiencing warm and sunny weather here on the Island of Maui. We have had lots of rain and the temperature have been on the cool side, sometimes in the 40's upcountry and high 50's here in Wailuku and Kahului.

Yesterday we had a Marianist gathering at our community/rectory when thirty of our parishioners welcomed Jim and Sue Vogt from Kentucky. They are lay Marianists who have been involved int he Marianist family for 40 years. They gave a presentation on their experiences ministering with our religious Marianists in Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio and Michigan. Picture here with Jim Vogt is Carol Guerrero - sitting with Cora and Jovi Dongon, parishioners of St. Anthony parish. They are interested in becoming lay Marianists. We are beginning to develop lay Marianists here at the parish.

Chaz and Mercy's wedding

2008-11-20T10:22:00.001-08:00

November 8th was a very joyful and memorable day for our family here on Maui. My cousin Carol's son Chaz got married to Mercy here at St. Anthony's parish. Many of the relatives and friends from Los Angeles and Oahu were able to attend this festive event. It was a great family reunion with lots of conversation, fun, food and music. There were close to 500 family, relatives and friends to join with Chaz and Mercy at the Wailuku Community Center. Pictured here are our cousins who joined in this celebration. It was a five day affair with the extended family here and from the Philippines. As you can imagine we had lots of delicious Filipino food and desserts. A number of our family members took time to visit the Island, went shopping and toured many of the attractions here in Maui. I joined my Uncles and Aunt playing golf at the family golf tournament. We also dined at some of the local spots including Tiffany's for ono food.

Halloween

2008-10-31T12:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from St. Anthony pre-school and grade school. This morning our students from our school gathered at the rectory to wish the staff "Happy Halloween." They were so cute wearing their masks and carrying their bags and pumkins. All ten teachers along with our Director of the pre-school, Carleen Santos, along with our grade school Principal, Winona Martinez, accompanied these youngsters. They sang couple of songs and were later treated with candies from our staff. Our mascot greeted the children with his pirate outfit.

2008-10-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend on October 25 the parish hosted its annual bazaar at the Marian Center. Pictured is Hoku Ornellas, cafeteria manager, who coordinated the cooking in the kitchen where volunteers baked cookies, fried malasadas and cakes. This year the Filipino Catholic Club sold pancit along with the Portuguese ladies selling bean soup. There were crafts, rugs, and other items for sale besides the various plants that were available for sale. The Boy Scouts held their annual car wash with their Scout Masters helping scouts clean, wash and dry cars and trunks. It was a great community gathering where parishioners bought items and food. The High School youth club sold hamburgers and Judge Joe Cardoza along with volunteers prepared and sold over a thousands laulaus. Proceeds from the bazaar will be given to the youth and young adults in the pre-school, grade school, Jr/Sr High School along with youth club in the parish.

Marianist 125th Anniversary

2008-09-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2008 marked the 125th anniversary of the Brothers of Mary (Marianists) coming to the Island of Maui. To celebrate this significant event, the Marianists on Maui held a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Anthony Church followed by a festive social and dinner at Maui Tropical Plantation. Fr. Roland was the main celebrant and Fr. Jerry gave the homily at the Mass featuring the highlights of the history of the Marianist on Maui. At the dinner Bro. Jim gave his personal reflections of his experiences here at the parish and schools. Over 220 parishioners and friends of the Marianists celebrated with us and our Marianist brothers who came over from Honolulu to participate in the celebration. Our parish staff did a marvelous job of preparing for this event. Sr. Eva Joseph made the flower arrangements of protea flowers which were donated by Robin Shimabuku. Co-chairs for this event was Tehani Shimabuku and Fr. Roland. The highlight of the dinner was a presentation given by Dr. Herman Aizawa - 1959 graduates of St. Anthony High School.

Washington DC and National Basilica

2008-06-29T13:59:00.001-07:00

Interior of the Basilica after Sunday liturgy on Father's Day in Washington DC

After the retreat I went to visit friends in Washington DC. Had a wonderful time there and celebrated Mass at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Father's Day. What a blessings to be there and enjoy the liturgy with the Basilica's choir. It was a very inspiring and prayerful Mass with Catholics from all around the world.

Retreat at Mystic, CT

2008-06-29T13:46:00.001-07:00

Chapel of St. Edmund and Bros. in prayer Twenty five Marianists gathered at Mystic, CT for their annual retreat on June 8-14 at St. Edmund Retreat Center. Bros. Bernie Ploeger, Jose Degorio, James Dods from Honolulu and Bro Jim and I from Maui were participants in this spirituality and autobiography retreat facilitated by Fr. Tom Schroer from Dayton, OH. It was a great week of prayer, reflection and journel writing getting in touch with our Marianist vocation and God's presence throughout our lives.

Appreciation Dinner

2008-04-22T18:23:00.001-07:00

Parishioners enjoying the festive meal

On April 16th, the staff hosted its annual Appreciation Dinner for our parish volunteers. There were over 200 volunteers along with their families gathering at our Marian Hall to enjoy a festive meal along with fun and music. The staff provided gifts for the raffle besides singing two Hawaiian songs accompanied by Roland on his ukulele.

Birthday Celebration during Easter

2008-04-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

Parishioners enjoying the music and singing from our Filipino choir. Blanche Macadangdang and Roland reveling in the festivities.

Imagine this year 2008 celebrating my birthday during Easter week; first time in a long time. Easter is the earliest ocassion in 60 years. The next time that that Easter will occur this early in the Church's calendar is 200 years from now. We began the birthday celebration with Mass at 5:00 p.m. in our Church Center. The Filipino choir and musicians from Christ the King parish in Kahului added so much color, energy and joy to the celebration. Deacon Hiram assisted me at the liturgy. After Mass we had a potluck dinner at our Marian Hall and continued the festivities. Many of the parishioners who are very active here at the parish joined me and Tom Phillips for this celebration. What an evening of fun, food, laughter and friendship. As you can imagine there were lots of Filipino food and delicacies.

Molokai - Fr. Damien

2008-02-17T15:02:00.001-08:00

The Leper Colony at Kalaupapa seen from topside. Priests at St. Joseph Church

February 14th - Valentine's day, the priests in the Maui Vicariate which includes the Islands of Maui, Lanai and Molokai, rode the ferry from Lahaina, Maui to Kanaukakai, Molokai at 7:30am. It was a lovely and beautiful day with humback whales leaping out of the water as we made our way to Molokai. We were on a day of pilgrimage to the sites when Fr. Damien built four churches during his time there in 1873. He lived on Molokai ministering to the lepers at Kalawao, and builded churches on the Island, besides establishing the leper colony at Kalaupapa. He contacted leprosy and died there on May 10, 1889 after 16 years on the Island. This is a statue of Fr. Damien located at St. Joseph parish which he established at Kamola.

Immaculee Ilibagiza

2008-02-02T11:49:00.001-08:00

Immaculee Ilibagiza visited St. Anthony parish on January 13th and spoke to the parishioners and people here on Maui. She told her story of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and her conversion of faith; a journey of suffering, death, and forgiveness. She wrote her story in three weeks, put it aside for four years. It was through the efforts of Dr. Wayne Dyer who was responsible to have her book published: Left to Tell. Wayne introduced her and his close relationship to her during these past years. Wayne lives here on Maui and has appeared on public television. I'm reading his latest book: Change your Thoughts, Change your Life; Living the Wisdom of the Tao. I highly recommend this inspiring book where Wayne reflects on the wisdom of Lao-Tzu - Tao Te Ching. As you read this book which is very Christian in its outlook and practice. Imagine this 2,500-year work of Lao-tzu is very relevant today and will transform our lives. May this book inspire you as we enter this season of Lent on February 6th.

Christmas Bazaar

2008-02-02T11:37:00.001-08:00

Boy scouts washing cars during the bazaar and ladies of the parish selling their crafts and food

Valerie Standing, chair of the Christmas bazaar, with Fr. Roland at Marian Hall during the festival on December lst. Many of the parishioners made crafts to be sold during the bazaar.

Happy Advent

2007-12-05T14:28:00.001-08:00

The awesome sights and sounds of Mount Haleakala on the Island of Maui, Hawaii

Bro. Jim, Fr. Jerry and Fr. Roland enjoying the

beauty of Mount Haleakala. Greetings from our staff at St. Anthony's parish for a joyful and blessed Advent. We wish all of you a prayerful and hopeful season as we prepare for the mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas. During the past months we have been blessed with many visitors to our parish community. Bro. Jack Ventura and Brian Reavey from St. Louis, MO have graced us with their dynamic presence and presentation on our Marianist charism and laity. Myles McCabe from our provincial office led some of our Outreach committee to reflect, discuss and act on some of the social issues in our community.

Last evening we hosted the Maui Vicariate here at St. Anthony for dinner and meeting. Pastors from ten parishes on Maui are preparing for their Advent reconciliation services. We are collaborating with each other for our "Missa de Gallo" liturgy in preparation for Christmas. Beginning on December 16 at 5:00 a.m. we will have Masses for nine days until December 24 preparing for the feast of Christmas. This is a Filipino tradition of welcoming Jesus at Christmas; festive Eucharist followed by traditional Filipino breakfast. All of the parishioners are invited to participate in this joyful event. It is a great way to create community and join with one another for this feast of Christmas.

