Hawaii
Hawaii’s seafarer ministry brings pastoral relief to fishing industry
CNA Staff, Jan 19, 2025 / 06:00 am
A recently launched ministry in Hawaii is bringing the Church to fishermen and other seafarers whose long hours and remote work renders them an “invisible part of the body of Christ.”
Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva launched the Hawaii Apostleship of the Sea Ministry out of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa late last year. He put Deacon Marlowe Sabater, ordained in January of last year, in charge of the new program.
In an interview with CNA, Sabater said the initiative was created specifically to minister to seafarers, who make up a considerable portion of the Hawaiian economy. Seafarers “include foreign fishermen working for the Hawaii longline fishery and crew from cruise and cargo ships,” the deacon said.
Sabater pointed to St. Paul’s words in 1 Cor 12:12 in which the evangelist wrote: “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.”
“The seafarer is an invisible body part that is out of sight [and] out of mind,” he said. The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development “calls for us to minister and advocate for their rights and dignity.”
The ministry is currently in its infancy, the deacon noted, and is working to spread the program to various parishes. At present the ministry offers evangelization and fellowship to fishermen at the Port of Honolulu via the services of two priests and two deacons.
“The ministries also provide the material needs of seafarers, such as clothing and food for their work and daily consumption,” he said. The Catholic apostleship partners with a similar ministry at Waipio Community Baptist Church, he noted.
This is not the only Catholic ministry that brings the sacraments to those who work long hours on the water. The Archdiocese of Seattle partners with several other Christian churches in that city to care for maritime workers from around the world.
As in Hawaii, Catholic seafarers in Seattle are able to access the sacraments, including the Eucharist, through the ministry. It also offers practical services such as SIM cards for cellphones and transportation to shopping near the shore.
Sabater said the Hawaii program is currently focused on longline fishermen in Honolulu itself. “In the future, we will expand to ministering to crew members onboard cruise and cargo ships,” he said.
The ministry plans to partner with the Apostleship of the Sea, a professional association of Catholic maritime ministers.
Seafarers “play a significant role in providing food for our table, transporting our goods, and catering to our enjoyment at sea,” the deacon said.
But “their pastoral needs are hampered by the nature of their work and the conditions of their labor,” he added.
“We are called to serve every member of the human family,” Sabater said, “including those who spend a significant amount of time out at sea risking their lives to serve, fish, entertain, deliver, and make life easier for us.”
(Story continues below)
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Daniel Payne is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at the College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.
Hawaii
Historic Hawaiian Kukui Tree Cut Down After Nearly 30 Years at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – WDWNT
A notable piece of living history has been removed from Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort after reportedly dying from recent cold weather.
Walt Disney World’s One-of-a-Kind Hawaiian Tree
The Polynesian Resort’s one-of-a-kind kukui nut tree was cut down in late June after Disney horticulturalists determined the tree could no longer survive in the wake of a uniquely difficult Florida winter.
The large tropical tree was located to the rear of the Great Ceremonial House, just off a guest footpath. According to a 2020 Forestry Journal feature, it was believed to be the only tree of its kind in mainland North America.
The tree, Aleurites moluccana, was donated to Disney by the people of Hawaiʻi and planted at the resort on April 5, 1997, the 25th anniversary of the opening of Magic Kingdom.
The kukui tree carried particular significance as the state tree of Hawaiʻi from 1959 forward, and it is still regarded as an important cultural symbol of the state. The tree at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort had been transplanted directly from Hawaiʻi, with a time capsule reportedly placed in the soil around its roots and base when it was planted.
In accordance with a traditional Hawaiian custom, according to the Forestry Journal piece, the kukui tree was planted behind the Great Ceremonial House rather than at the front, and it was deliberately planted by one lucky hotel guest, rather than a Cast Member. The article explained that this reflected a Hawaiian belief that kukui trees should be planted toward the rear, or “hale,” of a home and by a stranger to bring good luck.
In our photos, crews are seen working in the landscaped area near the resort’s longhouses and the Lava Pool. Orange cones and barricades block off portions of the walkway, with a utility vehicle and equipment nearby. The tree had been cut down, with a tall remaining trunk section visible where the kukui tree once stood.
At Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, the tree helped support the resort’s South Pacific placemaking. The tree’s distinct light green, silvery leaves, striking trunk, and small green fruits stood out against native Florida trees and even other tropical trees planted at the resort.
For much of the kikui’s tree life, a Moreton Bay fig tree grew nearby on the opposite side of an adjacent footpath, another transplant tree which itself was removed some time around 2022.
The Facebook group Tikiman’s Unofficial Polynesian Resort Pages made a post regarding the tree’s removal, detailing that the recent unusual cold weather at the resort was too much to bear.
The tree had, however, a history of surviving violent Florida weather. A Disney Resort Team member told Forestry Journal that the kukui tree had been struck by lightning twice, survived hurricanes, nearly been uprooted, and endured prior cold snaps before this latest reported decline.
It is not currently known whether Disney plans to replace the kukui tree, or whether the reported time capsule at its base was removed, returned to the ground, or preserved elsewhere. We will keep you updated
Do you have any memories or photos of the kukui tree during its time at the Polynesian? Please share your memories with us on social media.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Whether four-star 2028 prospect King Pitts has an offer from the Washington Huskies as an offensive lineman or an athlete, he’s firmly on Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies coaching staff’s radar.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound two-way lineman is back in his native Hawaii and set to play his junior season at Kapa’a High School after playing at Cardinal Newman in California, after establishing himself as a national recruit during his sophomore year as an offensive tackle and versatile defensive lineman.
The No. 241 overall recruit—according to the 247Sports Composite—Pitts holds 43 total scholarship offers with two years still left of high school football.
As a defensive lineman, Pitts can play either defensive tackle or defensive end with his ability to be a disruptive force against the run and pass. Whichever position the Islands product ends up playing at the next level, there isn’t a question of if, but how well he’ll hold up against Big Ten and SEC-caliber talent.
UW hasn’t ventured heavily into recruiting Hawaii as much recently as the football program has in previous decades. Aside from signing tight end Kekua Aumua in the 2026 class, who began and finished his prep career at Kahuku after transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for his junior season, Fisch has only signed one other prospect from Hawaii, Mililani quarterback Treston Kini McMillan in 2025.
Over the years, the Huskies have featured several notable recruits from the Islands, including defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele in 2019 and a pair of edge rushers, Zion Tupuola-Fetui in 2018 and Hau’oli Kikaha in 2010.
If Fisch and Co. can get the coveted two-way lineman on campus for at least one, if not multiple, unofficial visits over the course of the next 12 months, UW should be a major factor in Pitts’ recruitment long-term.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A drive-by shooting road rage incident in Kailua has prompted an attempted murder police investigation.
According to the Honolulu Police Department, at around noon Sunday, an unknown man driving a white Ford van was involved in an alleged road rage incident with a 25-year-old man and his 24-year-old female passenger while they were inside their vehicle.
Police said the suspect allegedly displayed his handgun and then fired, hitting the vehicle.
No one was hurt.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 911 or CrimeStoppers at (808) 955-8300.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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