St. Theresa Catholic Church Newsletter — Feb/March 2021

SaintTheresa

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021

Rom a n C atholic Church Parish Newsletter

Hale Kau Kau Continues to Serve

and Provide Holiday Meals Amid Pandemic

W

hile 2020 was a difficult year for everyone, some local residents were hit harder than others by the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, it was more important than ever for Hale Kau Kau (HKK) to keep up its mission of feeding the hungry and homebound of South Maui. By adhering to thorough health and safety protocols, HKK was able to serve the local community through the holiday season and beyond.

“Protecting our volunteers, protecting the program, and protecting the people we serve is the most important thing,” says HKK Program Director Jeff Naumann.

“We temperature test everyone who comes to eat, temperature test volunteers and drivers, use sanitizer, wash hands, wear gloves, and wear masks. We’ve also cut down on the number of people who are in the kitchen at any given time for safety reasons.

“A lot of the people we serve are the ones who are most at risk,” he adds. “For example, the elderly, and people with health deficiencies — they are the most highrisk people in the neighborhood. It’s been a challenge, but feeding people is one of the minimum requirements

for sustaining life, and we’re making sure that people have that.”

HKK has faced challenges over the past year when the pandemic radically changed day-to-day life and operations. The organization was unable to hold fundraisers the usual way, and many generous donors were not able to give as much as they have in the past. HKK has to rely more than ever on donations from local partners to carry them through, such as those from the Maui Food Bank, Safeway, Whole Foods, and local restaurants. continued on page 2

25 W. Lipoa St.│Kihei, HI 96753│www.saint-theresa.com│808-879-4844

Saint Theresa Rom an Catholic Church

Hale Kau Kau

continued from page one

“What we’re doing is a direct reflection of what we’re asked to do in Matthew 25 — when we are feeding the ‘least of these,’ we are doing the Lord’s work. Whether it be one of my fantastic volunteer drivers, or a $10 check, it’s all part of the community coming together to make sure we’re taking care of our brothers and sisters in Christ.” — Jeff Naumann For Thanksgiving, Maui Food Bank provided HKK with 25 turkeys for the holiday meal.

“It’s not Thanksgiving without gravy, so I put my culinary skills to the test and made gravy for 200-plus people,” Jeff says. “We served everything out of the window except for bread and dessert, which we brought out on carts that we wheeled around to everyone. We delivered 75 meals to the homebound and served 150 people at the window. Normally for Thanksgiving, we have about 50 or 60 volunteers, and we cut that in half to be safe and secure. There were a lot more people who wanted to help, but we had to tell them ‘no.’ It’s always good to remember that we need volunteers every day of the year, so if you can’t come on Thanksgiving or Christmas, please come the day or week after the holidays!”

HKK’s Christmas menu featured turkey and sides, sweet potatoes, and seafood pasta. The meal also featured outdoor seating, live Christmas music, and a drivethrough Santa in the parking lot with age-appropriate gifts wrapped and ready to go.

With the success of the holidays, Jeff is confident that with local support, Hale Kau Kau will be able to continue to feed the hungry of the community.

“We have made it through for 29 years now, every single day, and we have a sacred responsibility to do whatever we need to do to continue making that happen,” he says. “We really appreciate the parish support, and to be able to function off of the St. Theresa campus.

What we’re doing is a direct reflection of what we’re asked to do in Matthew 25 — when we are feeding the ‘least of these,’ we are doing the Lord’s work. Whether it be one of our fantastic volunteer drivers or a $10 check, it’s all part of the community coming together to make sure we’re taking care of our brothers and sisters in Christ."

Hale Kau Kau is specifically looking for volunteers to work on Fridays and Saturdays, and accepts donations both by mail, in person, and online at halekaukau.org.

For more information, please visit the website or call 808-875-8754.

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A Letter from Our Pastor

The Word of God:

How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It? Dear Friends in Christ,

A

few short weeks ago, we completed our Christmas season.

Now, we are in what we call Ordinary Time — and before February is over, we will begin Lent.

The Gospel of John begins with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We speak often of the Word in the Church. As most of you are aware, the first part of our Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word. What does that mean to us?

There are four parts of our celebration of Mass — Introductory Rites; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist; and Concluding Rites. My focus in this reflection is that second part, the Liturgy of the Word.

The main parts of that are a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, a Second Reading, the Gospel and a Homily.

We draw on Holy Scripture from the Bible for the readings. As Catholics, we do not consider that these readings are about God, or about the Church, or about our faith, or a history lesson, or a nice story from long ago. We consider them to be God speaking directly to us. Thus, our attentiveness to what is being proclaimed is important. Are we listening? Do we hear? And then, do we respond in our lives? All of these should be facets of how we approach the Word of God.

For us, the Word of God is the living Word. God is speaking to us as a community, and He asks us to be faithful to His Word. If we pay attention and truly listen, God can nourish our spirit, and Christ can be more real and present to us. The Homily, the Responsorial Psalm, the Profession of Faith, and the Intercessions develop the Word further and complete it. The Profession of Faith is our acceptance of God’s Word.