Have a blessed Advent and be assured of my prayers and alohas as you prepare for this festive feast of Christmas during this holy and joyful season. We are experiencing rain and lots of wind during this week; hints of winter here in Hawaii.

St. Anthony's parish - Outreach ministries

2007-10-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

Golfing in Maui at Kahili course with Les Hondo, member of the Pastoral Council and friend from Seattle. Background is the beautiful Haleakala mountian which rises up to 10,000 feet. This visit to Haleakala is a "must experience" marveling the rising sun for any visitor to Maui.

Marianist community here at St. Anthony's parish; Roland as pastor, Fr. Jerry Pleva associate pastor, and Bro. Jim Vorndran - pastoral assistant.

Blessings and greetings from St. Anthony's parish. It has been a while since I've updated my blog. Have been very busy with parish ministry and getting to know the parishioners along with working with my staff at the parish. So much has happened here with all the challenges and blessings at the parish. This past Monday - October 22nd we had a great gathering of outreach ministers with our Province representative from St. Louis, MO. Myles McCabe from the office of Social Justice and Peace spent the weekend here at St. Anthony's parish and school. We gathered for prayer, potluck dinner and sharing during and after meal regarding our outreach programs here at the parish. Seated - left to right; Roland as pastor, Myles McCabe from the Provincial office, Carol Guerrero - outreach to the parishioners with disabilities; she organized a healing/anointing Mass on October 2nd with 248 people in attendance. Standing - Deacon Stephen Maglente with ministry to the parishioners preparing for Baptism, Hospital ministry, Engaged Encounter weekend, Hope Alive - Abortion/Pregnancy loss, Mental illness and homeless; Elaine and Deacon Hiram Haupu with ministry - bereavement, hospital, Hale Makua- elderly home, and prison ministry; Nona Iwata with ministry to the bereaved parents; June Borges with ministries to the homebound and Communion to shut-ins and hospital; Bro. Jim Vorndran with the Just Faith group, Homeless; Eleanor Fukuda with ministry to Hale Makua - visitation and communion service.

Marianist Pastoral Team

2007-08-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

The St. Anthony Catholic Community welcomed the new "Marianist Pastoral Team" on August 5th at the 9:00am Sunday Eucharist. Fr. Jerry Pleva who hails from St. Francis, Wisconsin, Bro. Jim Vorndran from Pittsburgh, PA and Fr. Roland Bunda from Waialua, Oahu -Hawaii began a new era of Marianist presence in Wailuku, Maui. Bro. Stephen Glodek, Provincial Superior of the Marianist Order mentioned in his letter to the parish that "under their leadership, may the parish continue to grow, to deepen its faith, and to respond to the needs of the poor on the Island". Fr. Roland was installed as Pastor by Bishop Larry Silva of the Diocese of Honolulu on Saturday, August 18, 2007. Family, friends, and parishioners welcomed Fr. Roland at this festive gathering held at the 5:00 p.m. Mass. A reception and dinner followed the installation. Bro. Stephen assured the parishioners that "may our gracious God bless all the parishioners of St. Anthony's, their families, the educational institutions there, and the parish's outreach to the poor and the downtrodden. May the family spirit of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade continue to characterize you and your hospitality to others, and may Mary, our mother, draw you ever closer each day to her Son."

Aloha from Maui, Hawaii

2007-07-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

Aloha and blessings from Maui, Hawaii. After celebrating with our Marianist brothers at our National Assembly in Tucson, Arizona and participating in a week workshop on parish ministry in San Antonio, Texas, I went to Santa Cruz, California to pack and say final farewell to friends and students. I arrived here on the Island of Maui on July 23 to begin my ministry at St. Anthony's parish. It has been an exciting week of meeting the staff and parishioners along with the students this morning as the new school year began today on July 30, 2007. It is wonderful being back in the Hawaiian Islands after being away for nineteen years since my last ministry at St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. What a blessing to be back to Hawaii and to experience all the sights and sounds of the Islands.

Marianist Assembly - Tucson, Arizona

2007-06-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Blessings and greetings from Tucson, Arizona. Well, I'm back in the desert for our Marianist Assembly since our inauguration of our United States Province of the Society of Mary. This is truly a signifcant gathering of our Marianist Family of religious priests, brothers, sisters and lay people from all over the world. The Superior General and his council are here to celebrate with us five years of ministry since we began the new Province of the United States. The theme of the Assembly is: Come to the desert, becoming brothers and finding life. We hope that this time will be a time of prayer, reflection, and conversation that will allow us to interpret the core message and person of Jesus Christ. Together, as brothers and sisters, we can forge our way into new and bold ways of ministering to God's people. We begin the Assembly on June 25 through July 1, 2007.

Farewell to Sangre

2007-05-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

All smiles from Sr. Diana from Australia, Fr. Richard from Pittsburgh, and Sr. Cecilia from Malaysia as they celebrate and say goodbye to Sangre Center.

Picture on the left: Fr. John from New York, Fr. Ron from Brazil, and Fr. Tim from New York enjoying time together after dinner.

Sisters Mary from Australia, Joanne from Kenya and Guia from Davao City, Philippines enjoying each other company and celebrating their final hours at Sangre Center.

Today was a day of packing, closure, and celebration. We had a session this morning on closure and sharing of our time here during the past 99 days. In the afternoon most of us spent time packing and getting ready to leave on Tuesday morning. After a beautiful Mass at 4:00 pm, we had a delicious and relaxing dinner with all the trimmings. Enjoying conversation during dinner were Fr. Rudy from Costa Rico, Fr. Roland from Hawaii, Sr. Cheryl from Minnesota, and Fr. Ron from Brazil. Aloha and Mabuhay as we depart to our religious communities, parishes and ministries. It has been a blessed and joyous time for each one of us. I am so grateful for this opportunity to share life with these men and women. Until we meet again, may God bless us as we give thanks and praise for these shared and precious moments.

Monastery of Christ in the Desert

2007-05-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

Four pilgrims on their way to the Monastery: Sr. Marci from California, Sr. Madeleine from Uganda, Fr. Richard from Pittsburgh, and Fr. Roland from Hawaii

Right photo: Majestic mountains on the way to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert

The peak of Pedernal where Georgia OKeeffe made famous through her paintings.

A benedictine brother at the Monastery chapel meditating after the celebration of Eucharist

This Sunday morning on Mother's day several of us went to visit the Monastery of Christ in the Desert for Mass. We traveled through the town of Abiquiu, the home of the famous artist, Georgia OKeeffe, where she painted many scenes of the mountains and vistas while living at Ghost Ranch. One of her famous landmarks was the peak of Cerro Pedernal. She once said that if I painted that mountain many times, God would give it to me. The monastery is located in the Chama Canyon where the Benedictine monks established this unique monastery in 1964. There are a community of 35 monks including priests and brothers. There is also a community of Benedictine women near the monastery. Many of the brothers and sisters are from all over the world.

Bandelier National Monument

2007-05-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

Frs. Tim, Larry and Tony along with Srs. Joanne and Anne resting after hiking down two and half miles from the Visitor's Center to the Rio Grande marveling at the vistas, waterfalls and streams along the way.

"Islander tourists," Fr. Edd from New Orleans, Fr. Malo from Figi and Fr. Roland visit Bandelier park

Majestic cliff dwellings of the Native American Anasazi people in the 1300's

Bandelier National Monument became a national park in 1936 when President Roosevelt enacted the CCC to help preserve and begin national parks throughout the United States. Adolf Banelier, an antropologist, discovered this region inhabited by the Anazasi Native Americans in 1880's. It is located not far from the Sangre de Cristo mountains and the Jemez Mountains.

We went to visit this Park maraveling at the awesome and majectic beauty of the mountains, vistas, woods, streams and rivers besides the Native American cliff dwellings.

Hiking at Sangre Mountains

2007-05-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

The "fabulous five" resting after an enjoyable hike up in the hills of Sangre.

Heading home to Sangre Center after three and half hours of hiking up in the mountains of Sangre.

Photo on the right - Bro. James crossing Rio En Medio; "dancing on the rocks"

Fr. Chris admiring the beauty of the forest

Photo taken along the Green trail while hiking up to the Rio En Medio.

This afternoon we went hiking up in the hills of Sangre Mountains. Bro. James from Florida, Sr. Mary from southern California, Sr. Bernadette from England and Fr. Roland took the green trail to Rio En Medio along with Fr. Chris from Ireland who took this picture. We spent three and half hours up in the trail marveling at the beauty of the Santa Fe National Forest. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed walking and taking in the sights and sounds of the forest and streams.

Last Week at Sangre Center

2007-05-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Fr. Roland is "blessed among women" at Sangre Center; left to right - Sr. Ann from Australia, Sr. Joanne from Nairobi, Kenya, Sr. Bernadette from England, Sr. Marion from Sydney, Australia and Sr. Margaret from Belen, New Mexico.

