Kristofferson... Master Workout Supervisor!

This picture is classic! All the boys working really hard and Kris,,, um,,, supervising? LOL! Dont forget everyone, Wellness Ministry Monday through Friday at meeting room #1 at OLGC. Bring water, bring a towel, and be ready to sweat!

The Young Adults Hanging out! (Fellowship)

Help Dallas Win 250k!!!!

This is Surreal! I am a finalist for the Million Dollar Body Game! If I win next month Ill come home with 250k!!! Below the video is how you can vote for me and help me win!

Download the Flier here to learn how to vote for me!
(Then pass it out to everyone you know!)

Lord's Day at Star Bucks!

For the past 2 years, the Our Lady of Good Counsel Young Adults have gathered together each Thursday evening to participate in the ‘Lord’s Day’. The Lord's Day is an old tradition celebrating the coming of the Sabbath. During the celebration the young adults offer up special petitions, sing praise, read the upcoming Sunday Gospel, share reflections and experiences about the Gospel, give thanks for the blessings of the week, and enjoy a meal together to symbolize the importance of ‘Communio’ (community)

We would like to welcome all young adults, (18+) to join us in our weekly gathering. We meet each Thursday (except for the Thursday when we feed the homeless) at 7:45pm in the youth room or at other sites. The ‘Lord’s Day’ celebration lasts about one hour and is often followed by fellowship among the Young Adults. If you are interested in joining us in our celebration please contact me, Dallas, at 808-223-3249 or via email at nativecatholic@gmail.com

Hawaii's very own :)

Father's Good Works serve as guide to all

Wellness Ministry: Kris and Dallas Go intense!

Monday's are rough for Kris and I to make it to the Wellness ministry workout at 3:30 at the church. I get done with work at 4:30 and Kris gets through at 5:30. SO. . . We decided to workout on Monday nights. . . Just Kris and I. Fun and intense :) And of course,, um,, we need to take time out to show off muscles :)

February 20th E-Manaolana

In the latest E-Manaolana. . . .

*Read about six Oscar-nominated, US Conference of Catholic Bishops-approved movies you might have missed in the theater

*“Ask Mason & Teo” discussed ecumenism

*A 6-week Theology of the Body workshop is scheduled to start this Sunday

Download the E-Manaolana Here

Rally for Traditional Marriage

Good afternoon. Please pass this on to those who you contacted regarding bus transport.

The bus to the Rally for Traditional Marriage will be picking up on Hoolana St (in front of the school) at 1 pm; everyone should be here no later than 12:45 PM. The bus will then pick everyone up for the ride home at 4 pm. Also, of those who will be taking the bus; is anyone willing to be the contact person for the bus company, Ground Transport? They will need a contact person with a cel phone “just in case.” If anyone is willing to be the point of contact that day, please give me a call tomorrow at 455-3012 so that I can confirm the reservation with Ground Transport.

I’m told that the attachments in my earlier e-mail did not come through, so here is the basic information:

Traditional Marriage Rally to be held on Sunday, February 22 at 2 PM at the State Capitol and will run until approximately 3:30 PM. This rally is sponsored by concerned citizens of Hawaii and the Hawaii Family Forum in opposition to House Bill 444, which will enact a law establishing civil unions between same sex partners.

Thank you to everyone who spread the word so quickly!

Lisa

(Picture from flickr.com ,a ' Hammer51012 ' photo under creative commons license)

URGENT: Death With Dignity Bill alive in the House

This is a heads-up from the proponents of the Physician-Assisted Suicide - nice to know what they are up to. This means that we need to prepare our testimony RIGHT NOW so it will be ready to send in...and to be there at the hearing.

The bill number is HB 806 and will be heard in the Judiciary Committee. Please write a one-page testimony - more likely to get read - and use logical, unemotional language. This helps our "image" with legislators. Basic message - we oppose HB 806.

Questions - call me at the HRTL office: 585-8205I am in weekdays, except Thursdays, from 9-1.

