Saint Theresa's Church, Maui

The Holy Spirit at Work

On Sunday, we had the opportunity to worship at St. Theresa's Church. What a vibrant community of faith. Just pulling into the parking lot from the busy beach town roads of Kihei, I could tell that the Holy Spirit was alive. Outside people were being fed, the youth group was raising money by selling fresh Hawaiian Leis and parishioners were connecting with one another. As we entered the sanctuary, there was an entire band playing very charismatic music. (The video clip I am trying to upload is actually after the sending.) Everyone was so warm and welcoming! The altar was decorated almost like it was an outdoor Hawaiian garden... It was so beautiful.

On the front of the St. Theresa's , bulletin it read, "A place to worship, a place to deepen and strengthen our Christian life, a place to respond to the needs of others, a place to support one another in the way of Jesus." The rest of the front of the bulletin was filled with contact information for the various ministries in the church: Hispanic ministry; Youth ministry/Life teen program/Catholic Young Adult Fellowship; Hale Kau Kau Kitchen; Music ministry; Marriage ministry: engaged encounter, marriage encounter, advocate to the marriage tribunal, Retrouvaille; Communion ministry; Religious education; Anointing of the Sick; Grief Support ministry, Persons with Disabilities ministry... the list went on and on. It was one of those moments when I felt the Kingdom of God was at hand. After Mass was over, the band played on and this warm feeling played on in my heart. I felt like I had been part of something very, very special, and I wanted to take this home with me.


On Sunday, we also went to the Maui Ocean Center. I loved it, but perhaps, the guys were less than thrilled. (Check it out at www.mauioceancenter.com/) My best buddy Michelle and I took Oceanography while students at Essex Junction Educational Center back in the 80's. It was a tough class, but my pal Michelle, perhaps a long lost relative of Jacques Cousteau, and I were fascinated by the Ocean. At one point we thought we would be Marine Biologists and be roommates forever! Ahhhh, then life happened. I realized that I stunk at Science, and although she was as smart as a whip and could have done anything she set her mind to, she met and fell in love right after graduation with her now husband. Our odysseys...

The Maui Ocean Center is focused on education and helping tourists to understand the fragile nature of both the Hawaiian eco system and that of the entire Earth. As we were touring the Center, we met folks from Minnesota and had a great time visiting with them. They had a destination wedding they attended the day before and earlier in the Spring had been to a wedding in Fremont, Nebraska. What a small world!

I guess the environmental lessons from the Maui Ocean Center drove home this same lesson. It really is a small world after all, and we have to do our part in our corner of the world to take care of Mother Earth! Whether talking about faith or saving the environment, both require hands on work!