Festive meal after our social prepared by several members of our Sangre community. Frs. Ray, and Jack along with Bro. Dennis and Sr. Helen are filling their plates with the chicken and ham along with bread and salad.

After Eucharist we had a social before our festive meal. Gathering around the table - Fr. Rudy from Costa Rica, Sr. Susan, staff member, Fr. Ray from Rhode Island, Fr. Roland from Santa Cruz, California, Fr. Jack from Philadelphia, and Sr. Margaret from Belen, New Mexico

After the presentation of the gifts , we gathered around the altar to celebrate the liturgy of the Eucharist. It was so fitting to celebrate and offer thanks for these past three and half months being here at Sangre de Cristo Center. We leave this place full of thanks and gratitude.

Blessings to your hearts. Well, this is the last week before all of us depart for our religious communities or parishes. We will be leaving Sangre next week on May 15th. During this week we are having sessions of refocusing on our sabbatical program. We began the closure events with Eucharist on Sunday. Photo on the right is taken during Mass this past Sunday. Fr. Tim, campus minister at Syracuse University in New York, was the main celebrant and homilists. He sang the Eucharistic prayer which was very inspiring and prayerful.

Day of the Artist

2007-04-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

This past week we had several sessions on Creativity and Spirituality. Bro. Mike Moran, CP , an artist from Bronx, New York, gave excellent presentations on the Arts and the Artists. He emphasize the significance of "really seeing" when we paint, sketch, or take photos mindful of using our right brain instead of just using the left brain. He focused on the importance of compostions, texture, light and shadows, angles, diagonals. An example of an abstract photo is the photo taken on our roadway (above photo)

The picture of the pine tree is an example of long distance photo and compostions. The photo below is an example of abstract picture with diagonals, light and shadows, and reality.

I also took a photo showing reflections of the lake and our Sangre Center. It was fun and refreshing to be aware of these elements of photography and gave me another
perspective and outlook while taking pictures.

Four Corners and Painted Desert

2007-04-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

After visiting Mesa Verde in Colorado we drove down to Four Corners where the States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona converge at one spot. Here is the local Islander trying his best to touch all four states.

This site - Four Corners is operated by the Navajo Tribe, and not by the National Service of the Interior of the US government. Many of the lands here are owned by Native Americans; there are many reservations within the four corners.

The photo below is part of the Painted Desert wich is located in Arizona; it covers hundreds of miles south of Four Corners and sweeps to the south west in its expansion. Part of the Painted Desert encompasses the Petrified Forest in south eastern Arizona.

Native American trip

2007-04-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend several of us visited the Native American sites in New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona; we also visited the Four Corners where the four states of NM, CO, UT, and AZ converge. We also toured Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in Arizona. It was a fun trip besides learing more about the Native Americans here in the Southwest. The picture on the left is the site of Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Jack Mcatee, a priest from New Jersey, and I walked down to this site along with several other tourists. It was incredible listening to the park ranger explaining the life of the early Anasazi people who are the descendents of many of the Native American people of the region.

Below is the photo of the ruins of Pueblo Bonito at Chaco Monument in New Mexico. We left early Friday morning for Chaco in the rain, snow, and sleet. After visiting the Visitor Center and watching a video of the Chaco site, we took a tour by car and walked to this site in the rain; sloshing through the mud we made our way to this historical site. The Pueblo people lived here in this area between 800 AD to 1200AD; leaving this area due to the draught and encounters with their enemies. It is incredible that many of their building were aligned with the sun and moon during the soltice season; there are evidences of kivas - religious ceremonies among them.

On Sunday we visited the Canyon de Chelly National Park in Arizona; below is a photo taken by our guide Adam from the Navajo tribe who was raised in these canyons. Adam took us on a tour of the Canyon on his vehicle riding along the edge of the river and in the river too. He knew the spots where the sand was either hard or soft and made adjustments on his four wheel drive. He showed us his family land which they have owned for hundreds of years. It was incredible looking at the dwellings along the sheer cliffs of the canyon. Notice the ancient house above us that the Anasazi people built during their time in the canyon. There are also many petroglyphs along the walls of the canyon relating stories indicating life in the canyon.

Roland, Madeleine, a Holy Cross sister from Uganda; Marci, Dominican sister of Mission San Jose in California; Jack, Agustinian priest from New Jersey below one of the dwellings along the canyon.

Easter Sunday

2007-04-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Blessings to your heart on this Easter Sunday. May the Lord bless you with the grace of this joyful season. Be assured of my prayers during this season of joy and renewed life in the Lord. We celebrated our Easter liturgy at 10am in the morning, followed by a delicious brunch prepared by members of the community. Later that evening we had a community social - our inaugural "races" of animated animals betting on our favorite racer. It was a fun evening and we even raised funds for our social committee in planning for future socials here at Sangre.

Good Friday - Chimayo

2007-04-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

Blessings to your hearts during this Holy Week. On Good Friday several of us at the Sangre Center joined hundreds of pilgrims on their journey to Santuario Chimayo. Some of the pilgrims walked from Albuquerque and Santa Fe covering 90-40 miles on your journeys. Some of us walked 11 miles to the chapel. It was a very meditative and prayerful experience walking with these pilgrims from all over the State of New Mexico. Many of the people here have been walking on this annual pilgrimage for over 30 years. Some of the students walked from Albuquerque and Santa Fe; one of the students told me that she left Santa Fe on Thursday night at 10:30pm. Here at the Center we walked from Sacred Heart Church in Nambe at 7:00am and reached Chimayo at 10am. After resting and walking around the chapel area we walked back to the van and went back to Sangre Center. One of the oldest Spanish settlements in the Southwest, Chimayo has been the site of pilgrimages and prayers for many years. The chapel was built in 1814, after a miraculous events surrounding the discovery of a crucifix according to church legends. On Good Friday in 1810 a religious brother saw light emanating from a hill near the Santa Cruz River. He walked to the the light and unearthed a huge crucifix. Later a chapel was built above the pocito or little well of dirt, where the crucifix was discovered. The wooden crucifix still occupies the altar in El Santuario de Chimayo. But it is the small well of dirt, located to the side of the altar, where pilgrims during Holy Week and throughout the year make their visit to gather dirt for "miracles that they are seeking in their lives." Many pilgrims make their personal journey to the "Lourdes of America" here at Chimayo.

Palm Sunday

2007-04-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Blessings and peace to your hearts as we begin Holy Week with the celebration of Palm Sunday on this first day of April. We completed our eight day silent retreat last evening with Eucharist, social and a BBQ dinner. The retreat was a great time for all of us to integrate the first fifty days here at Sangre de Cristo Center. Having time for silence and solitude helped me to live out these Lenten days more fully. I also celebrated my 65th birthday on March 28th during our silent retreat. It was a unique experience and a milestone for me celebrating my birthday during retreat; gave thanks to God for the gift of life and for many blessings in my life. Felt supported and loved during these days and especially by the many religious men and women who are accompanying me during my journey here at Sangre. Have a joyful Holy Week and Easter season. Be assured of my prayers for you and your loved ones.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

2007-03-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we visited the city of Albuquerque; it took us an hour and half to reach Albuquerque. After visiting the Indian Pueblo Museum we toured "old town"and walked around the plaza. Also visited the Museum of Natural History where there were fascinating exhibits of crystals, earthquakes, and film of the Universe and the "Big Bang" theory.

Santuario de Chimayo

2007-03-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we journeyed to the Santuario de Chimayo near Sangre Center. Chimayo is a small church in the hills of Sangre. This is one of the significant and holy places in New Mexico where pilgrims come to this little church to pray and make intercessions for family and friends. On Good Friday during the Lenten Holy Week, there are 25,000 people from all over northern New Mexico and visitors who walk to this place of pilgrimage. Some walk from Albuquerque covering a distance of over 80 miles. Here at Sangre some of the participants have participated with the pilgrims walking 25 miles starting at 3:30am and completing their journey around 10am. This year I hope to join in this pilgrimage walking only 9 miles to the Church. I think that I will be able to manage 9 miles on Good Friday. I will be praying for family and friends as I join some of the religious men and women here at Sangre Center during this pilgrimage to Chimayo.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

2007-02-26T14:22:00.000-08:00

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Mardi Gras at Sangre

2007-02-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Mardi Gras at Sangre. Have a blessed Ash Wednesday and Lenten season. Be assured of my prayers for all of you as you journey with the Lord during this season of renewal, prayer and conversion.

Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

Photos - Valentine's day at Sangre de Cristo

Photos of Sangre de Cristo

2007-02-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

Here are picture of Sangre de Cristo

Sangre de Cristo

2007-02-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

Sangre de Cristo Center, 12 miles northeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico provides a sabbatical program for religious men and women and diocesan priests, in their middle years. The Center was founded in 1962 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. This is the 90th session and there have been over 8,000 participants over the past 45 years. This session which began on February 5, 2007 will conclude a 100 days retreat on May 15, 2007. I'm so glad to be here for this session which has 36 religious and diocesan priests from all over the world. What a wealth of resource. It will be a great time for me to integrate first half of my sabbatical. Prayer and liturgy includes Eucharist, quiet time during the day, a silent, eight-day directed retreat, regular desert days and spiritual direction on a weekly basis with one of the program directors. Another aspect of the program includes presentations and discussions in theology, psychology, spirituality, religious life, ministry, social awareness and life planning. There are also important emphasis on community relationships including small groups, informal as well as formal, social gatherings and time for relaxation including visits to the city of Santa Fe and surrounding areas of Sangre Center. What a blessing to be here; be assured that I will be remembering all of you in my prayers during this renewal program.