Carol White

The Great Aloha Run 2009!

What a blast! Kyle, Paji, Kris, Joshua, and I woke up at the crack of dawn to run in this year's Great Aloha Run. We ran along with 90 other Catholics to raise vocation awareness for our Young Adults discerning their call. This year's run had over 15,000 participants!

40 Days for Life Spring Campaign

It's hard to believe, but...the 40 Days for Life Honolulu Spring Campaign starts in less than two weeks, and it's gaining momentum. Right now, there are 127 participating cities in Australia, Canada, and the United States, and the number is still growing.

You're invited...to help us launch the spring campaign with a Kick-Off Rally and Candlelight Vigil the evening of Tuesday, February 24 at the Hawai'i State Capitol Rotunda. This is an opportunity to come together as an 'ohana to pray and stand publicly for life in a powerful way. Details about this and other events are on our web site at http://www.40DaysForLife.com/Honolulu/. Share the attached rally flyer with others who are passionate about praying for the unborn as well.

More news...our local campaign has been officially endorsed by two partnering organizations, Hawaii Right to Life and HOPE INC Christian adoption agency. Additionally, for the first time, you can support 40 Days for Life by making a tax-deductible donation through our sponsoring church, Church of the Risen Lord. To donate, make your check or money order payable to the church, write "40 Days for Life" in the memo line, and mail to 94-265 Leowahine St, Waipahu, HI 96797. Your gift is greatly appreciated and much needed at this time.

As we reach our community...with a positive, pro-life message of love, hope, and healing, we have established a Twitter! account. Do you tweet? Look for our user name, 40DaysHonolulu. You can also follow us through our web site link under eCommunity. Join the conversation...we'd love to hear what you're doing!

Karen DiCostanzo
Communications Coordinator
40 Days for Life Honolulu
www.40DaysForLife.com/Honolulu

More effective way to voice your opinion

Click Here to Learn how to submit Legislative Testimony online

The Giant Oreo Cookie

I spotted two lovely ladies the other night at the 'Great Aloha Run' expo. Jenny and Kate! As you may know both of them are active Catholic Young adults in our diocese and it is always great to catch up with all the cool things they do! We couldnt resist the Giant Oreo. The picture was followed by gorging several packs of oreos :) Yummy!

Looking for Summer Missionaries!

Here is a great opportunity if any of you are interested in being a missionary for the summer ;) -- Dallas

Hi!

My name is Ashley and I work with a Catholic summer missions apostolate called the Young Disciples. We in search of faithful Catholics ages 18-30 who are called to serve the Church through Vacation Bible Schools, Teen Retreats and Family Nights in parishes that the teams travel to. I noticed that you work with a young adult ministry program, so I thought it might be helpful to get in touch with you. At the bottom of this e-mail I’ve pasted information about our program. Do you think that you could direct this info along to either Catholic young adults, other ministries, or to someone who would be able to do so? I would appreciate it a lot, as our program is in the loving hands of the Father. Thank you so much for your time. If you have any questions you can check out our website at www.fargodiocese.org/youngdisciples, e-mail or call at 701-356-7914. Thank you again! I hope you are having a wonderful day! God Bless!

Peace in Christ,

Ashley Grunhovd
Young Disciples Apostolate
Office of Evangelization
Diocese of Fargo

Young Adults PLEASE HELP! URGENT!

Sen. Nishihara is in the Pearl City, Waipahu and Crestview Area. PLEASE HAVE PEOPLE YOU KNOW WHO LIVE IN THE AREA to call his office to oppose civilunions HB444 (Senate version of bill is SB 458). I am told we have a chanceto change his vote to "no" if enough constituents blast his office.

His email is sennishihara@capitol.hawaii.gov and his office number 808-586-6970

This is huge. Please call or email. It is essential. This Bill seeks to fundamentally change not only what marriage is but also what family is. It is also an attack on those who believe in the sacramental nature and holiness of marriage. i.e our children will be told that they MUST accept gay and lesbian marriage. That is an outrage

Kristofferson and Dallas - - Looking for waterfalls

ALERT - PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL

PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE BILLS SKIP HEALTH COMMITTEE…AGAIN!

