Bishop Silva cares more about people in other countries than he does about the people outside his own door. He must enter his Diocese office from an underground door to miss the hungry homeless around the Bishop Street Cathedral and Diocesan office. He’s been known to refuse help to local advocates for the poor, homeless people on Oahu. So where does he preach the gospel, to well dressed, well-fed, well-groomed people. Marie once said let them eat cake that must be his motto when with his well deposited checkbook and pocketbook he looks other places than Hawaii. Jesus must be rolling around in agony from his misuse of earthly possessions. Silva has land and resources to assist the homeless but diverts his glaze over there and not over here. Shameful in deed. CMG Mass urges response, cooperation The Roman Catholic service for public officials emphasizes helping those in need By Pat Gee POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 21, 2015 staradvertiser/newspremium/20150121__Mass_urges_response_cooperation.html?id=289266921 Bishop Larry Silva, left, presided Tuesday at the Red Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. “Despite the often extreme mantra of separation of church and state, we need each other to sharpen our vision of how our community can best be served,” he said. Dozens of public officials and lawmakers attended the annual Roman Catholic service, which is celebrated a day before the opening of the Legislature. On the eve of the 2015 legislative session, Hawaii officials were reminded of the plight of millions of people mired in crisis around the world. Its overwhelming to see such desperate need in so many faraway places, said Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of Catholic Relief Services U.S. operations, during her keynote address at the annual Red Mass held Tuesday at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. But everyone can do something. Its up to each of us to discern what the ‘something is that we can do. And we are making a difference, Rosenhauer added. Catholic Relief Services helps at least 100 million people in 100 countries. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulus Red Mass, which serves as a prayer service to seek wisdom and guidance for Hawaiis public servants, is celebrated the day before the opening of the Legislature. Its named for the color of the vestments and church adornments used for a Mass of the Holy. Bishop Larry Silva said, Despite the often extreme mantra of Spirit separation of church and state, we need each other to sharpen our vision of how our community can best be served. Moreover, we need to see that there is a reality beyond our own time. … It is God in his transcendence who gives us a broader yet clearer vision that will keep us more focused on the needs of here and now. Rosenhauer said Catholic Relief Services provides food, clean water, shelter and medical care, among other things, but also promotes reconciliation and peace-building in strife-torn areas, helps traumatized children recover and initiates programs to improve lives and livelihoods for the long term. Just since a little over a year ago, weve seen the typhoon in the Philippines, the war in Syria, ISIS moving through Iraq, the Ebola epidemic, the fighting in Gaza and on and on, she said. People in the U.S. often ask what they can do about such desperate poverty, Rosenhauer said. Those who have the resources should respond with what her organization dubs PLAG, which stands for praying, learning, acting and giving. But, Rosenhauer added, That doesnt mean we all have to do everything, o that we all have to do the same thing. But everyone can do something. She said an incident at a Syrian refugee camp had particular resonance for her. One little girl of about 12 told one of my colleagues that when she and her family first came to the camp, the children all told her to go to the building that said ‘Catholic Relief Services. She said she didnt know what it was, and as a Muslim — most people are Muslims there — she had never heard the word ‘Catholic before. But when she walked in and saw what we were doing for the children, she said, ‘I just assumed the word ‘Catholic meant ‘help. What a blessing it is that we can be known as the people who help, because that is what the Gospel calls us to do, Rosenhauer said. Millions of Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, seeking refuge in neighboring countries or within Syria itself. Were setting up child-friendly places where children can come and work through their trauma, express their feelings and hopefully get back to being children, Rosenhauer said. They come in, drawing pictures with black crayons of stick figures shooting each other or having bombs fall on top of them. We use puppet therapy programs and other means to help them get to the point where theyre drawing colorful, happy scenes like all children should. Diocese spokesman Patrick Downes said about 25 public officials attended the Mass, including state Senate President Donna Mercado Kim; Sens. Suzanne Chun Oakland, Mike Gabbard and Gil Riviere; Speaker of the House Joseph Souki; Vice Speaker John Mizuno; Speaker Emeritus Calvin Say; and Reps. Henry Aquino, Romy Cachola, Ty Cullen, Matthew LoPresti, Derek Kawakami and Gene Ward. Among others in attendance were state Supreme Court Associate Justice Michael Wilson; Honolulu City Councilman Brandon Elefante; Jun Yang, executive director of the Mayors Office of Housing; city Planning and Permitting Department Director George Atta; Honolulu Fire Department Deputy Chief Lionel Camara Jr.; and Maj. Gen. John Dolan, chief of staff, U.S. Pacific Command.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 00:21:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015