Transitions

2007-02-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

After spending the first half of my sabbatical in Europe, Philippines, and Australia, I came back to the United States on January 27, 2007 from Sydney, Australia. I arrived in San Francisco in the afternoon on that same day. Spent the weekend at our Cupertino residence and sharing my sabbatical experiences with our brothers at the Villa and San Juan Community. Later that week I went to Santa Cruz and stayed at the Newman Center. That Monday evening I attended the Vesper service for the new Bishop of Monterey. Bishop Richard Garcia was installed the following day in Monterey; what an impressive and memorable event for the Diocese of Monterey. It was great to see many of my friends, religious sisters and brothers and diocesan priest at the Installation and the reception after the ceremony. During the week I had an opportunity to visit my local dentist and doctor and check up on my health; my doctor gave me a clean bill of health along with my chiropractor and massage therapist - you may recall that I injured my right collar bone after my bike accident in July 2006. It was great spending time with friends in Santa Cruz and sharing my Sabbatical journeys. On Sunday after the Super Bowl, I concelebrated Mass on the UC - Santa Cruz campus with Fr. James. Great seeing many of the students at Mass and reception. Then I headed back to Cupertino where I left for Albuquerque, New Mexico the following morning to begin the 2nd half of my sabbatical at Sangre de Cristo located in the mountains of Sangre seven miles north of Santa Fe.

Australia

2007-01-09T16:51:00.000-08:00

Aloha from Australia. Arrived here in Sydney on Sunday January 7th after traveling from Davao City, Manila, and Hong Kong. What a blessing to be here in Australia after my sabbatical experiences in Italy and visiting our Marianist brothers in the Philippines. Australia reminds me of Hawaii with its beautiful beaches, bays, mountains, and hills. Here in Newcastle which is situated about two hours drive from the city of Sydney reminds me both of Hawaii and California; the beaches and bays of Hawaii along with the rolling hills and the mountains and vineyards of California. Sr. Monica, a sister of Mercy, whom I met at St. Louis University at the Institute of Religious Formation in 1978, is showing me around Australia. We will also have a mini-reunion with Srs. Eleanor and Kathleen from Perth in Sydney. It will be great to reminisce about our time in St. Louis. Yesterday we visited Shoal Bay and vicinity and even climbed up Mount Tomaree.

Davao City, Philippines

2007-01-02T00:21:00.000-08:00

After spending three months in Italy during my sabbatical program and visiting Rome after the renewal program I left Rome the day after Christmas for Davao City, Philippines via Hong Kong and Manila. I have been here in Mindanao eight years ago and it was a delightful experience being back in the Philippines. Bro. Richard Joyal met me at the airport and we took the taxi to Davao City just in time for Bishop Fernando's Christmas party. It was a great time meeting many of the religious ministering in the Diocese of Davao City. It is amazing having so many religious brothers and sisters here in this Catholic city of Davao. There are seventeen million people here in the Island of Mindanao and fifteen million people are Catholic. There's a misconception in the United States that the image of Mindanao is heavily Moslems; just the opposite, this is truly a Catholic country. Attending Mass on New Year's Eve was an inspiring experience to witness so many young people with their families. Everyone sings at the liturgies both in English and in Visayan. Archbishop Fernando whom I met during my visit here mentioned to me that there are twenty-two bishops here on the Island of Mindanao. It has been an enriching time for me meeting so many of the young priests here in the Diocese. Our Marianist community here is a beautiful witness of different enthic religious ministering to the kids on streets and to the community of Davao City. Bro. Richard Joyal, the Director of Balay Pasilungan, hails from Canada. Bro. Oscar Kerketta comes from India, Bro. Roberto, 2nd year novice is from Los Angeles, Fr. Pablo comes from Spain and Noel is a local Filipino who is a contact considering Marianist religious life; there will be two local Filipinos coming to Davao City to begin their Aspirancy year. All of the Marianist are involved in the Balay Pasilungan program and activities. Bro. Jose and I are enjoying our visit to Davao City experiencing the richness and warmth of the Filipino people and culture.

Christmas in Rome

2006-12-23T03:02:00.000-08:00

Buon Natale from Roma. I'm here at our Marianist General Administration and Seminary for the rest of the Advent season after the sabbatical program in Manziana. I will be celebrating Christmas with our seminarians and brothers here at the GA. It is a blessing being here in Rome and experiencing the sounds and sights of the city during this holiday season. Walking around the city and seeing all the holiday lights and colors of the season heightens my awareness of Rome in its busyness during this time of the year. Visiting many basilicas and churches makes me aware of the true spirit of Christmas; Christ coming into our lives and being thankful for God's gift of life to each one of us. What a place to be grateful and thankful for all the blessings in our lives.

Festival at Manziana

2006-12-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

We completed the renewal program this afternoon with a festive Eucharist and Pranzo (main meal) here at Manziana. It was a joyous ocassion where we reminise and gave thanks for the wonderful eight weeks here at the sabbatical program. After the Mass we had a delicious meal with shrimp cocktails and wine before dinner. Pork with potatoes and carrots were the entree for dinner. After dinner drinks we were entertained by two of the Marist brothers who hosted "Emmy Awards" here at the renewal program. It was a fun time and lots of laughter and dancing as we enjoyed the stories and humor during our time here. The Marianists won top honors "using the computers" during most of their free time. Other awards went to the brothers who slept during the presentations, travel the farthest from Manziana,and sang the loudest during Mass. Many of the brothers will be leaving Manziana early tomorrow morning. We give thanks for each other presence and blessings to one another for a safe journey home.

Farewell to Manziana

2006-12-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

This is the last week of the renewal program here in Manziana. We completed a three day retreat this evening facilitated by Fr. Tony McSweeney from Rome. Fr. Tony gave us the last session on the Eucharist and concluded a three day retreat with Holy Hour and Benediction. It was a fitting way to gather and pray during these days of integrating our eight weeks here at the renewal program. Two of the Marist brothers have left for Malaysia. Most of the brothers will be leaving on Sunday morning after our closing Eucharist and dinner on Saturday afternoon. They will be going back to their communities in South Africa, Sri Lankra, Ireland, Australia and the United States. All of us leave with lots of pleasant memories of our time together. We leave with a little more knowledge and experiences of living religious life with better clarity as we continue our life and mission. Personally I found this renewal program very nourishing and nuturing in my life at this stage of my life of 45 years both as a brother and priest in the Society of Mary. Even though I was the only priest in the program I have experienced the friendship and companionship of journeying together as brothers. Sharing my life with the brothers in large and small groups, table conversatons, and pilgrimages and other recreational times have been enriching for me. Discovering and sharing the richness of each other ministries especially the Marist missionary works have broaden my perspective of ministry and Church. During our Marianists pilgrimage to Bordeaux, Perigueux, Mussidan, Trenquelleon, Agen, Verdelais, Le Pian-Medoc and Saragossa, I have come to appreciate the roots and origins of our Marianist family. The brothers at Bordeaux, Saragossa, and San Sebastian have extended their hospitality which deepend my sense of our brotherhood in the Society of Mary. I am so grateful to have this time for prayer, reflection, reading, writing, and deepening my life as a Marianist.

Advent Season in Manziana

2006-12-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

We are winding down the renewal program here in Manziana. It has been a great experience being with the Marist brothers and sharing with them our charism of Fr. Chaminade. I have learned a lot of their spirituality and charism of Fr. Champanat. These past three days have been retreat days integrating our experiences during the past eight weeks that we have been here. Besides all the sessions on Church, Eucharist, 3rd Age spirituality, Health issues, charism on our founders, reign of God,etc, we have had lots of sharing both formally and informally during small groups and during our free time. Going on pilgrimages to Assisi and Subiaco besides visiting our founder's historical sites in France and Spain has been an enriching and nourishing experiences. Walking downtown Manziana for a cup of tea or cafe latte or on our way to train station has been memorable and fun for all of us. Photo taken at night in Manziana.

Subiaco, Italy

2006-12-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

This Monday morning we journeyed to Subiaco to visit the historical site of St. Benedict. There are two monasteries there at the present time. St. Benedict monastery and the monastery which Benedict founded - the monastery of St. Scholastica. One of the Benedictine monks gave us a tour of St. Benedict monastery taking us at different levels of the monastery; they are beautiful mosaics from the 12th and 14th centuries depicting the life of Christ, Blessed Mother and scenes from the life of Benedict. We celebrated Mass in the lower chapel and visited the Sacro Speco - the Holy Grotto where St. Benedict spent three years in prayer and solitude.

