from St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish Newsletter — Apr/May 2023
by Catholic Stewardship Consultants
The journey to Deacon Craig Camello’s entry into the diaconate has always been a journey bound in faith. And as we enter into the celebration of Easter through the journey of Lent, Deacon Craig is working to organize a spiritual Men’s Group that will enable parish members to grow in their own faith.
Deacon Craig tells the story of his journey that began when he was an infant.
“Our Christian initiation, as we all know, begins on the day of our Baptism,” he says. “For some, it may come at a time when Christ enters our minds and hearts, and for some, it may come at a time of near death. Some may enter the journey when their parents felt it was time for understanding of life with Christ. As for me, it was 10 days after the day I was born as my parents were told I was very sick with intestinal problems. Although my parents were young at that time with two children already in diapers, their faith kept them strong.”
Deacon Craig’s parents soon found that his ailment was too much for them to manage, so his father’s mother took him under her care for most of his infant years.
“My grandmother, full of God’s belief with cultural healing, nursed me through my first four years and then handed me back to my parents,” Deacon Craig says. “Throughout my childhood life, our parents ensured my siblings and I had an enriched Catholic education by having us attend St. Joseph’s School in
Waipahu until we graduated from St. Louis High School.”
As Deacon Craig moved on to life on his own, he was struggling with his faith. He attended church only when necessary, or at Christmas and Easter.
“Only when it hit me as I was moving to Hawai’i Island, my father said to me, ‘All I ask you to do, is to give our Lord one hour of your time per week and go to church,’” Deacon Craig says.
It was his arrival here in KailuaKona in October 1990 that his journey back to the Church caught fire. He found himself immediately back in the pews at St. Michael the Archangel Church, attending Mass each Sunday. Since then, this became a weekly commitment.
“It was then that I furthered my talents with music ministry where I met Pam and her children,” he says. “It was from that moment onward that my journey in faith with God was deepened by joining our love with the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. We continued our music ministry together at St. Michael’s from 1991 to 2003, leading our youth Mass, youth ministry, and other ministries of our parish.”
The couple and their children spent nine years in Hilo where they shared their music ministry at Sacred Heart in Pāhoa and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pāpaʻikou, and while their youngest daughter attended St. Joseph’s School in Hilo and Waiākea High School. In 2012 they returned to Kona, back to St. John the Baptist and St. Benedict’s in Hōnaunau, where Pam had grounded her music ministry.
As they continued their music ministry, Deacon Jerry Nunogawa shared his story of life as a deacon during the Mass at Vocations Weekend.
“His belief of vocations was that it is a religious desire to dedicate one’s life to serve others spiritually in the name of God’s love and compassion, which is a special gift from His Son, Jesus Christ,” Deacon Craig says. “Focused on the music at hand, much of what was said at that time really went over my head — only to learn that Fr. Al had made reservations for Pam and I and two other couples to attend a deacon inquiry weekend at St. Stephen’s Diocesan Center on Oʻahu.
“In 2013, Pam and I spent the next 12 months in an aspirant year of a diaconate journey,” he adds. “Hence, five years later I was ordained on Feb. 2, 2018, with Pam and our children, Sidney, Stacey, and Chelsea, along with my parents, Roy and Angie, my mother-in-law Esquiela, better known as Stella, and our faith community here at St. Michael the Archangel Church.”
As Deacon Craig began his service here as a deacon, his life has grown even sweeter through his faith.
“I find my role in the parish to be humbling with a life of joy and love of God,” he says. “It is one of spreading the Good News of the Gospel.”
Deacon Craig acknowledges we live in a secular society with many challenges that fill our world today.
“We all strive to live a life of Christ in our own vision and will, but it can be blurry at times,” he says. “The light dims at times and then it will light up as it is filled with joy and love. When darkness enters our lives, it can be difficult to cope with the understanding of ‘what it is, is what it is’! We find ourselves dealing with many changes in our work life, our family life, and even our faith life.
“All these situations have given me a desire in becoming a deacon to be — and to build — a support system for our parish and to assist our pastor in reaching out to our parishioners’ needs and wants — to find ways of comfort and peace in our hearts through the Word of God that we hear every week, every day,” he adds.
Deacon Craig hopes that, through Lent, the Men’s Group will be organized to help members grow in faith and to truly understand what the Word of God means.
“I hope such a group will enable the members to truly understand how the Word of God can form our lives in a way He wills us to live,” he says “I hope it will help us grow in faith and to truly understand what the Word of God means to us. God created us to live out His will the best way we know how. And to do that, it is through faith, hope, and love of His Son Jesus Christ!”
For more information about the Men’s Group, contact Deacon Craig at the parish office, 808-326-7771.