This is an outrage! HB 587 and HB 806, both bills relating to physician-assisted suicide, have been re-referred from their original committees. Click on the bill links above and notice how many times the words physician, doctor, patient, medication, etc. is used. The bills were originally scheduled to go to the House Health Committee and then move to the House Judiciary Committee. Today, unfortunately, the status of the bills changed.

Both bills are now only scheduled to be heard by the House Judiciary committee. This is not good news nor is it in the best interest of the people of Hawaii.

IMMEDIATE ACTION!

1. Contact House Speaker Calvin Say (808– 586-6100) (repsay@capitol.hawaii.gov) and let him know that you are unhappy that a bill dealing with both physicians and hospitals has bypassed the Health Committee. House Leadership should be held accountable for making decisions that do not best protect the people of Hawaii.

2. Contact House Health Chair, Rep. Ryan Yamane at (808-586-6150) (repyamane@capitol.hawaii.gov), and ask why the bill is not being heard in his committee. Let him know that you strongly oppose physician-assisted suicide!

3. Contact House Judiciary Chair, Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu at (808-586-8490) (repkaramatsu@capitol.hawaii.gov), and let him know you strongly oppose physician-assisted suicide and that you are unhappy that the Health Committee is not going to hear the bill.

Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide would:

· Forever transform the role of physician from one who preserves life to one who takes life. This will lead to a speedy deterioration of the physician-patient relationship, which will adversely affect the entire healthcare delivery system.

· Leave society’s most vulnerable poor, sick, elderly and disabled populations subject to abuse and coercion – no matter what the proposed safeguards. The slippery slope to involuntary Physician-Assisted Death would become a reality, just as it has in the Netherlands.

· Inevitably lead to a duty to die, with elderly patients feeling the subtle (and, perhaps, not so subtle) obligation to end their lives prematurely so as not to be a burden to their families and society. Physician-assisted suicide would immeasurably diminish the sanctity and value of all human life

Living Lives of Dynamic Orthodoxy

The Concept of Dynamic Orthodoxy is something I acquired during my time at Franciscan University. Ill borrow the definition from the University's mission statement at http://www.franciscan.edu:

"The Way, the Truth, and the Life are fundamental concepts . . .explicating dynamic orthodoxy. A way of life is promoted based on Christian truths as they are understood in light of Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church while always allowing for the development of the Church’s understanding of Revelation. These truths are lived out through the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit emanating from the personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

In response to Pope John Paul II's call to the New Evangelization we are called to be Dynamic Christians embracing the joy of life and celebrating the good of God's creation all the while being firm and faithful to the teachings of the Holy Magisterium. We are called to lives guided by Scripture and Sacred Tradition which evangelize the world through words and deeds.

The picture above is of my Catholic Fraternity, the 'Brothers of the Eternal Song'. The 'Brothers' were to me the epitomy of Dynamic Orthodoxy. We were all regular college aged young men who loved life and celebrated the extravagant Joy of the Lord. We did everything that regular boys do. . . We climbed mountains, took spontaneous journeys to different parts of the U.S. for no reason whatsoever, sought out the next greatest rollercoast or high bridge or rock to jump off of into lakes down below, pulled pranks on the Resident Dorm Director, etc. . .

Through all the play and craziness though we were bound by a covenant with each other to strive for holiness and purity. What set the 'Brothers' apart then was the devotion and loyalty that they had to prayer, Christ, and His Church. Every day at 3pm we would gather in the hall ways of our dorm to pray the 'Divine Mercy'. Each night at 8pm we would walk around the campus, rosary in hand, meditating on the life of Christ. And each Friday, at the break of dawn, we would all throw on our fraternity shirts and go to Mass.

