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Republican Senator Marco Rubio was all over this weekend’s media platforms, talking about immigration. The need for reform is urgent, he said. The political calculus and the polls are irrelevant, he said. Good. Then let us look to the week to come with optimism that Republicans will work with Democrats to get something worthwhile done about immigration reform. Not about some abstract notion, but about the people and families who are here, looking for a better life—and contributing to the economy.
Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, second from left with Bro. Dennis Schmitz. S.M. of Special Ministries at Chaminade University. On the right are Dr. Regina Pfeiffer (with hat), Theology Department, Chaminade University and Mallory Green, Campus Ministry, St. Louis School. Pix by Kapono Ryan.
People. That was what Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas made central to his lecture last Sunday, at the Mystical Rose Oratory at Chaminade University in Honolulu. Giving the first of the university’s Mackey Lectures for the year, Bishop Kicanas spoke from first-hand experience about lessons learned from his diocese of Tucson which runs along the Arizona-Mexico border. He has testified before Congress on “the human consequences of our broken immigration system.”
It’s a human problem
Every story he told put a human face on an issue that has become the stuff of bitter political fights. It is an issue in which voices have grown more shrill, calling for “self-deportation” or as one person commenting on a news site suggested, “a nation-wide order to expel all illegal aliens from the United States.” There have been calls for electrified fences, stronger border patrols and enforcement. For “papers please” legislation.
He pointed out that we tend to speak of immigrants primarily in terms of laws that have been broken, not as people we might recognize as our neighbors. Yet the more than 200 million people on the move worldwide, fleeing war, oppression or hardship of one kind or another are doing what people have always done: looking to build lives that are better than the ones they were forced to leave behind. “They have dreams, just like us, and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity,” he said.
Faith-based Groups Converging on the Issue
The good news, according to Bishop Kicanas, is that on the issue of immigration reform, faith-based groups seem to be finding common ground. They are advocating for comprehensive legislation that recognizes that we are dealing with real people and real families; not nameless, faceless “illegals.” But he also challenged his audience to become more personally engaged in working on the issue.
Acting on Faith
He asked: “What injustice most moves you to translate anger into action?” For change to happen, belief and conviction must translate to action. The inevitability of death should make us realize how pointless the relentless pursuit of personal wealth is. Instead, how much better a return on investment we get when we expend our energies with abandon on the causes that most move us. When we work on closing the gap between those who have more than they can use in ten lifetimes and those who can barely make ends meet in one. Because at the heart of Catholic social teaching lies this belief: “Every human being is created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, and therefore is invaluable and worthy of respect as a member of the human family.” But that’s not what the Doctrine of Discovery says.
Started by political science professor, Tony Castanha, the mock burning of the papal bulls in downtown Honolulu, outside the Cathedral to protest the Doctrine of Discovery has become an annual event on Columbus Day. Native Hawaiian anthropology professor Lynette Cruz and her students are seen participating. Pix by Lynette Cruz.
Will Pope Francis Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery?
Lay Catholics hope that the heightened conversation about immigration reform and the Bishops’ efforts to lend their authority to this very human challenge will also prompt the Catholic Church to repudiate a doctrine that two 15th century Papal Bulls made possible, and is still cited to this day to reject Native American claims.
Yes, we must do all we can to ensure the dignity of every person through humane immigration reform. And the Catholic church should seize this moment to disavow the Doctrine of Discovery that was used for too long to justify the enslavement and exploitation of native peoples. Pope Francis could do what Pope Benedict and his predecessors declined to do. What possible reason could there be for not repudiating this odious legacy from the past? Surely Catholic social teaching demands it?
Go to http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org if you would like to add your voice to the call for immigration reform.
The next Mackey Lecture, “Catholicism in Prophetic Dialogue” by Bishop Remi DeRoo, Bishop Emeritus of Victoria, will be held on September 28, 2013 at 8.30 a.m. in the Mystical Rose Oratory. The lecture series is free and open to all and is intended to honor the memory of Fr. Robert R. Mackey, SM (1921-1995), first president of Chaminade University.
Fra Filippo Lippi – Adoration of the Magi – WGA13216 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“I tell you solemnly: as a young man you fastened your belt and went about as you pleased; but when you are older you will stretch out your hands and another will tie you fast and carry you off against your will.” Jesus to Peter John 21:18
At some point, if we live long enough, or if we fall captive to illness, we will all surely need to stretch out our hands. Who responds and how they respond will help shape how we spend our days. And how we end our days.
Those who respond to outstretched hands bring what they have to bring: words, wisdom, good works. Words that are gifts of love. Or weapons. Healing. Or wounding.
