Attention Parents: if you would like to have your child baptized in July, please submit your application NOW.  Infant baptism (7 years old and under) will be celebrated on July 25, 2020, Saturday, at 1:30 pm.  Mandatory preparation for parents and godparents will take place on July 13 and 20, 7 pm in the garage.

Please call Julia at 689-8681 Ext. 107 if you have any questions.
 
Roman Catholics
 
Aloha OLPH Family,
     Please read the GUIDELINES FROM BISHOP LARRY SILVA, BISHOP OF HONOLULU FOR THE REOPENING OF CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN HAWAII DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (May 22, 2020)
 
Diocesan guidelines for the reopening of churches and the resumption of public Masses
 
      It's advisable that you read through the Guidelines. Thank you so much for your faithfulness and continued prayers.
 
 
 
 
After months of COVID-19 lock-down, here are the OLPH Re-opening guidelines that will be inforce to allow us to gather in person as a faith community.  Please read the guidelines because they contain valuable information that will allow you to make reservations and secure the tickets for the Mass you and your family would like to attend.  A ticket is required for each person to attend Mass.  Click the link below for the guidelines.
Blank Form
 
Note:  If you have the myParish app, you can access the OLPH Re-opening Guidelines by pressing the "Bulletin" button and the Guidelines are labeled "May 26".
 
If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office (808) 689-8681.
 
 
 
      Would you like to learn/review what the Sacrament of Baptism is about?  We can suggest two videos: “Baptism, One Ohana” from our diocese and “Why We Baptize” from Busted Halo series on Sacraments 101.
      To access Baptism, One Ohana, please go to the diocesan website: catholichawaii.org, click on diocesan offices, scroll down to Office of Religious Education, then click on “Baptism, One Ohana”.  We use this video to prepare parents and godparents for infant Baptism.
      Here’s the link to “why we baptize infants” from Busted Halo :  http://bustedhalo.com/video/baptism
Or you may Google: Why we baptize infants, busted halo you tube.  It’s narrated by Fr. Dwyer.
 
 
Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life.  "The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life.  The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life.  By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity." (CCC 1212)
 
In Baptism, the first sacrament of initiation, a person is born again into the Living Body of Christ. He or she is given a name as a share in the Divine Life of Jesus Christ himself.
God desires the salvation of every person and he makes this possible through a rebirth in the Holy Spirit and adoption into his family and kingdom. Unlike ordinary symbols these actually accomplish what they signify on the spiritual level.
 
As its name indicates, the sacrament of Confirmation strengthens the individual
and makes them firm in their faith. It brings the person to that perfect age, no matter what their physical age, to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit in order to defend and extend the good news of the Kingdom.
This sacrament enriches the life given in Baptism and contributes to the strengthening of the entire community, the Church in the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit.  Reminiscent of the day of Pentecost when the Spirit descended on the Apostles, the Holy Spirit dwells within and enlightens each individual.
 
The last sacrament of initiation is the Eucharist.  As any life physical or spiritual needs to be nourished in order to grow and thrive, so God nourishes his Body on earth with the Body and Blood of Jesus himself.
Eucharist means "thanksgiving" and recalls the last supper during which Jesus gave thanks to the Father.  In this liturgy the Christian community assembles to offer praise and worship to God the Father by offering back to him the greatest gift we possess, the Body and Blood of Jesus and in doing we offer ourselves as well.
The Church is called together in unity and worship, nourished and then sent out to bring the message of good news to family, friends and the world.
 
 
 

Scrutiny 2 (John 9:1-41)
(Sunday July 5th, 5:00 pm Mass)

In the story of the man born blind, the man healed of his blindness gradually grows to see as Christ sees.  He regains his sight right at the start of the story.  But only because of the interrogation he receives from his neighbors and the Pharisees and his struggle to respond to them faithfully, does he little by little begin to see the identity of  who it was who healed him.  By the end of the story, the one who healed him was no longer to him just “the man called Jesus” (John 9:11) or simply “a prophet” (John 9:17) or “from God” (John 9:33).  He was “Lord” (John 9:38) in whom he believed. For the Elect and others in the RCIA, this progression may be familiar.  At the start of your catechumenate, RCIA participants’ eyes are signed “that [they] may see the glory of God” (Rite of Acceptance, RCIA 56).  Through the catechesis you received over the months and your experience with the community of believers you grow in understanding of what you see—who the man Jesus was, the prophetic words he spoke, his unique relationship with the Father, and finally his true identity as Lord.  He came to touch you personally.

