Ministries Update

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October 11, 2022

Ministry Fair MAHALO!

Thank you to everyone for participating in our recent Ministry Fair. We hope that you were able to get information on the ministry that you would like to serve. Next weekend will be the beginning of our Annual Stewardship Renewal.

Volunteers Needed for Gift Shop Ministry

Volunteers in this ministry create a welcoming environment while assisting the Gift Shop manager with operations. Come join us and volunteer at least once a month before or after the Sunday Mass you attend or during the weekday while the Gift Shop is open. Call the Parish Office if you are interested in meeting new people by helping out at the Gift Shop!

Friendly Place Lunches Ministry on Mondays

Our ministry provides a hot meal every Monday for our unsheltered neighbors at the Friendly Place here in Kona. There are several ways you can help! You can volunteer to prepare a meal, help to serve the meal, or make a donation to help with the cost of preparing a meal. Please help us serve our neighbors in need. Call the office for more info.

Coffee & Sweets with Pastor Ministry Tuesdays

Join Fr. Lio for a talk story hour over coffee and sweets on Tuesdays following the 7am Mass in the Grace Parish Center.

Men of Faith Ministry Meets Wednesdays

Is meeting with fellow men of our parish and growing in your faith of interest to you? If yes, we invite you to join us every Wednesday from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM on the St. Michael’s South Lanai! We will reflect upon the prior Sun-day’s readings and discuss how they can positively impact our lives. Special invitation: The last Wednesday of each month is extra special as we have a potluck dinner in the Grace Parish Center beginning at 5:30 PM. Join us!

Kupuna Ministry Gathers on Wednesdays

The Kupuna Ministry meets Wednesdays from 8:30am to 11:00am in the Grace Parish Center welcoming seniors of all ages. Come at any time and stay as long as you want. We begin with social time, then coffee, snacks, song and group prayer. We pray a special prayer for the return of our family and friends to the Faith with the intercession of Saint Monica. Craft making follows or you can play Mah Jong, beginners welcome, or just come for company and fellowship.

Life Care Ministry Thursdays at Life Care Center

Come join our Communion Service on Thursday mornings from 9:45am to 11:00am at Life Care Center of Kona. We begin at 10am with Communion Service in the recreation room with the residents who can come. After the Communion Service we have a fun singalong. We then visit and bring Holy Communion to the rooms of those who were un-able to come to recreation room. Life Care is a facility for long term skilled nursing care and rehab residents. Resi-dents are extremely grateful for our visits, bringing Christ to them in the Eucharist, in his Holy Word, with Prayers, song and joy. This is truly a work of mercy and act of God’s love. Please consider joining us on Thursdays. Contact the office with any questions and to schedule an orientation.

Young Adult Ministry Continues on Thursdays

The young adult group continues to meet every Thursday at 6pm in the Grace Parish Center. We are reading The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Joseph at [email protected].

Meals That Heal Ministry

Dedicated volunteers prepare and deliver meals to those who are temporarily homebound or ill. This ministry is for those who will need a little extra assistance following surgery, someone who is undergoing medical treatment or someone who has just had a baby, etc. Often family and friends are able to help for a short time but our volunteers help to supplement that assistance by providing meals a few times a week for up to two months.

Our volunteers may bring home cooked meals or bring meals from a restaurant or have a food delivery service bring a meal. Our goal is to help alleviate any extra stress on families during these times. It is a very beautiful way to let our Parish family know that we are thinking of them and praying for them. It is one small thing to show we care.

Contact Cheryl Roderer at [email protected] or call the parish office to join as a volunteer or to give us the name of a family who could benefit from this ministry.

Food Pantry Ministry

This ministry distributes food at the Immaculate Conception parking lot from 9-9:45 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Each household receives a bundle containing rice, canned vegetables, tuna, spam, pasta, a drink and more. In addition, we distribute fresh produce from the Sharing Garden and Honaunau Market. Our average distribution helps feed about 300 people.