Wisdom is no respecter of rank or age. In this season, having celebrated the birth of Mary’s little boy, we are reminded of the need to surrender to simplicity. To trust that we each bring what we have to bring to the moment. That we each offer what we have to offer with a fullness of heart and an absence of guile.
The Three Kings came bearing gold, frankincense and myrrh.
We come bearing our sense of duty, our devotion–and our suspicions. Of what lies in our own hearts. Of what is in the hearts of others.
In the end we travel light. Unpacked of everything but the essence of our very being. That being can be lit by the inner glow of years lived fully with family and friends, of generous times, love overflowing like a river running through our lives. We can choose to relive the best of all that we have ever been. All that we have touched and tasted and fired up in such a way that it lit up our lives with joy.
Or we can place ash on our tongue, yielding to the end even before it comes, sipping the vinegar of hurts, real and imagined.
Perhaps we think we understand the need to stretch out our hands. For help or to help. But do we fully comprehend the choice we make every day, in every way, in the midst of our good works? The choice of whether to surrender with a smile on our lips and in our hearts or with the sour taste in our mouth of love curdled from being left out too long?
This is my wish for the New Year—for myself and for all those I care about most in the world: That we never forget that life calls variously for gold, frankincense and myrrh. That we are all called to surrender to Love, not hate, not spite, not anger, not jealousy. That we are called to the Light, not to the shadow of darkness.
The poet was not entirely right. With faith, we need not rage as the sun goes down. With faith and love, we can go gently into that good night.
Once upon a time, long long ago, there was no room at the inn. Amidst our good works and the endless labors of our busy days, we too run the risk of shutting the door on Love. Our challenge is to make room in our hearts as Mary did, for the One who is Love itself. And for the gifts that others bring.
With thanks to Fr. George Cerniglia S.M. Rector of Chaminade University, for his wise counsel that we each “bring what we have to bring.”
Perhaps this is what an evening of “contemplative rhythm” feels like.
The evening’s events had nothing to do with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) directly. But its spirit called to mind the words of Franciscan Sr. Pat Farrell, President of LCWR in early August. She was describing how the sisters would deliberate on their response to the Vatican’s harsh, and in the eyes of many, unjust critique of the nuns’ lives of service.
“Your life has been a gift to all/Your memory will walk within.”
First, a Mass of the Resurrection at the Mystical Rose Oratory at Chaminade University to celebrate the life of the late Prof. Henry Halenani Gomes. The eulogy and homily told the story of a man who put his life’s energies into discerning the interconnectedness of his identity as a Native Hawaiian man and as a Catholic educator, dedicated to teaching students that service is what gives enduring meaning to success.
Then on to the Pacific Buddhist Academy’s 7th Annual “Lighting Our Way” Awards dinner where the conversation at table seemed to pick up the threads of thoughts expressed at the Mass to create a “seamless garment of discernment.”
David Randall, Head of Hongwanji Mission School spoke of starting each day with a smile. “How can I not? I start my day over-hearing an elementary school kid tell her Dad, after exchanging a high five with me, that I’m ‘doing a real good job of saying hello in the morning’!” The twenty year veteran of public schools and the Department of Education, who has fought to protect P.E. and music and art from budget cuts, is savoring his new role as head of an independent school.
Pacific Buddhist Academy: Compassion and Interconnectedness
Jo Chang and Susie Roth, Co-Founders of Da Moms. Helping families accept and support their LGBT children
As the program unfolded, it became easier and easier to understand David Randall’s enthusiasm. Dr. Walter Kunitake, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, said he never wondered why he was on the Board. “It’s a joy.” Pointing to one of the evening’s honorees, the Inspirational Organization, Da Moms co-founded by Jo Chang and Susie Roth, he spoke of the Hongwanji’s decision to speak out in favor of LGBT rights and civil unions. “We saw it as something that fit naturally with the Buddhist view of how life should be lived: with compassion and in recognition of our interconnected humanity.” In a moving expression of those values, Pieper Toyama, Pacific Buddhist Academy’s Head of School began his introduction of Da Moms by identifying himself as the grateful father of a gay daughter.
It was hard not to think in that moment of how the tears of so many LGBT children might be wiped away if other parents could do what Pieper did: lovingly embrace the diversity of their children. Apparently that kind of acknowledgment is encouraged and practiced at Pacific Buddhist Academy. That alone makes it an exceptional place of learning.
The profiles of the honorees were written by the students and their independence of expression came through clearly. The first person recognized as an “Inspirational Leader,” John Dean was introduced by student Mark Hayashi, as a “banker who is not dastardly”—high praise indeed in these times! The message of interconnectedness was told through the account of the 900 families whose jobs were saved at Central Pacific Bank under his leadership. Creating “opportunities to do good” also prompted Dean’s founding of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Hawaii to enable successful start-ups to make the turn to philanthropy.