The Brothers taught me what it was to be a Man following Christ. We were guided by the words of St. Francis: "What a man is before God, that he is, and nothing more." My time with the Brothers truly formed important aspects of the rest of my life. I left Franciscan University and the Brothers excited to bring God's love to the world, excited to spread 'Dynamic Orthodoxy' to other young Christians, and excited to be Catholic.

Of the men in the picture above two have become priests (well one has and one is still in seminary), four are now full time lay missionaries in South America, another handful are furthering their theology studies in Rome, some are serving America in the military, and many of the others are married with young families. We all still keep in touch reminding each other to maintain Christ at the center of our lives and to continue to strive to live lives of 'Dynamic Orthodoxy'.

(I know some Brothers read this Blog,,,, I miss you guys :)

"Healing" Father Jack

It was a nostalgic mass for many who were present today at OLGC Parish for 6:30 am Mass. Many faithful parishioners trudged their way through morning traffic to participate in Daily Mass, which was presided by the lovable retired priest Father Jack Niland. There were many happy faces were lit up by his comforting prescence. However, many of us have seen how much he has changed over the past year due to his condition.

I will always remember Father Jack through his memorable homilies. But today's homily was probably the most touching of all, with the exception of his encounter with other retired priests in New York. He extended his gratitude to all the parishioners of OLGC parish and the Faculty, Staff and Students of OLGC School: for our prayers, well wishes and love. He also stated that even though he isn't "cured" of his condition, he is definitely healed by our community. "I don't remember places," as Father Jack quoted about his visit to Guam and Hawaii, "I remember faces."

To Father Jack: We will forever remember you in our hearts, and we love you very much!

OnFire February 2009

A blessed event. Thanks to Fr. Gary Secor for celebrating Mass and for InHim Ministries for leading the event :)

URGENT - LEGISLATIVE ALERT!

The Senate Committee on Health will be hearing SGB 777 on Wednesday, February 11 at 3 pm in Conference Room 016 at the Capitol.I am attaching an edited hearing notice so you can get the necessary information for submitting testimony.

SB 777 is the duplicate of the two House bills we testified about last week. It seeks to refuse any Federal funding of abstinence-only education and states that only “medically accurate” information be given in sexuality ed programs.

I read the testimony from last week: the Dept. of Ed does not accept those funds anyway. BUT, the Dept. of Health supports Title V funding. The DOH testimony stated that the bill is not necessary since “abstinence-only audiences have access to state-funded “comprehensive” sexuality programs.

Here are some suggestions for your testimony:

Be brief – make it easy to read (maybe double-space). If you can attend the hearing and give oral testimony when they read your name, you cannot just read what you submitted. They will ask you to summarize your points. Try to add something you didn’t write.

1. Let’s take the bill’s supporters to task for trying to CENSOR other viewpoints since kids already have access to the other information.

2. Reading the testimony: supporters cite the high rates of teen pregnancy, low rate of condom usage, “Hawaii has the nation’s 6^th highest rate of Chlamydia infection.” [Planned Parenthood testimony on HB 330]

Since our abstinence programs are so new, it is the so-called “comprehensive “ sex ed programs that are failures.

3. Say outright that the claims about the failure of abstinence programs are LIES. Legislators need to hear this up-front so it is in their minds when they hear the supporters.

Forwarded by Carol White

Download the Hearing Notice Here

(Picture from flickr.com ,a ' Cliff1066 ' photo under creative commons license)

The Tithe rap - - Give your 10%!!!

Saw this on Ironic Catholic's Blog. Good stuff ;) LOL!

Father Jack is back!

Aloha Everyone!

Fr. Jack is back visiting from New York. He will be saying Mass tomorrow morning at OLGC at 6:30am. Be there if you can! He wont be in Hawaii too long so make sure you come by and say hi!

Paji EATS IT! and MEN dont listen to Boy Bands!

Paji, Josh, and Kekoa decided that they wanted to race... mind you this is AFTER 1 hour of intense exercising! Anyway. Um, Paji won. But paid the price :)


While we were on Kauai we played a game where the boys competed with the girls singing songs with different themes. The boys were WINNING until the theme was 'Boy Bands'. Sorry, MEN dont listen to boy bands!

