Phone: (808) 455-3012
Email: office@olgcchurchpc.org
-
October 6, 2017The Filipino Ministry participates in various Catholic action projects in the community to include volunteering at the Great Aloha Run, sponsoring breakfast for the homeless at Kapiolani Park, cooking dinner for out-of-town families staying at Ronald McDonald House while their children are treated at Kapiolani Children’s and Shriner’s Hospitals and also at Fisher House for families of military patients who are on long-term treatment at Tripler Hospital, Next Step in Kakaako, Sunshine Visit to Nursing Homes, Star Light, Star Light (helping with the Christmas of children of incarcerated families) and Christmas caroling to the homebound. These activities are fun and easy working as a group. We grow in spiritual/ohana building activities such as monthly rosaries, trainings and workshops offered at OLGC, retreats, rosary pilgrimages, annual picnics held at Haleiwa and at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Waikane, volleyball, bowling and walking rosary (exercising while praying). We promote religious cultural activities such as the Santa Cruzan, Flores De Mayo, Misa De Gallo and parol (star lantern) making. Throughout the years, we help in special OLGC-FM projects like selling advent wreaths, spearheading OLGC’s Cookbook “Table of Plenty”, participating in garage sale fundraisers, beautifying the courtyard grotto with a Xeriscape garden, donating the cement benches at the courtyard grotto and center grotto and assisting in the Parish picture directory.
We have our monthly meeting on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the Parish Center. It starts by praying the rosary at 6:30 p.m., dinner and followed by the meeting. Membership consists of 34 current/active families. Annual dues are $12.00/family (dollar a month). Requirement to be a member is willingness to participate (non-Filipinos are welcomed). We need more members especially younger families to carry on the OLGC-FM activities and traditions.
What is OLGC-FM to me….
“OLGC Filipino Ministry (formerly known as Filipino Catholic Club) has been my church family since it started 43 years ago. The families in Filipino Ministry are close; we are uncle and aunties to all the kids. In the earlier years, the families played volleyball each weekend at Lehua Park but as we got older and our kids left home, we stopped. I enjoy outreaching to others in our Catholic action projects. It is fun working together for our Lord. We perpetuate the Filipino culture by sponsoring the annual Flores De Mayo in May (crowning our BVM and honoring her with flowers) and Misa De Gallo in December (9-day Novena of Masses) and building of fellowship at the breakfasts provided by different Parish ministries. We learn to sing Filipino songs, Filipino dances and learn to cook Filipino cuisine. We pray together, play together, cry together and support each other. Thank you, Lord, for my Church family.” Julia Cabatu (President of FM)
Flo Hermosura says that her children have fond and happy memories of the OLGC Filipino Ministry families while growing up. Her son, Jonathan, recalls, “I remember going camping several times at Malaekahana as well as the Catholic Youth Organization Camp (CYO) in Hauula. (CYO Camp was later sold by the Diocese to fund the St. Augustine Education Foundation.) We would play with the other kids at the beach during the day and then hang around the campfire at night talking, roasting marshmallows and making delicious s’mores. It definitely felt like one big family. I also fondly remember all the gatherings like going to Mass, pastries/coffee/juice offered after, choir practices, Easter egg hunts, attending Confirmation preparation classes, and etc. And sometimes, the late Fr. Alan Nagai, our pastor then, would make his famous Portuguese Bean Soup for us to enjoy. These experiences influenced my decision to want to give back with my time, treasure, and talent whenever I can.”