Ninety seven year old Shimeji Kanazawa was recognized as an Inspirational Leader for her fidelity to the Buddhist virtue of “dana” or selfless giving. Her signature Project Dana, started in 1989 has brought companionship and practical help to over 1000 elderly people through the generosity of over 850 volunteers.
The third Inspirational Leader, Dr. Fujio Matsuda, was introduced by his grandson with an endearing “Hi, Grandpa!” from the podium. The man who once helped make noodles for his family’s saimin stand went on to become the state’s Director of Transportation and later President of the University of Hawaii. He joined the U.S. Army after Pearl Harbor and used the G.I. Bill to earn a doctorate in science from M.I.T. Along the way he discovered he was “spiritually ambidextrous,” never abandoning the Christian church of his youth but embracing Buddhist living whole-heartedly. Calling himself a “dual citizen” of faith, he spoke also of the lasting friendships he formed in the Army, despite being the only Asian in his cohort.
“We all value the same things, no matter where we come from,” he said. “Imagine. What kind of world do we get if we stop thinking in terms of “I win/You lose?” And he offered this answer: “Maybe we get a peaceful world.”
Connecting again to the reflective spirit of LCWR, perhaps this evening was a reminder that we all need to pray, as the sisters did at their conference. Whether we invoke the Holy Spirit or the teachings of Buddha, we are all called to “keep our hearts soft and our minds open” if we yearn for a better world.
Mahalo for a combined 170 years of faithful service. Pix by Kapono Ryan.
This poem was written in honor of Fr John Bolin S.M. and his “traveling companions” to mark his 50th year of priesthood in 2005. We dearly miss his presence and his grace in our lives. We feel confident that he would approve this poem being given another airing to pay tribute today to fellow Marianists (from left) Bro. Jerry Bommer, Bro. Tom Spring & Bro. Bob Maruyama.
They travel light, these men on a fabled journey.
They’ve heard of wondrous worlds and they believe.
Seeking treasure, they find ways to honor Mary.
There is no map to speak of. All they carry
Is a faith that illuminates. Leaving their homes
They travel light, these men on a fabled journey.
Their lives, like the decades of the rosary,
Embrace the Mysteries, wherever they lead.
Seeking treasure, they find ways to honor Mary.
Popes and presidents find ways to parry
Challenge with rendition. Not they who look to Mary:
They travel light, these men on a fabled journey.
To her Spiritual Maternity, they pledge stability;
A filial devotion to service, justice, peace.
Seeking treasure, they find ways to honor Mary.
A call so clear, impossible to resist, drew them surely
On. Wasn’t it yesterday that they left it all behind?
They travel light, these men on a fabled journey;
Seeking treasure, they find ways to honor Mary.
Girl Scout, Diana Sellner helps make lei out of plastic bags to present to legislators. She chose to support the Bag Fee bill as community service to earn her Gold Badge.
Radio Station KPUA on the Big Island was the first radio station in the U.S. to drop Rush Limbaugh — and they did it with class and clarity. Now Hawaii legislators can follow this brave effort to lead the nation in getting rid of offensive wind bags by passing the throwaway bag fee bill. In so doing they will make Hawaii the first state in the U.S. to take that important step towards combating the pollution caused by plastic and paper bags entering our waterways. It will also help save marine life and seabirds that either get entangled in the plastic or ingest pieces of the bags as they fall apart, mistaking it for food.
This kind of pollution which then enters our food stream is as toxic as the kind dispensed by Limbaugh. Thankfully, it is a problem that may be easier to address than the climate of the times that allows a Limbaugh to profit from his poison.
A good part of the revenue collected when the bag fee law is passed will go towards watershed protection. And that means more jobs as well.
It isn’t often we get a law that rallies all sectors of the community, the young and the old, businesses and the environmentalists, students and their teachers and a broad spectrum of professionals. Every check-out clerk at Safeway and Long’s whose offer of a plastic bag I decline, explaining why I do so, smiles their support and says: “I can’t wait for the day we stop giving out these bags.”
WRITE TO YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW!
Hogan Entrepreneurs,ecology class students and members of the Civic Engagement Club at Chaminade University joined many others to make plastic bag lei for the lawmakers.
If you care about the future health of these incredible islands and about taking steps to ensure that we have water to sustain life on these islands for generations to come, please write to sens@capitol.hawaii.gov and reps@capitol.hawaii.gov
Tell your legislators to please seize this moment to show the nation that Hawaii is as serious about getting rid of throwaway bags as we are about silencing offensive windbags.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes Psalm 103:10
On Wednesday February 16, 2011 a group of women in baggy blue-grey pants and tunics held a classroom filled wall-to-wall, captive to the stories of their captivity.
