Introducing the ʻAwacast! I will be using the Swellcast platform to upload weekly 3 - 5 minute short podcasts to share some Catholic thought, insights into the Hawaiian culture, and thoughts on my other avocations. Take a seat around the kanoa and let's inu a few apu while we share mo'olelo and engage in enriching conversations.
NativeCatholic
Papicolent catechesis, musings, avocations, and culture from the Hawaiian Islands
Ka Manuale Kakolilka - 1896 Hawaiian Roman Missal
Over the next few weeks, I plan to share some of these specific prayers for anyone interested in learning more. I will start with "Pule Ala" (Prayer upon waking) and "Pule Hiamoe" (Prayer before sleeping), I hope these translations will provide insight into the rich cultural and spiritual Catholic heritage of Hawaii's people.
ACCE 2023 - The Holy Eucharist "Behold, I make all things new" (Resources from presentation)
Advent Traditions! The Ember Days, the O Antiphons, St Nicholas, St Lucy, & St Barbara
As we enter this beautiful liturgical season I wanted to share some videos I have made throughout the years about wonderful Advent traditions that have been much forgotten
A concise explanation of the ʻEmber Daysʻ Can be found in Theinʻs Ecclesiastical Dictionary:
Lā Kū‘oko‘a (Hawaiian Independence Day)
Hau'oli Lā Kū‘oko‘a! A hiki i ke aloha 'āina hope loa!
November 28th, Lā Kūʻokoʻa, is a Hawaiian Kingdom holiday that was first celebrated in 1843 to celebrate Hawaiʻi’s sovereignty and independence. This special day recognizes the signing of the Anglo-Franco proclamation acknowledging Hawaiʻi’s independence.
The Wind & The Reckoning
Movie to Movement, (https://www.movietomovement.com/) recently graciously sponsored EPIC Ministry with the opportunity to watch a brand new film titled 'The Wind & The Reckoning' starring Jason Scott Lee, Lindsay Watson, Henry Ian Cusick, & Kahiau Perreira. It is a Hawaiian Kingdom Era movie and is 80% in the Hawaiian language. The IMDB summary is as follows - 1893. The Hawaiian Kingdom has been overthrown by a Western power just as an outbreak of leprosy engulfs the tropical paradise. The new government orders all Native Hawaiians suspected of having the foreign disease banished permanently to a remote colony on the island of Moloka'i that is known as 'the island of the living grave'. When a local cowboy named Ko’olau and his young son Kalei contract the dreaded disease, they refuse to allow their family to be separated, sparking an armed clash with brutal white island authorities that will make Ko’olau and his wife, Pi’ilani heroes for the ages.
Here is a trailer for the movie
From this movie, besides bravery and perseverance, the biggest lessoned demonstrated is the immense power of the sacrament of marriage. Ko'olau and Pi'ilani truly understood the indissolubility of the bond they made before God and it was that loving bond that kept them together until the very end.
Discovering O Ka Hae Katolika
On the rare occasion of having 'free time' I enjoy reading and translating old Hawaiian kingdom newspapers. Up until the fairly recent digitization of thousands of pages of Hawaiian newspapers, the historiography of Hawaii had been relegated to just a handful of English sources. The translation of these newspapers over the last several decades has revealed a multitude of 'voices', written in the Hawaiian language, which share a very different view of what many of us locals understand as our history. It is always exciting to step into the past to learn how our ancestors thought and how they viewed the developing world around them.
On one such occasion I stumbled upon a Hawaiian Catholic publication from the late 1860s called O Ka Hae Katolika (The Catholic Standard) It was published from 1868 - 1871 by the Pai-palapala Katolika (Catholic Printing Press) This was during the historical period in which Bishop Louis D. Maigret, the Vicar Apostolic of Sandwich Islands at the time, was working hard to evangelize the kanaka maoli (native Hawaiians) and other Hawaiian subjects in the decades following Kauikeaouli Kamehameha IIIʻs edict of religious toleration. This was also the historical period in which the 'Ahahui Hoopuka Nūpepa Kūikawā o Honolulu', a group of independent newspapers founded by native Hawaiians, was actively working to give a uniquely Hawaiian voice to political groups and faith communities. The O Ka Hae Katolika clearly expressed that native Hawaiian Catholics were very proud of being Catholic and were also very proud of being Hawaiian. This newspaper gave them the opportunity to share Catholic news, stories, and insights from a uniquely Hawaiian cosmology as opposed to only reading Catholic news published by foreign presses.
Each issue of the O Ka Hae Katolika is filled with news from the Catholic church around the globe, commentaries on Scripture and church teaching, stories of the saints, local happenings of the Church here in Hawaii, stories of beloved local priests, and even letters from Bishop Maigret. In addition, and of very unique interest, some of the issues published mele (songs) and oli (chants) written in honor of some of the beloved priests that brought the Catholic Faith to Hawaii and lived their lives in service to those entrusted to their care.
The tagline to the O Ka Hae Katolika is "A paio aku oe ie ka paio maikai o ka manaoio" which means to "Fight the good fight of faith" – a bold call to mission as relevant today as it was one hundred-fifty years ago.
Ka uhi hou
Here is a video clip from the uhi (traditional Hawaiian tattoo) I received from Kawika Au. There is a lot of familial and experiential symbolism in the uhi. I will explain the symbolism one day. There are many layers to it. For now I just wanted to share the video