NKCC

Tommy Duarte

TOMMY DUARTE is a lifetime member of St. Michael’s Parish, having lived in Holualoa since birth.  Throughout the years, Tommy has donated his time and talent to help the parish, including car­pentry work, roofing, laying cement, and cemetery caretaker for the Holualoa Cemetery.  Tommy and his “team” built the last of the convents in Holualoa for the Sisters of the Holy Family in the early 1980’s.  This house is now used as a rectory.  He and his boys also put on a new roof on the Immaculate Conception Hall when it started to leak in the mid-1990’s, and helped reroof Holy Rosary Church in 2007, after it suffered damage from the October 2006 earthquake.  Most recently, Tommy laid a new cement walkway/ramp that leads to the front door of Immaculate Conception, complete with railings, to make it easier for the elderly parishioners to enter the Church.  There are numerous tasks – big and small – that Tommy volunteers to do for his parish, and we are grateful for his many contributions.

Melvine Kuali'i

MELVINE KUALI’I, often referred to as Auntie Melvine, is a treasure trove of factual information and compelling stories about St. Michael’s in both the past and present. She has lived and experienced St Michael’s. Two years ago, in order to gather as much historical information about the parish as possible, a Heritage Committee was established. Melvine contributed invaluable information and priceless photos to the effort, all of which went into the development of book called “North Kona’s Catholic Heritage...remembered”.  She continues to serve on this committee. Melvine brings her knowledge and understanding of Hawaiian culture and music into play in many ways. She sings in the 7Am Sunday Hawaiian choir. Rain or shine, she is always there. In a very quiet way, Melvine looks out for the needs of strangers and poor people who need assistance. She performs many kindnesses for people she meets around the church whether it is a ride or a listening ear. These little works of mercy could easily go unnoticed because they are done without fanfare. For the past year, Melvine has coordinated the funeral ministry for the parish. She meets with the family members of the deceased and helps them decide how they can best honor the memory of their loved one. Melvine ensures the fact that the cultural traditions of families are considered in the planning and the service itself. Wherever there are parish events, Melvine is always there to contribute in whatever way she can. We are please to honor Melvine with this award for her service to St. Michael’s.

Arthur & Teresa Mahi

When you think of Holy Rosary Church, most likely ARTHUR & THERESA MAHI will come to mind.  Theresa was two years old when she came to live in Kalaoa with her tutu, Malia Haleamau, in 1933.  In those days, a priest came from Hilo once a month by horse to cele­brate Mass at St. Michael’s, but the Haleamau family provided a place for the priest to stay overnight in their home.  Auntie Theresa would help her tutu keep Holy Rosary Church tidy inside and out, and she also helped clean the altar linens and the priest’s garments.  The residents of Kalaoa, including the Mahi and Haleamau families, helped build the Church Hall from ohi’a wood; people came and helped strip the skin from the ohi’a log.  This same ohi’a log Church hall still stands today.  The Mahi’s were also part of the original St. Michael’s Hawaiian Choir and sang for years down at St. Michael’s until 1994.  Now they lend their voices to the smaller congregation at Holy Rosary Church, which they attend every Sunday afternoon.  For their many years of faithful and loyal help to the parish, we are grateful.

Aniceto (Chito) & Rosalia Ramirez

When Fr. Jack Ryan was responsible for the Hispanic Community back in the early 1990’s, he needed help organizing Religious Education classes, Sacramental prepara­tion, and setting up for the Spanish Mass.  He found his help in ANICETO “CHITO” & ROSALIA RAMIREZ.  With a family of five children, Rosalia still found time to set-up and organize R.E. and First Holy Com­munion classes for the children, Bible Study for the adults, and find Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers to serve during the Masses.  Rosalia also gathered all the necessary paperwork for the parish secretary to be able to record the First Communions in the parish registers.  Chito became the Sacristan, making sure the altar, linens and items needed for the Eucharist were laid out and ready for Fr. Jack.  After the Mass, the Ramirez family would be one of the last to leave as they cleaned up and put away everything after Mass, sometimes not returning home until 10:00 at night since they live down south in Ocean View.  They became indispensable and two people upon whom Fr. Jack relied heavily.  In the last couple of years, when St. Michael’s Parish became one of the Churches responsible for bringing pre­pared hot lunches for the homeless community at The Friendly Place (part of Office for Social Ministry), Rosalia organized families to take their turns at preparing the meals.   For all their years of service and hard work, we are very grateful.

CONGRATULATIONS AND MAHALO to our honorees... for your generous service in ministry to the North Kona Catholic Community!