NKCC

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Dec. 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and a holyday of obligation for all Catholics. Mary Immaculate is the patroness of the United States. In 1854, Pius IX declared that Mary was conceived without sin so this dogma of faith is called her Immaculate Conception.

We will have Masses at St. Michael’s at 7AM, 12 noon and 6PM in the tent. There will be a 6PM Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Holualoa and a 6PM Spanish Mass at St. Paul’s in Honalo.  UPDATE:  There will be no Spanish Mass at St. Paul's on Dec. 8.  Instead, a Mass celebrating the Feast of St. Juan Diego will be celebrated on Thursday, Dec. 9 at St. Michael at 7PM.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

On Sunday, Dec. 12, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is the patroness of the America’s. This is a feast for all of us, but this is a very special feast for the people of Mexico and all of Latin America. As usual, there will be Las Mañanitas at 5:00AM. This year, it will be at Hale Halawai. ALL ARE INVITED to participate in this hour of singing to Our Lady with hot chocolate to follow. If you do not speak Spanish, you may not understand all the words, but the spirit is so joyous you won’t notice.

All the Masses at St. Michael’s on Dec. 12 will include special music to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. If you haven’t participated in this celebration with our Hispanic brothers and sisters before, perhaps this is the year.

One Catholic `Ohana Book Club

As Fr. John said in his homily on the first Sunday of Lent,  Lent is a time of preparation to put on something new. I would like to start our new year by organizing a new book club.

Each week last summer, Cynthia Taylor recommended books both fiction and non-fiction that focused on themes related to Catholic Social Teaching. We could read and discuss some of the books Cynthia recommended. At the October 31 One `Ohana we briefly discussed the contributions of saints both in our lives and officially recognized by the Church.   I am currently reading a book I bought at the gift shop called, My Life with the Saints by James Martin. This book is often discussed at parish book clubs over more than one session. We could also read more about some of the saints we identified at One `Ohana and books that our members recommend.

Over the last several years, three groups of parishioners participated in the Just Faith program. Just Faith included 33+ weeks of reading as many as two books a week, discussing what we learned, participating in outreach activities and retreats. The bookclub would focus on Catholic Social Teaching just as the Just Faith program does but we only read one book a month. I think that we could all learn from our book discussions without having to make such a huge time commitment.

Are you interested? Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your contact information and a couple of days of the week and times that are best for you. We would meet no more than once a month. You can also call me at 756-1633. An organizational meeting will be called once we have a group of people who would like to participate.

An Invitation

The Legion of Mary invites everyone attending the 7AM Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, to a continental breakfast.  We hope to see you there!

Holy Kapa Quilters Mahalo!

Our quilters wish to thank all who purchased ticket(s) for the quilt drawing benefitting our St. Michael’s building fund.  The winner of the “Waves of Blue” quilt drawing is Teri Henriques of Holualoa.

Retirement Fund Helps Senior Religious

“As expenses continue to increase and economic difficulties tighten our income, we appreciate more and more the help of the Retirement Fund,” notes a woman religious.  Your tax-deductible donation to the Retirement Fund for Religious supports the day-to-day care of thousands of elder sisters, brothers, and religious order priests.  Please “Share in the Care” and give generously to next week’s special collection.

December 11th Mass

On Dec. 11, the annual Christmas Parade will be held in Kona.  In order to accommodate those who like to attend the Saturday afternoon Mass, the Mass will begin at 4PM.  If you would like to stay for the Parade, you are welcome to bring a picnic supper and eat on the front lawn of the church.  You’ll have a place to park, a place to eat and a vantage point from which to view the parade.  Please remember the time:  4 PM Mass on Dec. 11!

Parish Giving Tree

As Christmas approaches, our attention is drawn toward preparation for celebration and gift giving. This year, we will focus our giving on the Catholic Social Theme of Global Solidarity. Through the efforts of our Global Solidarity Ministry, our One Catholic Ohana supports missions in Kenya and the Philippines. The wealthiest people in our missions have less than the poorest among us here in Kona.

We will use our African baobab tree. Small fabric ornaments will be made and placed on the tree by our Youth Ministry. Each ornament will contain an envelope. Go to the tree; take the envelope; put your donation in it and  place the envelope in the collection basket.

Through your generosity, you will give a pair of running shoes to a teen in the Philippines or a second dress for a six year old in Miaani. Your gift could be used to send a child to school or to give a garden tool to a father who is trying to raise grain for his family.

As One Ohana, let us give whatever we can no matter how little. Remember that what you give, will be much more than our brothers and sisters in our missions already have.

Free Parish Liturgical Calendars

These calendars are available to each registered family at the parish office.  The calendars are also for sale at the Gift Shop for $5.  These calendars were produced by the Heritage Committee with historical and recent pictures of our churches and parish events.  Liturgical colors, saints’ feast days, parish events and information are also included on the calendars.  The new liturgical year begins this month.  Pick up your calendar while the supply lasts.