Franciscan Missions of Peace

I learned long ago from a very wise man that conversion is supernatural. Intellectual dialogue and debate can only bring a person so far. To truly be an evangelist and to bring people to Christ is to do as St. Francis and evangelize not with words but with actions.

While I was at Franciscan I developed a great desire to delve into the many rich tradition of our church as well as to offer my life to God’s service in any way that I could. During 2003 and 2004 I had been an active member of the “Franciscan Missions of Peace” and as a missionary I had been able to do mission work in some Carribean countries such as Haiti, Jamaica, and Barbados , in several different European countries, and in various underprivileged regions of the U.S. Those experiences furthered my desire to serve the church.

The picture above was taken during a mission to Mabielle, the remote country-side of Haiti taken in 2003. My experience in Haiti a few years back was awesome. They are such a spiritual people, hungry for more truth, more Spirit, more of God. We witnessed many Eucharistic miracles and through the vessel of our presence in Mabielle, there has commenced a revolution in the hearts of many in Haiti. Through the thickness of a government tormented by dictatorship and a ever growing presence of voodoo and other pagan practices, God has raised up strong Christians to turn the tides in Haiti. His Hand is upon them and great things are to come in Haiti! May God's Glory reign!

Homeless Outreach February 05, 2009

What a great Outreach! Its such a blessing to know that many of the former residents at the Kakaako shelter have moved on to housing and jobs of their own! Might our service be a reminder to them of the Love God has for them!

Wellness Ministry - - Getting healthy together!

Part of being a Christian Steward is to take care of one's own health and wellness. The OLGC Young Adults are giving it a go!

Are You Going to Finish Strong?

Nick Vujicic has no arms or legs but has come to terms with his lot in life and he delivers an inspirational speech to these school kids that they will probably never forget.

A Thank you to OLGCYAM from HRTL!

Carol White, the secretary on the board of directors for the 'Hawaii right to Life', sent us a letter today thanking us for our work on the FOCA brochures. Thanks to Neko, Tifa, Paji, Kyle, and everyone else who helped. We have a long way to go in bringing our nation to fully respect life. Let us keep pushing forward

Here we go! Video from our Kauai Mission!

Below are several videos from our Mission to Holy Cross in Kalaheo, Kauai. The first video is an overview of our retreat. Bits and pieces from throughout our time there.



The next video is HILARIOUS! The OLGC Young Adult Mission team doing the 'Director's Cut' skit :) Enjoy :)

Jack & Rose visit Jesus

After being resurrected from the dead Jack and Rose Dawson spend their honeymoon on the island of Kauai.

Kristofferson Angobung the NERD of Kaua'i

Congratulations to Kristofferson Angobung who won the award for Nerdiest Nerd on the island of Kauai. We're having trouble though for some reason Kristofferson has not gotten out of character since we left Kauai. This means one of two things

1. We need to find help for Kristofferson or
2. Kristofferson has found his true self.

Just kidding. Thanks for your hard work Kris...the kids loved you. God bless.

The 2009 Kauai Confirmation retreat!

As I mentioned a few times in the past two months, the Confirmation team of Holy Cross, St. Raphael, & Immaculate Conception on the island of Kauai had asked us to put on their annual Confirmation retreat this past weekend. The Theme was :

"Theme: WHERE ARE YOU GOD?

In this noisy, fast-paced life we all lead, it's hard to hear what God is saying to us. How do we listen? How do we know? Where is God when bad things happen to my family or friends? How do I even know God is there? What does he want from me? These are just some of the good questions that we all ask. Also include skepticism, why do I have doubts or questions about God?

The retreat was a great success! Thanks to the amazing confirmation team on Kauai that hosted us with superb hospitality and worked hard to make sure all 90 students were fed throughout the weekend! No easy task! Please stay tuned for more pictures and video in the next few days!!!