Happy Advent

2006-12-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Blessings to your heart as we begin this season of Advent on Sunday, December 3rd. I hope all of you have a wonderful Advent and Christmas season. Here in Manziana we began this season with prayerful reflection this morning and a rite of Reconciliation this evening. It was good to prepare for this season of hope and joyful expectation of Jesus in our lives. Be assured of my prayers for all of you as you enter this season. May the Lord guide you on your journey of faith with Mary as our guide and model of prayer and hope.

Pilgrimage to Assisi

2006-12-02T05:57:00.000-08:00

This past week we went to the town of Assisi on our pilgrimage to the historical and religious sites of St. Francis and St. Clare. It took three hours by bus to travel to Assisi. After checking into the hostel staffed by the Franciscan sisters we visited the Basilica of the Angels where the Porziuncula is located within the Basilica. It was an impressive sight seeing the place where St. Francis died and area where his early companions resided during their formative years. We also visited the Cathedral of St. Clare where she is buried. The cross that St. Francis prayed while in Assisi is also located there; he received his vocation to "build God's Church" while praying at this same cross. At that time St. Francis thought that the Lord meant to repair San Damiano's Church, but later realized that God was calling him to rebuild the Church of Italy; God's people. That he set out to do detaching himself from his earthly possessions and living a life of poverty. Later, that evening we celebrated Mass in the Basilica of the Angels. The following day we took a walking tour of the city beginning at the Cathedral where Francis and Clare were baptized. Also walked down to the Basilica of St. Francis where we celebrated Mass in the lower Church.

3rd Age Renewal Group

2006-11-27T05:27:00.000-08:00

We are in our 7th week of the 3rd age renewal program and time is flying bye so quickly here at Manziana. This Monday we had a session on Mary given by one of the Marist brother, Bro. Giovanni Bigotto, FMS. He gave a witness talk and presentation of Mary in his life. I found his presentation very inspiring and enriching. His presentation was based on Scripture, yet filled with human stories of his life and his relationship with Mary. He was written two books on Mary and has given retreats and presentations to religious sisters and brothers. Tomorrow we are traveling to Assisi to visit the sites of St. Francis and St. Clare. Looking forward to this pilgrimage and to share our time together as brothers of Mary.

Thanksgiving festival

2006-11-25T06:04:00.000-08:00

With several Americans here in Manziana for the renewal program we had an American Thanksgiving festival. Our cook Franca cooked a thirty pound turkey with stuffings. It felt like being home in the United States celebrating after our Thanksgiving Mass in the chapel. Bro. George, American Marist brother here at the residence, gave a presentation on the tradition of Thanksgiving to our brothers who reside outside the United States. We missed the punkin pie this year, but were treated with ice cream and wine.

Audience with Pope Benedict

2006-11-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, November 22nd we took the train at 7:27am for Rome to go to the Vatican for Pope Benedict's audience at St. Peter's Basilica. There were 50,000 people in the St. Peter's Square. We were on the staircase near the Pope. He arrived at 10:30am with lots of cheers and applause. After greeting the people from his Pope-mobile, he sat on his papal chair under a canopy. There were prayers and reading from the Epistle of St. Paul in various languages. Then Pope Benedict addressed the people in Spanish, German, English and Italian commenting on St. Paul's message of meeting Christ. It rained during the ceremony and most of the crowd remained for his Holiness blessings.

Marianist Family Founders

2006-11-21T11:10:00.000-08:00

During our visit to Bordeaux we had an opportunity to visit several historical and religious sites connected with the Marianist family. Besides Fr. William Chaminade (1761-1850), there were two women who collaborated with him in establishing the foundations of the Marianist family. Marie Therese de Lamourous (1754-1836), foundress of the La Misericorde and Adele de Batz de Trenquelleon (1789-1828), foundress of the Daughters of Mary; both women were very instrumental in early days of the foundations of the Marianist family. We had an opportunity to visit Le Pian in Medoc where Marie Therese is buried in the chapel near her hermitage. We also visited Agen, the foundation home for the Marianist sisters. Another highlight of our visit was an opportunity to visit the birth place of Fr. Chaminade in Perigueux.

Pilgrimage to Saragossa

2006-11-21T06:09:00.000-08:00

We went to visit the shrine of Nuestra Senora del Pilar after spending two days in Bordeaux. We took the train to Saragossa, Spain and were met at the train station by two of the brothers from the novitiate and provincialate communities. After the main meal we took the tram to the Plaza of Peace and walked to the Plaza of the Pillar where the Basilica of St. James is located. We celebrated Mass at the chapel of the Pillar; this is the shrine where Fr. Chaminade spent many hours of prayer when he was exiled from Bordeaux for three years (1797-1800). He received his inspiration to found the Marianist family under the protection and patronage of Mary. The next day after the main meal we left for Bordeaux to continue our pilgrimage in the surrounding areas of the city.

Marianist Pilgrimage

2006-11-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

We began our Marianist pilgrimage on Tuesday, November 7th when we left Rome for Bordeaux, France. We flew to Lyon, then to Bordeaux where we were met by Fr. Robert Witwicki who resides at the Madelenine in Bordeaux. The five of us were greeted by the community and met Fr. Bernard Vial who introduced the members of the Madeleine community. They treated us to a great French meal after a presentation by several members of the community. We introduced ourselves and our background along with our ministries. After the meal Fr. Witwicki showed us around the city of Bordeaux where Fr. Chaminade first resided when he came to Bordeaux in 1801. In 1804 Archbishop d'Aviau made the Madeleine available to Fr. Chaminade. Fr. Chaminade used only the chapel for the meetings and gatherings of the Sodality. However, in 1809 the Sodality was suppressed by Napoleon as a result of his excommunication by the Church. The return of the Bourbon Monarchy in 1814 permitted a new development. Fr. Chaminade was able to rent the building which gave him two more rooms on the ground flooer, the chapel of the sisters, and upstairs where a large room which still exists today. The apostolate of the Sodality was reactivated and thrived in the city especially the State from which came the Society of Mary in 1817. We visited the Basilica of Saninte Eulalie, which was the parish closest to the Madeleine, the Cathedral of Bordeaux and surrounding areas of the Madeleine. Later that evening we celebrated Eucharist in Fr. Chaminade's room; it was a blessing to be there and to give thanks for the gift of Chaminade to the Church. We visited the tomb of Fr. Chaminade at the La Chartreuse Cemetery in Bordeaux. Fr. Chaminade was beatified in Rome on September 3, 2000 by Pope John Paul II.

Marist General Administration

2006-11-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the Marist General Administration in Rome in the area of EUR for Mass, social, and dinner. We met the Superior General of the Marist, Bro. Sean Sammon, FMS who is from the United States province. He greeted all of us Marist and Marianist who are in this 3rd age program. After Mass Sean explained the symbols of the Marist chapel and later on during the social gave each one of us a picture frame with article of our Marianist and Marist Rule of Life. The quote from the Marianist reflect Mary's "warmth of welcome" which is significant to both our Societies. The Marist and Marianist order have so much in common. The founder of the Marist is Fr. Champagnat and the Marianist founder is Fr. Chaminade; both Society of Mary were founded in France; Marist in La Valla and Marianist in Bordeaux in 1817. All of us enjoyed spending time with each other and sharing our common bonds as brothers. Sean mentioned to us to continue to have faith which will guide our journeys, hope which will encourage us in our life and mission, and love for each other and the Gospel of Jesus Christ which will sustain us in our lives. We will be leaving on Tuesday for our pilgrimage to our places of origin in France. This will be a great time to renew our charism and deepen our love for Mary and her mission.

Autumn in Manziana

2006-11-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

Today is the feast of All Saint's Day. We celebrated this feast with Mass this morning followed by stories of the Marist sisters; tomorrow we will have the Marist and Marianist stories. Fr. Aloise from Germany will be giving the preentation on the Marist and Bro. Tim Philips from Rome will be presenting the Marianist story. Weather is getting cooler in the mornings and evenings; sweaters and jackets are out of the closet these days too. Many of the brothers take walks around the town of Manziana and surrounding areas especially in the wooded areas of Manziana. The town closes down in the afternoon from 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Everyone is at home for the main meal and a siesta after the main meal. It rained to day for the first time in several weeks. We have had gorgeous weather during the month of October; what a blessings to be here in the fall season. Last week we had sessions on 3rd age spirituality and on Monday and Tuesday sessions on The Kingdom of God; presentations were given by Fr. John Fuellenbach from the Gregorian University in Rome. Fr. John is a theologian and it was wonderful to listen to his presentations challenging us to continue to be witnesses of the Good News of salvation.