However, the question for us is, how do we respond to the Word?

Does it change our lives? Does it bring us to the conversion necessary to live lives of stewardship and service? It is not easy, I know. Being able to listen, to hear, and then to act requires time, practice, commitment, and a desire to fulfill all of this. That is one of my prayers for us — that we can hear the Word, and that we bring it to life in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. Msgr. Terrence A.M. Watanabe, Pastor

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Saint Theresa Rom an Catholic Church

Meet Parishioner

Karin

Finding Grea

S

Parishioner Karin Camilli serves with joy.

it down for a chat with Karin Camilli about our parish and her faith, and the same word will keep making its way into the conversation — joy. Karin has been a parishioner at St. Theresa since she moved to Maui over 20 years ago and has participated in countless ministries, activities, and events around the parish. The connections she has made with fellow parishioners and the closeness she has experienced with the Lord through an active faith life have brought Karin abundant blessings and great joy.

Karin grew up on a farm near Santa Rosa, Calif. Her family owned one car, and her father was a doctor, which meant she could only attend church on the Sundays that his medical rounds at the hospital coincided with the Mass time. She still chuckles today remembering

the Sundays that her father became so engrossed in treating patients that he would forget to pick her up on his way home. By the time he returned to the farm and realized his mistake, another round trip into town was required to retrieve her!

In contrast to her childhood, when trips to church were necessarily infrequent, Karin has spent many days and hours on our parish campus in recent years.

“In a way, I’m kind of making up for lost time,” she says. “I didn’t get to go to church very often as a kid.

And now I’m learning so much about the Church and Jesus and Mary that I didn’t really grasp before.”

Karin serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, volunteers with our Hale Kau Kau Ministry and the Aloha Committee, participates in ENDOW, a women’s continued on page 5

“I often feel like the little drummer boy. He said, ‘I have nothing to give the King, but can I play for you?’ I have nothing to give to Jesus but the talent He gave me to dance, so that is something I can do for Him. I’m dancing for the Lord, I’m into the mele itself, and afterwards, people are just pleased. They are joyful.” — Karin Camilli

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Camilli

at Joy in Parish Life group led by Karen Powers, and performs Sacred Gesture, to name just a few of her activities at St. Theresa.

In every way she serves, she feels blessed by the connections she has forged with her fellow parishioners and visitors.

“I’ve helped with the Aloha Committee for about five years before it was discontinued in March due to COVID-19,” Karin says. “It’s fun because I get to know everybody, and I can greet them by name and ask how their kids are doing. I started as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion about five or six years ago as well. Again, I know the people coming up for the Host. There is one gentleman who always touches my hand and says ‘thank you,’ and the children who come up for a blessing. There are very special things like that. I kind of feel like the Lord is going through me to them in the Host.”

Throughout their 56 years of marriage, Karin and her husband, Bruce, made their Catholic faith a priority, sending their daughters to Catholic schools and summer camps and teaching them to give back to the community. This same faith also helped Karin through the tougher times in life, including the passing of her husband and one of

her daughters. Through it all, she has remained thankful for all the Lord has given her over the years.

“There has been blessing upon blessing, just constantly,” she says.

“The sad things have been the losses in my life, but you keep on going.

Again and again, I’ve been able to say ‘thank you.’”

Not least among the many blessings and joys Karin has found in life is our very own faith community at St. Theresa.

“Everyone here is positive and friendly, and they are all very supportive,” she says. “If I needed something, all I would have to do is ask.

It’s a great community — you come in and feel welcomed, and you are given a job. That’s what happened to me — I was given a job!”

From that one “job” — her “thank you” to the Lord — Karin has gone on to find many ways to give back to God for the countless blessings received. In the end, it all leads back to one thing — pure joy.

“Sacred Gesture is my favorite ministry,” Karin says. “I often feel like the little drummer boy. He said, ‘I have nothing to give the King, but can I play for you?’ I have nothing to give to Jesus but the talent He gave me to dance, so that is something I can do for Him. I’m dancing for the Lord, I’m into the mele itself, and afterward, people are just pleased. They are joyful.”

Karin Camilli loves participating in Sacred Gesture at St. Theresa.

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Saint Theresa Rom an Catholic Church

SaintTheresa Rom a n C atholic Church

St. Theresa Church

FYD July - December 2020

FYD July-December 2020

Ordinary Income/Expense Income OFFERTORY COLLECTION ONLINE OFFERTORY OTHER REGULAR INCOME REVENUE SUBJECT TO GET UNUSUAL (NON SCHEDULED) INCOME Total Income Gross Profit Expense EMPLOYMENT COSTS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES INSURANCE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIES AND OTHER SERVICES FUNDRAISING EXPENSE REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE UTILITIES CONTRIBUTIONS AND ASSESSMENTS SUBSIDIES & ASSISTANCE TAXES Total Expense Net Ordinary Income Other Income/Expense Other Income Temporarily Restricted Donation Total Other Income Net Other Income Net Income

