Maui Report

Marianist Community - 1627-B Mill St. - Wailuku, HI, 96793-1999

Greetings from Maui!

No. 12 - August, 2004

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with comparatively few city lights, Maui is a great place to study the stars. July began with a full moon and ended with a blue moon. My sightseeing, however, is during the day! I had the opportunity to make new discoveries of the beauty of Maui – Haleakala, Hana, Wailuku Heights, Iao Valley – first with Brother Jim Vorndran then with Mrs. Grace Pancipanci. They had come to Hawaii to participate in a meeting of the Directors of the Health Care Centers caring for the Marianists in Cupertino, Dayton and San Antonio. The meeting was at the Marianist home at Ewa Beach. Brother Jim came to Maui the weekend before the meeting, Grace immediately after. With Brother Jim I had time between the Sunday masses to include a brief visit to Lahaina – a popular spot for tourists and historians alike. We began at Lahainaluna High School up the hillside – founded in 1831, more than fifty years before the Marianists came to Maui!

It offers a breathtaking view of the town, the harbor and also of the island of Lanai just across the channel. From there we drove down past an idle sugar mill to the very busy Front Street that features shops and restaurants of all kinds – and a marvelous Banyan Tree that fills a city block. We had great weather for these visits and I was very happy to hear Brother Jim talk about life at Mercy Siena in Dayton and Grace report on activities at Villa Saint Joseph in Cupertino. Grace has begun her tenth year with us, while Brother Jim is nearing the end of his term of service in Dayton. The SM is certainly fortunate to have such caring and competent directors at our health care centers.

We had an interesting meeting of the parish council at which various committees (worship, finance, building and grounds) reported. It was a great opportunity for all of us to hear about the work being done quietly and efficiently. We are certainly blessed with an abundance of skilled and generous volunteers. And once again the pre-school and grade school classes are filled. Another meeting brought together a group charged with the preparation of the 150th anniversary of the parish. Earlier in the month I was part of a conference call to prepare for the September meeting of the Provincial Chapter in Dayton.

I flew in and out of Honolulu to visit Brother Joseph Becker who is under hospice care. As always, after complaining that I don’t speak loudly or clearly enough, he heard perfectly and we had a good visit. He has a strong constitution, but at 93 he knows it is only a question of time before he passes from this life to the next. Many at Saint Anthony’s remember Brother Joe well for his thirteen years of devotedness to the sick and elderly at Hale Makua next door where he used to read to residents and pray with them.

The patronal feast of the Church in Hawaii is Our Lady, Queen of Peace and is celebrated each year on July 9. The Diocese also chose that date to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Peace. Deacon Hiram Haupu is recovering slowly but well and is grateful for the expressions of prayerful support received from those he met at the Province meeting on Parish Ministry. The Saint Francis Xavier Society invited me to their annual potluck dinner; Brother Jim Vorndran joined me. With the invitation was a request that I say a few words at the event. Deacon Stephen Maglente and Deacon Ron Gonsalves received similar letters, so we had three short after dinner talks – all the more remarkable because none of us knew the others were also expected to talk! Meanwhile, Father Ray drove off to an even more quiet part of Maui to make his annual retreat. A parishioner had given him the use of a well-furnished condo in an ideal location. He returned refreshed and relaxed.

The County took the opportunity of the summer school vacation to run a new water line through our property – effectively closing off the main entrance. I had a gravesite service for a person who died two years ago. Apparently, the caregiver had not set up a religious service. So we made up for that. I simply adapted what I ordinarily do at a burial. When I met with the nephew and his wife to prepare the service, I expressed the hope that now they – and their aunt - would be at peace. I also had a house blessing in a new subdivision nearby. The owner told me he had just been lucky to get on the list early enough because now all the homes have been sold. There is plenty of land on Maui, but housing is limited – and expensive.

More and more, instead of my morning walk through the neighborhood, I take a five minute drive to Keopuolani Park to walk briskly there for an hour after the 6:30 mass. The neighborhood walk is interesting, but the park is quieter and cooler. There is nothing quite as refreshing as the smell of freshly cut grass and the view of the green and blue sea across the road. Keopuolani Park is named after Queen Keopuolani ("Gathering of the Clouds of Heaven"). While walking I can admire the clouds gathering over Haleakala on one side or in the Iao Valley on the other. Most of the month the weather was steady, reaching the upper eighties at midday, but with refreshing trade winds.

Later in August I will go to the mainland for two more jubilee celebrations, one in Dayton on August 15 and the other in San Francisco on September 4. When I return to Maui it will be to begin my second year of service at Saint Anthony’s.