Bus and Train tours

2006-10-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday and Sunday all of us on the sabbatical program went on a bus tour to visit an Etruscan city filled with lots of burial grounds - necropolis, near the town of Cerveteri. We were amazed how many mounds of burial grounds were in the area. Later that afternoon we visited Lake Bracciano and had lunch at one of the local hotels along the lake. This lake reminded me of Lake Tahoe with beautiful mountains surrounding the lake. On Sunday several of us went by train to the medieval city of Viterbo. I was impressed by the number of churches in the area pocketed throughout the city. In the 12th century there were a number of Popes who lived in the city during the turbulent times in Rome. Pope John XXI is buried in the basilica of San Lorenzo, a beautiful Romanesque Church. There is also a beautiful church named after Santa Rosa where the remains of St. Rose are buried in a side chapel of the church. On September 3rd of each year, the parishoners have a procession in the city in honor of St. Rose; they carry a "machine" - longated candle that is well lighted and luminous. We began this week with sessions on the 3rd age spirituality. Sr. Margaret, Daughter of Mary and Joseph, from England is our facilitator for the sessions focusing on the later stages of life; growing gracefully with age and wisdom. On Wednesday we continued our sessions on life-long learning focusing on Jung's psychology. During the second session we focused on the importance of prayer especially contemplation - long, loving, look at what is. I am reminded of the classical definition of prayer: lifting up of our minds and hearts to God. Here at Manziana we have time for meditation besides our morning and evening prayer along with Eucharist everyday. This place is very conducive for prayer; nice garden and apple grove with lots of trees and plants around the property.

Manziana

2006-10-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Manziana on Sunday afternoon after an hour's drive from Rome with the Marists and Marianists brothers; there are 16 Marists and 5 Marianists men here for the spiritual renewal program. After unpacking our bags we had a social before a light dinner that evening. It was great meeting the brothers from all over the world. Sharing our charism and histories of our congregations is so enriching and gives me a breath and depth of our ministries in the Society of Mary. We began this week with orientation - getting acquainted with the residence and having a tour of the city; places like post office, bank, stores, bus and train stations. This morning we began sharing our personal histories of our vocations and ministries. The staff includes Bros. Des Howard from Australia and Bro. George from Chicago and Fr. Rob from Australia. The staff began the rounds of personal history this morning. I will be sharing my personal journey with two other Marist brothers this evening before evening prayer and dinner. It is an enriching experience for me to be here and witness the lives of these brothers. Photo of Manziana taken from the roof top of the residence. The weather is getting colder in the mornings and early evenings; rained for the first time on Thursday and today at noon; hopefully the weather will be fine tomorrow when we will take a bus tour of Lake Bracciano and towns near Manziana. Sunday will be a free day and the five of us may take the train to another town about an hour's train ride from Manziana.

Leaving Rome

2006-10-15T02:58:00.000-07:00

This afternoon after the main meal we are leaving for Manziana to begin our renewal program joining fifteen Marists at their International Spirituality Center; there are five Marianists who will be participating in this English program. The Third Age program (ages 65-80) also are in French and Spanish languages. Bros. Jose DeGorio and Bob Maruyama comes from Honolulu,Hawaii; Bro. Charlie Wanda hails from Dayton,Ohio and Bro. Richard Schrader is from the state of Texas living in San Antonio. It has been great to have this week exploring the historical and religious sites of Rome together. Yesterday, the GA and Seminary communities celebrated two birthdays at the main meal at 1:00 p.m. They really know how to celebrate here in Rome with lots of pasta, salad, meat, wine, brandy, coffee and conversations. Every Sunday both communities gather together for the main meal. Eucharist is held at the GA chapel for the members of the community and for the local parishoners; also the seminarians go out to the local parishes too. The seminarians are responsible for the Sunday meal and light dinner. The fellowship and hospitality of our Marianist brothers is very good to experience here in Rome.

Walking tour of Rome

2006-10-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to see Rome is to take a walking tour of the city. Our General Administration of the Society of Mary (Marianists) is located at Via Latini 22. The Curia Generalizia is located just outside the Porta Latina (Latin Gate) of the ancient Roman wall, on historic Via Latina. Via Latina runs very close to the ancient road Via Appia Antica. It is very easy to visit most of the religious and historical sites of Rome by using public transportation; just one euro for metro or bus. By walking through the Roman wall I can visit the Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus on my way to the Roman Forum and Colosseum. Another way to see the city is to walk to San Giovanni and take the metro to other historical or religious sites. Yesterday I took the metro to Piazza di Sgagna- Spanish steps which is very close to the shopping areas of Rome. From there I walked to the Trevi fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. Visited Chieso Nuova where St. Phillip Neri is buried and another beautiful Church, St. Andrew where the Order of Clerics Regular Theatine, founded by St. Cajetan of Thien, have their residence. Also visited Gesu Church where St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, is buried. I took the bus from Piazza Venezia to San Giovanni, then walked to the General Administration in twenty minutes passing shops, bars, and restaurants.

Shrine of our Lady of Divine Love

2006-10-12T00:22:00.000-07:00

Most of the churches and basilicas here in Rome are historical sites being built many years ago. I found a "modern church" - Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love just outside the city of Rome. The history of the Shrine dates back to the XIII century. In the Roman countryside where the present shrine is situated, there was a fortress belonging to the Savelli-Orsini family, and was called "Castel di Leva". On one of the towers of the castle there was an image of the Virgin Mary, portrayed as sitting on the Throne and holding Jesus in her arms. A dove descends upon her as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, which is indeed the Divine Love. The image frescoed was venerated by the local shepherds from the beginning. In the spring of 1740 a wayfarer on his way to Rome, while approaching the tower, was attached by a herd of dogs and was on the point of being slaughtered. He saw the image of Mary and cried out to her for help. Immediately the dogs calmed down and left the area. On account of this event, on Sept 5th of the same year the image of Mary was cut and removed from the tower and transferred to a nearby estate called "La Falconiana", where there was a small church dedicated to St. Maria ad Magos". Five years later on April 19, 1745 the image was brought back to its original place where meanwhile a church has been erected and was consecrated later in 1750 by Cardinal Carlo Rezzonico, who later became Pope Clement XIII. From that time onwards pilgrimages began and gradually the number of pilgrims became numerous, and pilgrimages are continuing still today. On March 25, 1942 Don Umberto founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of Divine Love, and twenty years later the Oblate Priests, who since then have the care of the Shrine. The new Shrine was solemnly blessed by Pope John Paul II on July 4, 1999. The New Shrine has green ground as roof, great colorful stained glasses which fill the entire space of the church with light.

Vatican City

2006-10-11T02:39:00.000-07:00

Jose DeGorio, Bob Maruyama, Richard Schrader and I went to Vatican City to visit the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. We left early in the morning at 7:20am to stand in line before the crowds got there. Although I have been there with Bro. Tony Young six years ago, it was truly inspiring for me being at the Sistine Chapel. There were hugh crowds of tourists at the museum from all over the world. After visiting the Sistine Chapel we walked to St. Peter's Basilica. Seeing the Pieta was another religious experience even with the enormous number of people crowding the area. We left the Vatican grounds and took the Metro to San Giovanni Basilica to have lunch at Pastalito which is located in front of the Basilica. The pasta here in Rome still lives up to its reputation. There were plentiful food along with beer and wine; no wonder the locals here take a siesta or walks after the main meal. After lunch we walked to Santa Marie Maggiore. Bernini is buried near the main altar of the basilica. We then proceeded to walk to Termini to visit another Church, Santa Marie. After a long day of ten hours of walking we finally took the bus back to Via Latina's residence.

Last Week in Rome

2006-10-09T05:11:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday, October 9, 2006. Traditionally in the United States it is Discovery Day known to many Americans as Columbus Day. Here in Rome our Marianist seminarians begin their classes in their respective seminaries. They take the metro and buses to the seminary and come home in the evening for Vespers and a light supper. This is my last week in Rome before I head out to Manziana to begin my Sabbatical. So I have this week to further explore the sights and sounds of Rome. Today I visited the baths of Caracalla which is just 20 minutes from the General Administration residence. I pass through the Aurelian Walls of the city; there is a long stretch of the brick-faced Aurelian Walls which are preserved along Viale Giotto and Via dei Guerrieri. Built in the 270's(and completed in 5 years) to defend against the bararian invasion of Rome. The walls are 26 ft tall and 13 ft thick. Despite the builder's best plans the fortification yielded to the invasion of the Alaric the Goth in 410 A.D. The ruins of the Baths of Caracalla date back to the 3rd century bathing complex; something like a country club for the ancient Romans. The main bathing block, where Romans took the waters of the caldarium (hot baths) tepidarium, and frigidarium, has great black and white mosaics and brick niches where marble statues used to stand.

Marianist Seminarians

2006-10-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

This evening at our Eucharist three Marianist brothers were officially initiated into the Seminary. They received a candle from the Rector of the Seminary, Fr. Lorenzo Amigo, and his assistant rector, Bro. Timothy Phillips after the homily during the Eucharist. Bros. Sudhir Kujur from India, Stephen Wanyoike from Kenya and Mario Clevera from Spain were welcomed to the Seminary community. After a festive dinner the seminarians gathered in the palor to continue the celebration with slides showing the three seminarians and their former ministries along with their family/relatives. Song and dance followed the presentation along with a social. Laughter and fun games united the seminarians in fellowship and brotherhood. The Seminarians will begin their classes at four different seminaries here in Rome; Angelicum seminary teaches classes in English while the Gregorium teaches classes in Italian and Latin.

