Blog Archives

Zen in Hakalau: Akiko’s Prayers

Posted on October 4, 2013 by freecatholic808 — Leave a comment

Wondrous Prayer We live in modesty and simplicity, palms together, head bowed in gratitude, giving thanks for each inhale and each exhale. We settle deeply, surrendering our bones and our being to the earth, grounded deeply in our precious Hawaii.…

Tagged with: Akiko Masuda, bamboo, bananas, Big Island, Breadfruit, Buddhism, Hakalau, Hawaii, Peace, prayer, Religion and Spirituality, Zen
Posted in Environment, Grace, I BLOG, Peace, Spiritulaity, Sustainability, Uncategorized

How would you spend $86,400 every day?

Posted on September 30, 2013 by freecatholic808 — 1 Comment

Imagine having $86,400 deposited in your bank account every day. It comes with conditions. You have to use it –or lose what is left of it–by the end of the day. What would you do? That was the challenge Sr.…

Tagged with: Bishop Remy DeRoo, Capital, Dorothy Day, Gustavo Gutiérrez, labor, liberation theology, Pope Francis, Second Vatican Council, Sr. Anne Smollin
Posted in Business and Justice, Catholic Social Doctrine, Feeding the Hungry, Fighting Poverty, Governing, Human Rights, I BLOG, Justice, Lay Catholics, Obamacare, Uncategorized, Workers' Rights

Would a temple wear a thong?

Posted on September 29, 2013 by freecatholic808 — 1 Comment

This was one of many questions posed by Sr. Anne Smollin CSJ that made the normally quiet, sacred space of the Mystical Rose Oratory ring out with waves of laughter. Sr. Anne is called the “Laughing Nun” for good reason.…

Tagged with: BILAC, Laughter, Marianist, Mystical Rose Oratory, Norman Cousins, Religion and Spirituality, Sr. Anne Smollin, Thong (clothing)
Posted in Grace, Hawaiian Values, Health and Wellness, I BLOG, Lay Catholics, Spiritulaity, Uncategorized

Zen: Buddhist B & B in Hakalau

Posted on September 23, 2013 by freecatholic808 — 2 Comments

No TV. Limited Wi-Fi. No cell phone coverage unless you walk down the road to find a hot spot. Silence from 6.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m. No microwave. No shoes in the house: a sunny yellow and white relic of…

Tagged with: Akiko, Akiko Masuda, Big Island, Buddhism, Buddhist Retreat, Foodshare, Hakalau, Hamakua, Hawaii, Hilo, Meditation, Miyo Harumi, United States, Wailea Valley, Zen
Posted in Big Island, Coqui Frogs, Environment, Hamakua, Hawaiian Values, I BLOG, Listening, Mochi-pounding, Seniors, Sustainability, Uncategorized

The Dreams of LGBT Families

Posted on September 1, 2013 by freecatholic808 — 2 Comments

“I come to gather nations of every language.” Is 66:18 The weekend of Aug 24 saw the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the March on Washington. That pivotal event helped move politicians to…

Tagged with: "I Have a Dream", ACLU, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, Bishop Larry Silva, Child Welfare League of America, LGBT Catholics, LGBT parenting, Martin Luther King, MLK, Pope Francis
Posted in Catholic Social Doctrine, I BLOG, LGBT Catholics, LGBT Families, Uncategorized, US Bishops

ALL ARE WELCOME: Baltimore Pastor Defends LGBT Ministry from Pulpit

Posted on July 25, 2013 by freecatholic808 — Leave a comment

ALL ARE WELCOME: Baltimore Pastor Defends LGBT Ministry from Pulpit.

Posted in I BLOG, Uncategorized

Raising Holy Hell about Mountaintop Removal is “Holy Spirit Work.”

Posted on July 24, 2013 by freecatholic808 — 4 Comments

Environmental activists in Massachusetts plan to publicly express their solidarity with the people of Appalachia and others who are protesting the destructive coal mining practice of mountain top removal. Pat Gozemba, a member of Salem Alliance for the Environment invites…

Tagged with: 350.org, Appalachia, Catholic Committee of Appalachia, Fr. John Rausch, Kentucky, Mountaintop Removal, Pat Gozemba, SAFE, Salem
Posted in Care of Creation, Coal Mining, Environment, Environmental Justice, I BLOG, Uncategorized

Trayvon Martin and Timothy Dolan

Posted on July 20, 2013 by freecatholic808 — Leave a comment

“It is time for a new vision of a universal Church whose all-inclusive justice and unconditional love…can lead to a future that preserves the true right to life of all of God’s creatures.” Bert Thelen If Cardinal Tim Dolan was…

Tagged with: Bert Thelen, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, Cardinal George, Cardinal Pell, Florida, George Zimmerman, Ku Klux Klan, Laity in Leadership, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, LGBT Catholic, NARTH, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Timothy M. Dolan, Trayvon Martin
Posted in Cardinals, Child sex abuse, Freedom of Religion, I BLOG, LGBT Catholics, Missal Changes, Obamacare, Politics and Religion, Uncategorized, US Bishops, Women in the Church

Divest: A Gospel Lesson?

Posted on July 8, 2013 by freecatholic808 — 3 Comments

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Luke 10: 2 God knows our planet is in peril. Everywhere we turn there is work to…