The room was packed with budding entrepreneurial students, professors, and friends of the Hogan Program at Chaminade University. Under the guidance of Pat Clough, Teacher of the Prison Writing Project in Kailua, these women used humor and tears, verse and prose, skits and song to tell cautionary tales of the bad choices, often repeated bad choices, that had led them to prison. Not free themselves, they gave freely of lessons learned, of the price paid in irretrievable loss: of loved ones, of family, of time, of self.
But every story of loss was also a story of redemptive promise. Over and over again, these women from the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) in Kailua, Oahu affirmed their commitment to giving back to the community. They do so by recounting their bad choices and touching other people’s lives in ways that might keep others from taking the same wrong turns they had:
I know my mistakes 
I have come to keep and honor them
The only true mistake
Is the one you do not learn from
Karen, WCCC
That evening that left few dry-eyed, came to mind on Sunday morning at the Mystical Rose Oratory as Fr. Timothy Eden read the Gospel in a way that challenged the frame through which we look out on the world.
Gesturing with both arms stretched out as if he were pushing back invisible walls on either side, Fr. Tim reminded the congregation that Christ challenges us to do very hard things. Near impossible things, it seems. To turn the other cheek. To walk the extra mile. To pray for those who persecute us. “For he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5: 39-45) Christ invites us to get beyond the too small confines of how we view the call of faith, even the very commandments. Too small, said Fr. Tim, over and over again, pushing against those walls.
Pushing Back Against a Church Grown Small
As much as Fr. Tim challenged the congregation in that beautiful chapel, lay Catholics everywhere are called to challenge the institutional church. More than ever we need to ask the Church if it has become too small, too narrow, trapped in the suffocating closeness of its bureaucracy and its old, old, old power structure. Too small to admit women to the priesthood. Too small to welcome LGBT Catholics to full participation in all the sacraments and full recognition of their human identity. Too small to be pro-life in ways that transcend the obsession with authority that Bishop Olmsted at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Phoenix recently displayed.
Pope John XXIII provided the kind of leadership that resisted smallness, that encouraged inclusiveness, that threw open the windows of the Vatican so that the fresh wind of real Christ-like compassion and understanding could give its musty interiors a good airing. It’s time for much more of the same.
Hogan Entrepreneur, Nick Ogata and Pat Clough, Teacher, Prison Writing Project
The women from WCCC use their writing and school presentations to get beyond the walls that confine them. In so doing they help realize the vision that Warden Mark Paterson describes as one of transforming “not just the lives of women inmates, but lives in the community as well.” It wasn’t surprising that their message resonated with the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. The Program charges every student with “doing social things that make business sense and business things that make social sense.” Helping the homeless prepare for their job searches is as much a requirement for a Hogan student as listening to successful entrepreneurs tell their stories. Both prepare them to push back on the walls of the classroom and the jobs that await them so that their world is never “too small.”
Daily we encounter opportunities to push back on the walls that might otherwise close in on us. The challenge is recognizing those opportunities in the smallest of spaces, in the midst of the worst kinds of confinement, to “find the sun within myself” (Royce, Federal Detention Center, Honolulu).
The Prison Writing Project is one initiative to help address the problem of the alarming growth of Hawaii’s female prison population. You can help by making a tax-deductible donation or arranging for a presentation of “Prison Monologues.”
Write to Pat Clough at pathclough@gmail.com
It’s the season of Advent and once again his past Sunday we had both the searing prophetic vision of John the Baptist excoriating the “brood of vipers” and the gentler, hope and faith-filled vision of Isaiah looking towards the “miracle of the transformed human heart.” As Fr. Tim Eden at the Mystical Rose Oratory of Chaminade University pointed out in his homily with gentle exasperation, “Will the real Advent please stand up?”
One is driven to ask a similar question as we watch from afar the battle over tax cuts and medical benefits for September 11 rescue workers being waged in D.C. “Will the real patriots, the real civic leaders representing and serving the needs of ordinary people, please stand up?”
How is it that the GOP has no problem holding unemployment benefits hostage in exchange for $120 billion in tax cuts for the wealthy who want for nothing — except more?
How is it that the same senators who had no qualms about $120 billion in tax cuts balk at $7 billion in medical benefits for those who put health and life in grave danger to go to the aid of the victims of 9/11?
Is this what the mid-term election of more conservatives to Congress meant: the opportunity to further line the coffers of the rich while turning our hearts and our heads away from those in need?
How is this Christian? How is it patriotic? How is it American?
In this season of advent, we might recast Fr. Tim Eden’s question and ask: will the real believers in Advent please stand up?