Walking tour of Rome

2006-10-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

This morning after breakfast I took a walking tour of Rome with Patrick McDaid, Marianist seminarian beginning his second year here the Angelicum. Patrick loves to walk and it was good seeing the city and walking to the various sites of the city. We passed through the Aurelian Walls of the city up toward Circus Maximus passing the Baths of Caracalla, and heading toward the Capitoline Hill and Roman Forum. The Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill) is one of the most sacred of Rome's hills where Michalanagelo designed the star-patterned square and surrounding buildings of the Capitoline Musuem. The bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius in the center of the plazza is a copy of the 2nd century A.D. origial which is inside the museum. It was fascinating viewing the Roman Forum below the Capitoline Hill while a protest march was going on down the street; a strike was called this morning from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. I suspect that the folks were on strike to participate in the protest march. There were many tourists from all over the world walking through the Roman Forum. The Forum during the Roman times was the nerve center of the most powerful Western civilization in history for a least a thousand years; political decisions were made, public speeches were heard and market activities took place there. The remains here in the Forum dates back to 2,000 years including old temples, law courts, and victory monuments. We walked back to the Marianist Residence passing through the Roman Forum, viewing the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. One of the highlights and surprises for me walking back to the Marianist residence was visiting the Chiesa Di Santa Maria in Domnica, the church for Cardinal Laveda. When Bishop Laveda was installed as Cardinal by Pope Benedict he is given a specific title and Church to designate his office. Santa Maria is a very modest Church compared to the other impressive Churches in Rome.

Villa d'Este - Tivoli

2006-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today I visited the Villa d'Este in Tivoli about 18 miles from Rome. This trip to Tivoli was a pleasant drive through the countryside of Italy. Tivoli is situated on a hill overlooking the city of Rome; I could see the dome of St. Peter's Basilica from Tivoli. The Villa is known for it's beautiful fountains and commisssioned in 1550 by Renaissance noble and Cardinal Ippolito d'Este. There are lush, steeply sloping gardens, grottoes, reflecting pools and even a musical fountain. It was a delightful and refreshing experience to walk along the gardens and see all the different fountains and reflecting pools with whimsical grottoes and statues.

Catacombs and Castelgandolfo

2006-10-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Today I went to visit Callisto Catacombs on Via Appia Antica near the Marianist residence; first time seeing the catacombs and discovering that ancient Roman law forbade burials, regardless of religion, inside the city walls. There are at least 60 catacombs that have been discovered on the roads leading out of Rome. The most famous are San Callisto and San Sebastiano on the Appian Way. There are over 500,000 burial sites in these catacombs; many martyrs during the persecutions of Christians and children too. I was impressed by the enormity of these catacombs and the four levels of depth sometimes over 40 feet below ground. Several popes have been buried in these catacombs in the early Church. Because of the barbarians invading Rome and sacking the tombs for wealth, the Church excavated these tombs and moved many of the bones to different places and churches. Christian-themed inscriptions and frescoes are everywhere in the catacombs. Later we went to Castelgandolfo to visit the Pope's summer home. Pope Benedict is residing there now for the past two months and will be moving back to Rome at the end of the week. I did not get a chance to see the Pope; he usually comes out on his balcony facing the Pope's Plaza at Castelgandolfo everyday at 1:00 p.m. I did watch the changing of the Swiss guards at 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm in a short ceremonial ritual. The weather is much cooler at Castelgandolfo than in the city of Rome. After seeing Lake Albano and walking around the plaza we had coffee and cafe laitte before leaving for Rome.

Rome

2006-10-03T01:25:00.000-07:00

Blessings and greetings from Rome; arrived here on Sunday evening, October lst, from Dublin. I had a wonderful visit in Ireland and look forward to my visit to Rome and Italy. Weather is warmer than Ireland and the sights and sounds of Rome is exciting for me being back to Rome since the year 2000 when I was here for the beatification of Fr. William Chaminade, our founder of the Society of Mary. Staying at our Marianist General Administration on Via Latina outside the walls of Rome. Our Marianist Seminary is also here at this residence. Right now we have 15 seminarians from around the world. Italian is spoken here and at our morning and evening prayers along with Eucharist. Photos taken from the 4th floor of the residence overlooking the city of Rome; you can see the Vatican and the Dome of St. Peter's and the ancient walls of Rome too. I begin the sabbatical program on October 15th at Manziana, the International Spirituality Center for the Marist brothers, along with four other Marianists and fifteen Marists. I have time to visit the city and to experience Rome before the program begins.

Farewell to Ireland

2006-09-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Blessings and greetings from Ireland. Leaving tomorrow morning for Rome to continue my journey and Sabbatical. It has been a wonderful experience being here in Dublin and visiting the many sights of Ireland. This week I had an opportunity to visit Trinity College and to see the Book of Kells - Gospels illustrated by the monks in the 6th century. Visited Christ's Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral - Catholic churches before Henry VIII took over Ireland and became the Church of Ireland (Anglican). Vespers service were inspiring with "high church music". Yesterday visited Kilmainham Jail where many prisoners were held; some of them going on a 12,000 miles journey to Austalia. During the Easter uprising of the Irish people in 1916 against the British army, 14 of the leaders were captured and imprisoned at Kilmainham and executed by the British. These events united the Irish to gain their independence in 1922. Another fascinating historical site was New Grange; burial grounds of the farmers in 3200 BC; before Stonehenge and the building of the Pyraminds of Egypt.

Ryder Cup

2006-09-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

This Sunday morning Sept 24th I took the train and bus to the Ryder Cup at 6:45am. Got there early to walk around the K Club near Dublin. The golf course was designed by Arnold Palmer and looked similar to many courses in the United States. The excitement of the Europeans along with the Irish people was amazing. The folks out here loved their golf heroes. They loved to cheer their players, but also very considerate and well-mannered regarding the Americans. It is unfortunate that our players from the States did not play as well. The Europeans were flawless and played outstanding golf. Tiger Woods did well today in the single matches along with Stewart Cink, but the others struggle to keep up. Final score with Europeans 18 and half and United States 9 and half. I brought a sign today and held it up during the matches and got some cheers before the matches began when I was in the stands at the first tee. It rained in the morning and I was wet, but it warmed up in the afternoon and the weather was great afterwards. I was so grateful to be here at the Ryder Cup and to experience the thrills of victory and defeat.

London

2006-09-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

At the present time I'm not able to post pictures of my tour of Ireland last week; some technical problems. Anyway, here's some pictures of London and descriptions of my trip to London. Just came back this afternoon from London visiting friends from Santa Cruz who have spent two weeks there. It was my first visit there since 1974 when I was there as an advisor for our student tour of Europe. I enjoyed this visit and it brought back many great memories of London. Enjoyed visiting Westminister Abbey and the National Gallery; great masterpieces of artists from 1250-1500 - many religious themes. Also enjoyed the gallery of paintings from Monet to Picasso - Impressionist school. Also enjoyed the theatre and two musicals; Billy Elliot and Avenue Q. London is a bustling city and filled with history. After three hours in the British Musuem my brain was saturated; time out for latte in the afternoon. Enjoyed the boat tour of the Thames River seeing the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge which is easy to be confused; most Americans thought that we bought the Tower Bridge which is located in Arizona; in reality it was the London Bridge, quite ordinary in structure and not as elaborate as the Tower Bridge. I have another week to visit Dublin before going to Rome to begin my Sabbatical. Will keep you posted about my adventures here in Dublin.

Tour of Ireland

2006-09-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a great week visiting Ireland these past few days. We began the tour on Sunday in the city of Dublin visiting Dublin Castle, O'Connell Street ( looks like Market Stree in San Francisco), with all the shops, restaurants, pubs, and loads of buses and street cars. We visited Phoenix Park and Guinness - a top attraction here in the city. On Monday, we went South to the Wicklow Mountains; one of my favorite place was Glendalough, a sixth century monastery that St. Kevin founded in the valley of the Wicklow mountains. To prepare myself for this trip I began reading a book by Edward Rutherford called The Princes of Dublin - tracing the early history of Dublin and it's vicinities. Glendalough metioned in the novel which added an excitement for me having read and seen the place. Another exciting place was a visit to Waterford cyrstal factory; famous for its unique crystals. One of the crystals is given to the winner of the golf British Open. The Ryder Cup which is held this year in Dublin next Sunday on September 24 will bestow the winning Crystal trophy either to the United States team or the European team; Go USA all the way this year. Another aside - watch for a guy with a golf cap with a sign - USA HAWAII on Sunday during the Ryder Cup. You may recognize him. Another fascinating place for me was Blarney Castle where tourists and locals kiss the Blarney Stone located at the top of the castle. Yes, I did manage to climb to the top of the castle and kiss the Blarney stone - locals say that if you kiss the stone you will be endowed with the gift of eloquence - "time will tell". Another interesting place was the Cliffs of Moher, rising 700 feet above the ocean. This place attracts one million visitors each year. Dinner at a Castle was a highlight too with Medieval songs and poems.
Galway bay was another fascinating area to visit- remember the song? The Rings of Kerry was an interesting place too; mountainous and ruggged terrain along with steep slopes and beautiful vistas. Coming back to Dublin on Friday we passed fertile lands with lots of sheep and cattle too. That evening we were treated with dinner at a Cabaret restaurant with song and dance. So far I have enjoyed the sights and sounds of Ireland. An added bonus was the beautiful weather that we all experienced during our trip during this time of the year.