Jul-Dec 2019 Actual

Jul-Dec 2020 Actual

FYD 2020 Budget

285,849.33 45,946.16 90,702.13 38,855.96 73,619.65 534,973.23 534,973.23

180,671.44 83,178.15 13,633.59 14,605.11 193,380.75 485,469.04 485,469.04

182,832.00 57,500.00 17,678.04 21,926.08 36,810.00 316,746.12 316,746.12

336,010.76 38,148.23 18,685.33 15,541.96 143,368.78 27,683.67 54,695.36 62,608.38 88,282.00 2,000.00 1,768.37 788,792.84 -253,819.61

309,364.84 25,249.26 23,772.08 355.92 90,607.87 3,769.92 21,119.32 46,654.83 61,352.00 0.00 1,692.72 583,938.76 -98,469.72

322,442.48 23,986.00 23,205.63 10,050.04 120,271.70 9,755.00 40,440.08 67,822.80 64,800.00 2,000.00 1,388.68 686,162.41 -369,416.29

238,847.66 238,847.66 238,847.66 -14,971.95

249,026.29 249,026.29 249,026.29 150,556.57

146,595.00 146,595.00 146,595.00 -222,821.29

We have worked very hard to minimize our expenses in order to be fiscally responsible with our reduced resources. Mahalo nui loa for your generosity that has allowed us to continue our mission.

Please visit our website saint-theresa.com if you'd like to set up an online contribution.

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Meet St. Anthony Head of School Tim Cullen Growing in Faith Through Service to Our Parish and School

F

or Tim Cullen, both a parishioner at St. Theresa and the Head of School at St. Anthony in Wailuku, being involved at the parish and vicariate levels have helped him in his personal and professional faith journeys.

“It has brought me great joy and support,” he says.

“The sincerity and action of the mission of the parish through its many services to the community to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and support both young and old is inspirational to me.”

Born and raised in Fremont, Ohio, Mr. Cullen has been married to his wife, Paula, for 31 years. He has three daughters — Sophia, Gabriella, and Gianna. Mr. Cullen has degrees from Bowling Green State University in Elementary Education and Special Education, as well as a Master’s in School Administration from Azusa Pacific University. After working in public education for 25 years in Ohio, including a position as the Head of School at his alma mater, St. Joseph Central Catholic High School, Mr. Cullen, and his family moved to Maui to begin his position at St. Anthony.

The Cullens have been parishioners at St. Theresa for the past four years.

“We enjoy the sense of ‘ohana that permeates the church and its people,” Mr. Cullen says. “I have attended some church-sponsored events and hope to be more involved in supporting the leadership team for the parish and Fr. Terry. I also attend Vicariate meetings that are facilitated by Fr. Terry, represent the Vicariate on the Diocese of Honolulu School Board, and am a member of the Catholic Charities of Maui Leadership Council. Running a Catholic school in Wailuku and living in Kihei limits some of my opportunities to do more for the parish, but I hope to be able to do more soon.”

As Head of St. Anthony School, Mr. Cullen believes that a Catholic education creates well-rounded individuals, both academically and spiritually.

“What makes St. Anthony School special is that we respect and honor the past, celebrate the present, and are continued on back cover

Mr. Cullen and his wife, Paula.

Mr. Cullen meets with a school student.

The Cullens and their daughter, Gianna.

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Saint Theresa Roman Catholic Church

25 W. Lipoa St. • Kihei, HI 96753 808-879-4844 • www.saint-theresa.com

Tim Cullen

continued from page 7

working toward building a brighter future,” he says. “We continue to adapt and change in response to the world around us while maintaining our core purpose to educate the whole child — heart, mind, body, and soul.

“We successfully navigated the chaos of the pandemic from last spring to this year as we opened school on Aug. 4 with full, 100-percent on-campus instruction for our K-12 students and programs,” he adds. “We completed the first semester and have welcomed our students back to campus after the holiday break.”

As a product of Catholic education himself, Mr. Cullen can personally attest to its positive impact.

“My parents chose a Catholic education because they wanted me to learn in faith every day I went to school,” he says. “They raised seven children and sacrificed much for us to have the gift of a Catholic school foundation that impacted us throughout life. It is what we wanted

for our daughters, too. The excellence of academics, the opportunity to participate and grow through the arts, athletics, and other clubs, and the importance and appreciation of service to others is vital in living a life of faith that inspires others to do the same. These are the reasons why parents and grandparents should consider it for their children, too, as all our children deserve the best opportunity to flourish. The graduates of St. Anthony School truly make a difference.

“St. Anthony School has been educating students for over 160 years and although the name is connected to the parish that started it, it truly is open and eager to serve all families on Maui who are searching for an excellent K-12 Catholic school system,” he adds. “We also are a Marianist-sponsored school and the relationship we have with the Marianist Province is long-standing, strong, and continues to grow.”

Mass Schedule Weekdays: 7 a.m. • Saturday: 5 p.m. (English), 7 p.m. (Spanish) • Sunday: 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m.