My summer was packed with many events. The bishop assigned me to St. Augustine by the Sea in Waikiki. Although the parish is staffed by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and May (S.S.C.C.), I stayed there as the Diocese Seminarian in Residence. Father Lane Akiona, sscc and Father Lusius Nimu, sscc welcomed me into their rectory community as a brother. I was quite a busy person at the parish and I gained much experience from these awesome priests. They showed me the joy of the priesthood. My vocational discernment was affirmed and strengthened. The summer was also full of several speaking engagements. I was blessed to be keynote speaker of the Diocese Faith Formation Conference Youth Night in the presence of my bishop. I was nervous but I got great feedback. My passion for the documents of Vatican II led me to speak at three different parishes. As you can see, my summer was busy. Being in Waikiki had its advantages. I was able to go to he beach several times and I got to enjoy my summer vacation amidst the busy parish life.
Before I knew it, summer was over! I returned to the Mainland in August to continue my studies for the ordained priesthood. The first semester this past year had been the roughest one thus far but with God’s grace and the support I received, I got through it. Last fall I received my second ministry towards ordination. This time, Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange instituted my class into the Ministry of Acolyte. In this ministry, serving at mass is my ordinary duty. Acolytes also purify the vessels used for holy mass. I also may expose and repose the Blessed Sacrament.
The spring semester came also quickly. I took six classes of theology and field education. My favorite class was "Meaning of Human Sexuality." We studied the Theology of the Body of Pope Saint John Paul II.
I spent my Holy Week break with Father Daniel Balizan in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This was my first time in Santa Fe. All the other times I visited Fr. Daniel was in Raton, New Mexico. As always I MC'd at the liturgies of the Sacred Triduum. There were also time to site see as well. The highlight of this trip was doing a walking pilgrimage to the Santuario in Chimayo, New Mexico.
Soon after my trip to New Mexico, the semester started to roll to the end. One of my vices, like many college students, is procrastination. I thought that my papers would be done by mid-term but they weren't. The last few weeks of the semester was occupied by me finishing up my term papers. Thanks be to God, I finished them!
Second year of theology went by very quickly and now I am off to my pastoral year. But before I go off to pastoral year, I have summer assignment in Maui! Stay tuned for those adventures...