Golf Tournament 2011 UPDATE

The Golf Tournament Committee members will be available at the weekend Masses at St. Michael’s on Dec. 4 and 5 to provide entry forms, accept player registrations, sell meal tickets to non-players, and solicit volunteers and prize donations.  As previously announced, the Golf Tournament, which will be held on Jan. 8, 2011, at the Kona Country Club (Ocean Course), is an opportunity for parish community building  in addition to raising funds for the new church building.  We look forward to your participation in the tournament as a player, donor, or volunteer.

For more information, please call Peter Callahan at 315-7609 or Lito Ilagan at 322-4969.

Grief Counseling UPDATE

Preparing for the holidays can be stressful, especially if you have recently lost a loved one.  If you are grieving the death of a loved one, you don’t need to do it alone.  You are invited to participate in a free and confidential Bereavement Group.  The group offers a respectful and safe environment in which to share your story, express the many feelings that come with loss and learn about grief.  Individual sessions with an experienced counselor are also available by appointment.  There's no fee for participating in the group or individual sessions.

For more information or to make an appointment, email Lisa Ferraro at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 808-345-6471.  If you prefer to contact Lisa in person, you can find her singing at St. Michael’s Church every Sunday at the 4pm Mass.  Also, more information will be available at our website soon!

Philippine Consulate General Outreach Programs

The consular outreach will be held on Sun., Dec. 5 from 8AM to 5PM at the Kealakehe Intermediate School.  The services that will be available are passports, authentication and notary services, dual citizenship applications, and reports of birth, marriage or death.

The Philippine Consulate General will be using the new ePassport system in processing all passport applications.  Applicants for passports will no longer need to submit photographs, as their pictures, fingerprints, and signatures will be taken on-site.  For more information about requirements and the schedule of fees for the different services, please call the Philippine Consulate at (808) 595-6316 or visit the website at www.philippineconsulatehonolulu.com.

The above outreach programs are being coordinated by the Kona Visayan Club (KVC).  For inquiries, send email to Ms. Jane Clement (KVC President) at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

1st Year Confirmation Classes UPDATE

Dec. 19, 2010 Rite of Enrollment at 9AM Mass

Jan. 16, 2010 Retreat (starts with the 8AM Mass at Immaculate Conception followed by activities in the Hall.  8AM-3PM.  Lunch and snack will be provided.

Mar. 20, 2011 2nd Class; Kamiano Hall, 1:30PM-3PM

Reflection

With just a few weeks until our Christmas celebration, the Word of God reminds us to be generous in welcoming others into the community. Whether those others have strong opinions that differ from ours—whom we might encounter often in the Church—or they are others who are making a singular holiday appearance for Christmas Mass, the Lord bids us welcome them.

A danger in doing ministry for many years is that one can go on autopilot. To an extent, the fact that we don’t have to reinvent our work entirely each year serves us well. On the other hand, the Spirit prompts us to be mindful of those who may experience and need the Church’s ministry in a radically new way this season. For them, the little extra bit of attention to one detail or another may make all the difference. In this, God is glorified.

Prayer

The Spirit guided us to the threshold of the Church;
the Spirit now guides others to our door.
Christ welcomed us; Christ is now host for others.
O pilgrim Christ, we await your arrival!

Pat Vallez-Kelly |  Office of Worship
Archdiocese of San Francisco, California

Support Our Advertisers

Our Sunday bulletin is an important way for us to communicate with you. Producing it every week could be very costly, but through the generosity of the businesses that you see advertised on the back cover, these ads support some of our weekly production cost. Most of these advertisers are members of our local community, and many belong to our parish.

During these difficult economic times, we encourage you to support these advertisers with your patronage. Tell the business owners that you appreciate their support of our parish through their advertisements in the bulletin. This is one small way that we can work within our own community to weather the challenges that we face. A strong and vibrant parish is good for our community and a thriving business community is good for our parish.

Stewardship Report - Nov. 27th-28th

	ATTENDEES	CONTRIBUTIONS
St. Michael’s (Thx’gvg)	400	$2,903.00
Saturday 5pm	158	$1,321.00
Sunday 7am	269	$2,678.00
Sunday 9am	343	$2,185.00
Sunday 11am	199	$956.00
Sunday 4pm	136	$698.00
Sunday 6pm	298	$415.00
Immaculate Concept’n	45	$494.00
St. Paul’s	11	$89.00
Holy Rosary	51	$415.00
Catholic Campaign for	Human Developmt	$1,419.00
Building Fund	*Excludes pledges	$2,430.00
Totals	1,910	$14,584.00

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