Religion Briefs
Saturday, November 24, 2001
Churches mark World AIDS Day with prayer, tributes
Honolulu church services will mark World AIDS Day by offering prayers for people who have died or are suffering in the worldwide AIDS epidemic.First Christian Church will hold an AIDS awareness and healing service at 10:45 a.m. tomorrow. Jerry Ford, executive director of the Gregory House program, will speak, and the Rev. Vaughn Beckman will preside. The service at 1516 Kewalo St. is open to the public.
Churches of several denominations will participate in a 2 p.m. service Dec. 2 at St. Pius X Church, 2821 Lowrey Ave. A candle will be lit for each of the 20 years of the AIDS epidemic, and a roll call of victims will be read.
An AIDS Memorial Quilt display in the Manoa church's parish hall will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. next Saturday.
Coordinator Pat Paakaula said the service, sponsored by St. Pius X and Sacred Heart parishes, follows a project begun last year when members raised $4,000 for a Maryknoll mission in Tanzania that cares for children orphaned in the epidemic.
"We don't want people to forget; it's not going away," said Paakaula.
Also planned for Dec. 2 is a special liturgy at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 539 Kapahulu Ave. The 7:30 p.m. service will be sponsored by Dignity Honolulu, an organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics.
The Rev. Phyllis Meighan, pastor of Nuuanu Congregational Church, will be the guest homilist.
Attendees are asked to bring a canned food contribution for Hawaii Foodbank.
Kailua church offers post-Sept. 11 resources
Military, spiritual and medical concerns resulting from the Sept. 11 attack will be explored in a public lecture series to begin Friday at a Kailua church.The series on "God's Presence in Troubling Times" will be presented at 7 p.m. on three successive Fridays at St. Anthony's Church-Kailua, 114 Makawao St. It is open free to the public.
Navy Capt. Joseph Estabrook, a chaplain at Kaneohe Marine Base, will speak Friday on military issues and concerns.
The Rev. Michael Sawyer and Sister Mary Jo McEnany, members of the Benedictine community in Waialua, will speak Dec. 7, providing a spiritual perspective on the war on terrorism.
Dr. Lewis Low, director of critical care at St. Francis Medical Center and an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, will discuss the recent anthrax attacks and other bioterrorism threats.
Catholic Women's Guild sets luncheon meeting
The Catholic Women's Guild will hold its annual Christmas meeting Dec. 8 with religious-education teacher Susan Ehring as guest speaker.The group will gather for a 10:30 a.m. Mass at Sacred Hearts Academy, to be followed by a luncheon meeting at Waialae Country Club.
Next Saturday is the deadline for reservations.
The cost is $14. To make reservations or arrange for transportation from the school to lunch, call 734-5478.
Spiritual Life Center offers 2-night retreat
The Spiritual Life Center will offer an opportunity to prepare for Christmas by reflecting on its true meaning at an Advent Interlude Retreat next weekend.Participants will spend two nights in private cottages in St. Anthony's Retreat Center in Kalihi Valley.
Nancy Conley will facilitate the sessions, which begin at 6 p.m. Friday and end with Sunday lunch. The $85 cost includes vegetarian meals. Call 523-1170 for information.
Zen hospice founder to speak at workshop
The founder of the first Buddhist hospice in America will be keynote speaker at a Dec. 5 workshop to help religious and health-care professionals and others prepare to care for people facing death.Frank Ostaseski, who started the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco and now directs its educational arm, Institute on Dying, has been featured on the PBS series "With Eyes Open" and appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show after the Sept. 11 attack.
Friday is the deadline to register for the "Being a Compassionate Companion" workshop, sponsored by Hospice Hawaii and Borthwick Mortuary.
The program of lectures, exercises and group discussions will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 5 at Borthwick Mortuary.
The registration fee of $25 -- $15 for Hospice Hawaii volunteers -- includes lunch and workshop materials.
Call 924-9255 to register.
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