July 4th, Independence Day, is an American national holiday. This holiday gives us time to thank God for the birth of our nation, and give thanks for gift of life and petition God to preserve our country and rid it of its evils. This is a great day for picnics and spending time with family and friends. This month holds for Americans the celebration of our glorious Fourth, Independence Day, a great national holiday not connected with the feast of a saint (as is Saint Andrew's Day in Scotland and Saint George's in England), or with a festival of the Church. And yet can it be said that the anniversary of the birth of a nation is ever an entirely secular affair? In this case we do not believe it is so. In man's aspirations for freedom, there is always a spiritual element, and this was especially true in the thinking of the American signers of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. On Thanksgiving Day we give thanks to God that He has provided our citizens with food for the body; at this other particularly American celebration we give thanks that He has allowed our spirit to live. God bless us all, and God bless America!

Did you know our Parish will soon offer Confirmation prior to First Holy Communion? Indeed, all parishes within the Diocese of Honolulu are restoring the Original Order of the Sacraments of Initiation between 2018-2020. In the early Church, the person was immersed into the waters of Baptism, anointed with chrism, and shared the Eucharistic meal as part of a single event. Over time, and for many reasons, the celebration of these three sacraments became separated from one another. In the renewal stemming from the Second Vatican Council, the Church was asked to more clearly set forth the intimate connection of Confirmation with the whole of Christian initiation. This original order also helps us recognize that sharing in the Eucharist completes our initiation into the Church and that it is Eucharist which is the “source and summit of our faith.” For more information go to: http://catholichawaii.org/media/646012/instruction-for-the-transition.pdf for more information on

God our Father, we give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old. We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation. May they find courage and perse- verance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice. We pray for our own Fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering. May they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow. We pray for men who are not fathers, but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and ad- vice. We remember fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers who are no longer with us, but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. Amen!

The fundamental dogma, on which everything in Christianity is based, is that of the Blessed Trinity in whose name all Christians are baptized. The feast of the Blessed Trinity needs to be understood and celebrated as a prolongation of the mysteries of Christ and as the solemn expression of our faith in this triune life of the Divine Persons, to which we have been given access by Baptism and by the Redemption won for us by Christ. Only in heaven shall we properly understand what it means, in union with Christ, to share as sons in the very life of God.

Resurfacing of ground on MSOS campus has begun since this past Thursday 06/08/2017. Construction is scheduled to complete tentatively on Wednesday, 06/21/2017. During this duration, please park your vehicle in the underground parking area. If the area is full, you may park anywhere on campus that is not closed off with barricades. Parking spaces are available for weekday Masses. On behalf of MSOS clergy and staff, we appreciate your patience and kind understanding during this time.

Pentecost is a good time to reflect on Jesus’ journey on earth as well as our own. It is a time to think about what we’ve accomplished and reflect on what we will be leaving others after we’re gone. Jesus was confident that he had finished the work he was commissioned to do.

Congratulations to Mary, Star of the Sea Class of 2017 as they graduated on Friday, May 26th, 2017. We are so proud of our young graduates as they leave us and move onto a bright future with the firm foundation they built and established right here at MSOS.