Scrutiny 3 (John 11:1-45)
(Sunday July 12, 11:00 am Mass)

In the story of the raising of Lazarus, we come to the final days before the Elect must stand before the font and profess their faith.  In this reading, the miracle happens at the end of the story, but faith is already expressed long before the miracle takes place.  Martha makes her profession of faith in Jesus the Messiah even as her brother is lying dead in the tomb.  She needed no words and no miraculous deeds to believe in him; she only needed to believe.   Period.
In this final story, we see what those who have been entrusted to continue Jesus’ work have hopefully been doing in order to prepare the Elect to make their profession of faith.  They have been preparing them, like Jesus prepared Martha and Mary, to understand the paschal mystery they would witness in the resurrection—that out of death comes new life in Christ.  Only after Lazarus is revived and Jesus is raised from the dead will Martha truly understand the words of faith she professed.  It is her belief in and love for Jesus that allow her to be ready for whatever he will do despite her human logic that death is death, for “Martha believes not in what she understands but in the one who has the words of eternal life”  (Sandra Schneiders, Written That You May Believe, Crossroad Publishing Company, p. 158).
 
Profound bow: A profound bow is made to the altar whenever one passes in front of it during Mass and during the Creed at the words that refer directly to the Incarnation: “By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.”
Bow of the head: A bow of the head is made during Mass at the name of Jesus, of the three Divine Persons mentioned together, of Mary, and of the saint in whose honor the Mass is celebrated.
 

 
 
The COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted our lives in many ways.  There are the economic, social, political and religious aspects for starter.  Another aspect of our lives that has been thrown off the grid is religious education.  Several church documents teach that parents are the primary catechists of the children.  Here is what the General Directory for Catechesis states:

“Parents are the primary educators in the faith.  Together with them, especially in certain cultures, all members of the family play an active part in the education of the younger members.   It is thus necessary to determine more concretely the sense in which the Christian family community is the locus of catechesis.  The family is defined as a ‘domestic church’ that is, in every Christian family the different aspects and functions of the life of the entire Church may be reflected: mission, catech-esis; witness, prayer, etc. Indeed in the same way as the Church, the family ‘is a place in which the Gospel is transmitted and from which it extends.’  The family as a locus of catechesis has an unique privilege: transmitting the Gospel by rooting it in the context of profound human values.  On this human base, Christian initiation is more profound: the awakening of the moral conscience; formation in the Christian sense of human love understood as a reflection of the love of God the Father, the Creator.  It is indeed, a Christian education more witnessed to than taught, more occasional than systematic, more ongoing and daily than structured into periods. In this family catechesis, the role of grandparents is of growing im-portance.  Their wisdom and sense of the religious is often times decisive in creating a true Christian climate.” (General Directory of Catechesis, Par. 255. January 1998, United States Catholic Conference.)

What does the above paragraph mean?  Simply put: parents are the first teachers of the children in any thing such as what’s good and bad, how to say ‘thank you’, how to respect others, share toys or food with others, etc.  Parents are also the first teachers of the faith probably not as structured as what catechists or religion teachers do but more of being a wit-ness to the faith.  Being a witness means living the Catholic faith --- going to Mass, praying, contributing to the church in particular and to society in general, observing Catholic teachings and doctrines, practicing forgiveness, sharing Time, Talent, and Treasure, etc.  Paragraph 255 also says that parent’s role does not run on a school or CCD calendar but it does on a year-round basis, 24/7, 365 or 366 days a year, not September to May.  This means parents should bring the children to Mass during summer time.