Tour of Dublin

2006-09-09T14:37:00.001-07:00

I have been here for three days already and have seen so many sights of the city and the surrounding country side. We were blessed in having great weather with sunny skies,and warm temperatures for this time of the year. Our Marianist community here at Ballybrack is just 25 minutes from downtown Dublin. Yesterday I took the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) similar to BART in the Bay area of San Francisco to downtown Dublin. Took the city tour of Dublin and enjoyed the many sights and sounds of the city. The brother's residence is just 10 minutes walk to the Sea of Ireland too. Spent an hour along the shore enjoying the great weather and beauty of Ireland. Tomorrow I'm going on a tour of Ireland for a week; looking forward to this trip.

Ireland

2006-09-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Blessings and greetings from Dublin. Arrived here this evening from San Francisco via London. It was a great trip, except for all the security checks at San Francisco, and especially at London. I was getting excited about leaving SF as the plane taxied on the runway only to cruise back to the terminal. We found out that there were two luggages that were on board without the passengers. After an hour and half and solving the problem we were off to London. The plane trip was nine and half hours with two meals and lots of movies on board. I was tired and excited to land in London; security and off to Dublin. We took the bus to the Marianist residence at Ballybrack which is half hour from downtown Dublin. It was a thrill seeing downtown with Trinity College, National Museum of Ireland, etc while riding on the bus. Took several pictures on the bus; notice the picture advertising the Ryder Cup, golf event in two weeks here in Ireland. Let's cheer on the Americans.

Farewell to Newman Center

2006-09-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

Aloha and Mabuhay to all my friends, students, graduates, staff and advisors of the Newman Community. I will be leaving the Newman Center in Santa Cruz after ten wonderful years on Wednesday, September 6, 2006. It has a been a blessing and a gift to be able to minister here at the Newman Center. I want to thank you all for the opportunity to serve you in this ministry and for your loving support and prayers during these past years. Know that all of you are in my prayers and I carry you in my heart as I journey to Rome via Dublin and London. I will get an opportunity to travel, rest and participate in a renewal program in Manziana outside the city of Rome in October through December. Will be spending Christmas with our Marianist brothers at our Generalate in Rome. Take care and God bless. Stay in touch.

Farewell to California

2006-09-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday, the lst of September. Officially, my ten year term as Director ended on August 31, 2006. It has been a wonderful time here at the Newman Center having spent ten years as Director of the Newman Ministry. We had a BBQ gathering on Sunday with several of the staff members along with graduates of the UC Santa Cruz who have been active throughout these years and friends of the Newman Community. It was great to reminisce about our time together and to support our new Director of Newman Community. Bro. David Betz begins his first term as Director today. I went to the Camadolese Monastery at Big Sur last Tuesday for a couple of days for retreat and relaxation. It was great to be able to pray, reflect, and be thankful to God for having the opportunity to serve the students here at the Newman Center and to minister to the people here in the Monterey Bay area. I will miss the students and parishoners here in Santa Cruz so much. Now it is time to move on as I begin my year of Sabbatical. I leave on Wednesday, September 6th for Rome via Ireland and London. I'm so grateful and excited about this coming year and will keep all of you in prayer as I travel and experience the wonders and beauty of my Sabbatical.

Farewell to Hawaii

2006-08-28T10:03:00.001-07:00

I left Hawaii last Tuesday morning on August 22nd; it has been a been a fantastic
time participating in the family reunion and enjoying all the stories and adventures of the family. One of the highlight of my trip was a visit to the Island of Kauai. Of course there were many family gatherings with lots of stories and food. I must have eaten my way to Hawaii enjoying the Filipino, Hawaiian, Chinese and Korean foods.We had a great five day Bunda reunion filled with lots of music, dance, stories, and conversation. Enjoyed Mom's home cooking and family delicacies too.
My broken collar bone is healing slowly and it feels great to be able to swim again. Took advantage of the great weather to go to the beach for rest and relaxation. Visited the Marianist brothers in Honolulu for three days. While I was there I was able to assist my niece Missy around Chaminade campus along with Krista from Corralitos near Santa Cruz. Great to see her Mom Laureen along with her other daughter Julia. Showed them around the Island including the Pali lookout. Later that weekend I went to Kapolei for a one year old birthday party for my grandchild's son Deric. Afterwards, visited my Aunt Baling for a house blessing. So I came home filled with lots of great memories and stories of Hawaii and our families.

Mom's surgery lst anniversary

2006-08-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, August 16, Mom celebrated one year anniversary of her valve replacement surgery. She is really grateful and thankful for recovering after her surgery last August. We gathered as a family to celebrate her special day of healing and recovery at a Chinese restaurant in Kapolei. Eileen and Brandon from Seattle were there along with their son Sean and his son Brenden. Terry and Timmy were there too along with their son Jon Michael and his wife, Jaycee and two sons, Jorden and Jakie and daughter Missy and her twin daughters, Asia and Kiana. Patrick was able to make it too, but Michael was not able to make it for the dinner due to his sickness over the weekend. Mom's sister Mingay and her family were there too. We thank the Lord for Mom's good health and were grateful that all of us were able to support her during her recovery.

Bunda reunion - Aug '06

2006-08-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the gathering at Waimea Canyon with family members; there were over 220 members of our four families; Bunda, Izon, Crisostomo and Suarez. Lot of entertainment and food too. "Our younger generation" was in charge of the program including lots of Hawaiian song and dance, opera singer, uke players, hiphop dances; my sibblings and I sang a Filipino song - Ikau praising God and our love for God and for one another. After five hours of festivities we completed the 2nd phase of our family reunion.

On Sunday we had a Mass at the beach followed by picnic with games and swim at the beach. Great time for bonding with many of our family members. In the evening many of the family celebrated dinner at the condos, hotel or at home. Our family gathered at Mom and had a BBQ for dinner.

Monday was the annual golf tournament; I wasn't able to play golf and was the "official photographer" with my digital camera and camcorder. It was fun buzzing around the golf course with my cart and encouraging the golfers. After the golf we had lunch. My sibblings and I checked into Turtle Bay Resort for a day and enjoyed swimming at the pool, relaxing followed by dinner.

Checking our today, the 15th of August, on this feast of the Assumption. We are having Mass at Mom, followed by a family meeting and dinner.

Bunda Reunion

2006-08-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

We began our Bunda family reunion on Friday, August 11 at Uncle Ronald's recreation room with family members coming in from across the United States. There were 150 family members coming together to share stories and enjoy Hawaiian and Filipino hospitality.

Visit to the Island of Kauai

2006-08-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

I went to the Island of Kauai to celebrate my cousin's daughter's graduation party over the weekend. Family members came in from Washington DC, Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu, and Phoenix. It was great seeing our family together to celebrate Calah's graduation. We had so many parties and gatherings - look like we ate and drank all weekend. On Sunday we had a great time on the catamaran cruise to the Napali coastline; awesome sights and sounds of the Island. We had a nice treat before lunch; many of us went snorkling off the coast. Went snorkling even with my broken collar bone too. We also toured the "Grand Canyon" of Hawaii - Waimea canyon on Saturday which was a blessing too. Left the Island of Kauai for Oahu on Monday.Most of our family members have left the Island of Kauai for our family reunion which begins on August 11 - Thursday and ends on Monday, August 14th. We are expecting about 250 family members for all these events. Besides our family members coming to Kauai many more are expected today and tomorrow for the Bunda/Izon/Soares/Crisostomo family reunion. "The younger generation" will be taking responsibility for the events during this reunion which is the fifth one since 1986.

Visit to Hawaii

2006-08-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

I'm here in Hawaii visiting my family and planning to attend our Bunda family reunion during the second week of August. I left San Francisco on August 1 and arrived here in Hawaii on Tuesday morning. It feels great to be here recuperating from my bike accident. My right collar bone is getting healed very slowly too. I still feel the pain from my bike accident with swollen right hip and sprained right wrist too. Will be traveling to the Island of Kauai this weekend for my cousin's daughter graduation party with many relatives. Hawaii is having great weather and it is great being home and enjoying Mom's home cooking too. Pictures taken at Mom's place in Waialua.

Recuperating from Bike Accident

2006-07-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

It has been over two weeks since my bicycle accident having broken my right collar bone. Been seeing several doctors regarding my recovery; chiropractor, accupunturist, bone specialist, and my regular doctor. I've taken so many pills these days too. Anyway, I'm taking it easy and going very slowly these days of healing. Thanks to many friends and family members who have been so supportive. My sister Eileen came down from Seattle to be with me; she's a blessing having cooked, washed, cleaned, and driving me to my doctors. It was great to be able to bond with my sister too and show her around Santa Cruz and meeting several friends for dinner. She left on Sunday, July 23 for Seattle. Bro. David is schedule to come home after a month away on Wednesday. Have lots of stories to tell him about my adventures here in Santa Cruz.