We have seen a dramatic increase of families in need. Please consider making a donation to this much needed ministry. Items most needed are Peanut Butter, Canned Fruits, Canned Vegetables, and Spam. Diaper sizes needed are sizes 5 and 6 and Pull-Ups 4T-5T Boys and Girls. Please place your donations in the baskets at the back of church when you come to Mass. Mahalo for your continued support.

Volunteers also sort and prepackage at 9am on the Thursday morning before each distribution. One to five hours of service per month are requested of volunteers. Please join us!

Diaper Ministry

The Diaper Ministry provides diapers and pull-ups at our Food Pantry distribution on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Throughout 2022, we have helped approximately 50-80 children at each distribution. We also provide supplies to local agencies who are resources to families in need. Mahalo for your donations and your continued support for this much needed ministry.

Please Help Our Media Ministry by Sharing Photos of Parish Events

Our Media Ministry keeps very busy creating pieces for Parish programs, booklets, posters, flyers, and electronic displays. They also continuously update our website as well as post on our social media platforms and they can always use photos. If you have any photos of our Parish events that you can share, please email to [email protected].

Evangelization on the Beach & Kailua Ministry

Come join us in proclaiming and living the joyous and timeless truths of our faith. Jesus Christ is the Eucharist, who has conquered sin and bodily death.

We are loved into existence by an all loving and merciful creator God. We have immortal souls, there is scienti-fic evidence of the Resurrection, and our true home is in heaven. We have a personal encounter Jesus Christ; become more like Christ every time we celebrate Mass and consume the Eucharist. We have a foretaste of heaven, as heaven celebrates with time every time we participate in the Mass. Jesus Christ became the Eucharist to be the “medicine of immortality” and Jesus the answer to the despair of our modern age.

This ministry is dedicated to the re-evangelization of Catholics and evangelization of non-Catholics. We will proclaim the good news that Jesus is “The way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6).

We will have a presence at the monthly Kōkua Kailua Village Stroll and staff evangelists at St. Peter’s Church in Kahalu’u. We will proclaim the truth with public discussions in schools, churches, and other public spaces throughout Hawaii island. We welcome all to join, bringing hope to our youth, families, and our communities.

As we all learn the truth together, we can be witnesses for a full joyful Catholic life and positively impact the lives of all our neighbors and ohana.

For more information, email Dr. Scott French at sfrench@ healthlylifejourney.com or [email protected].

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to the Hospitalized

Please prayerfully consider joining this ministry that takes Holy Communion to patients at the Kona Community Hospital. As Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC), you’ll take our LORD to Catholic patients at the hospital once or twice a month. Most visits are less than one hour total. You can choose the day(s) and number of times per month you visit patients. Hospital volunteers are bound by the same requirements as those who give Holy Communion at Mass. Masks are not required and you do not visit patients with COVID. Specific training is provided by St. Michael’s and the hospital. To join this ministry, contact Frances Vasquez at 505.328.1727 or leave a message at the office.

Malama Na Keiki

The Malama Na Keiki (Backpack Program) suspended the program with Holualoa School at the end of the school year due to logistical challenges with school being closed for the summer. We referred our families to the Food Pantry for assistance during the break. We will resume in the fall for the school year. The program in June contributed healthy snacks for 130 keiki attending the Aloha Map Keiki Summer program, and in July we will do the same for a Football Day Camp for 150 keiki.

Sharing Garden

In the 2nd Quarter of 2023 the Sharing Garden harvested 1575 pounds of fruit and vegetables. The produce was pro-vided to Malama Na Keiki, Ulu Wini family supportive housing and the Parish Food Pantry. While our production was down from previous quarters by weight, we were encouraged by the quantity of greens we harvested that included green beans, lettuce, eggplant, Bok choi, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, pumpkin (squash), radish, peppers, green onions and kale.