Speaking of Mass, have you started coming to Mass on weekends or weekdays since we re-opened on May 30?  If so, have you noticed the tabernacle below the San Damiano Crucifix?  If so, do you genuflect when you enter the church or before you take your seat?  Parents: please show your children how to genuflect.  Not sure how to genuflect?  Come early to watch it on the screen.  There is a slide in our power point presentation showing how to genuflect.
 
 
 
Alleluia!  Finally, we will be able to celebrate our initiation sacraments with our Elect and Candidates.  Thanks be to God.  We will start with our RCIA group. In accordance with diocesan guidelines, we have to celebrate their sacraments within two months after re-opening of the church.  Here is our schedule for RCIA:
           Celebration of the Sacraments at OLPH: July 19, Saturday, 5:00 pm Mass
For Full initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion):
      Jayde Hunter Ricafrente Abdon
      Zander Elliott Gaynor
      Sarah Christine Goodwin
      Justin Taylor Dumlao Ocampo
      Makana Acosta Raras Tangonan
For Reception into Full Communion of the Catholic Church: ( Reception, Confirmation, First Communion)
      Donald Joseph Goodwin
      Gene Caleb Rongcal
      Aisha Christy Reginaldo
      Jewel Ioane Tuiteleleapaga
For Completion of Initiation Sacraments: (Confirmation and First Communion)
     Jeleigh Ocampo
     Michael W.K. Leonardo Pila
     Eliseo Raras Tangonan, Jr.
     Micah Tangonan
     Taumiloga Francis Tuiteleleapaga

As of now, seating will still be limited so we beg our parishioners for their kind understanding and patience. In addition, extended families and friends of the Elect and Candidates may not be accommodated at the celebration.
 
 
“Loving God, we give you thanks for the beauty of summer.  Let us join with other creatures in emerging from winter darkness into the full light of the season.  May love emerge in us as well, giving rise to praise for you and for the gifts of your creation.  Help us to weather the storms that hit without warning and do damage to heart and soul.  Turn our faces towards the sun and let joy be the mantle we carry throughout this blessed time. In your holy name, we pray.”
(from “Family Faith Summer Kit”
www.SadlierReligion.com)
Parents: are you looking for faith activities during the summer time?  Please go to the website of Sadlier Religion and look for “Family Faith Summer Kit”.  If you would like to print it but do not have a printer, call/email Julia and she will send it to you by mail.
 
 
Today is Pentecost Sunday. Here are the readings for today: Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2 Verses 1 to 11; 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 Verses 3 to 7 and 12 to 13; Gospel of John Chapter 20, Verses 19 to 23.  Please read to or with your children.  For activities on the readings, please visit: catholicmom.com.  Another fun activity you may do with your children is the song on the fruits of the spirit.  Please see the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e47FnjKaT3Q
Also, if you have not heard it, our parish re-opens for Mass today.  Bishop Larry issued a dispensation for all Catholics from coming to Mass on Sundays for the month of June or until further notice.  Dispensation means we do not have an obligation to come to Mass.  Although dispensation was issued, we know that most of us, if not all, cannot wait for the church to re-open.  There is a hunger in all of us to receive the Eucharist; however, seating at Mass is limited because we still have to observe social distancing.  Please read the “Guidelines for the Re-Opening at OLPH” on the parish website (olphewabeach.org) or on My Parish App (Bulletin "May 26") or parish Facebook Page (OLPH Parish Ewa Beach).
Tickets for seating at Mass will be distributed through “My Parish App”.  Please find “Mass sign up” or “Mass Reservations”.  Click on a date and time.  Print your ticket which you need to show to the usher when you arrive at the front door. If you do not have a printer, just bring your cell phone to show your reservations to the usher.
If you have not registered with “My Parish App”, please do so asap.  After you register, please join the group: Religious Education - Families and Students.  If you have someone in our Edge Middle School Ministry (Grades 6 to 8), please also join Edge – Middle School Members Grades 6 to 8. Please register yourself and your son/daughter.
If your son or daughter who is scheduled to receive Confirmation and First Holy Communion does not have a Confirmation sponsor, now is the time to look for one.  Let me know if you need the Confirmation sponsor form.  If you have not turned in the baptismal certificate, please do so now either by mailing it or e-mailing a copy as an attachment.