Hawaii
Red Mass: ‘Negativity’ hampers efforts to solve Hawaii’s problems
Red Mass speaker: Eva Andrade
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
“Many pressing issues challenge our state,” Eva Andrade told Hawaii lawmakers and other public servants at the Red Mass celebrated by Bishop Larry Silva Jan. 16 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, however an unrelenting climate of “negativity” is smothering efforts working toward the common good.
Andrade, director of the Hawaii Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Diocese of Honolulu, was the featured speaker at the diocese’s annual prayer to the Holy Spirit for courage and wisdom for Hawaii’s public servants.
She praised the civic leaders for their commitment to making people’s lives better.
“Homelessness, a lack of living wages, high vacancies in our state government that cripple our ability to provide needed services, families leaving our islands to find affordable living elsewhere, a rise in suicides, recovery from the devasting fire in Lahaina,” are serious challenges facing Island leaders, she said, but making them worse is “a relentless stream of critics.”
“Negativity has grown to the point of crisis,” said Andrade, who is also president of Hawaii Family Forum. “Over the past several years, I have witnessed more, and more vicious, verbal attacks against people in leadership positions including the governor, our state legislators, police officers, military personnel, judges, church leaders and just about everyone else.”
She said that participation in the legislative process is a right that should be encouraged, however, “personal attacks via emails, phone calls, text messages and rallies have turned into harassment.”
“This verbal abuse must cease,” she said.
“This does not align with the spirit of the Aloha State,” she said. “We are all created in the image of God, deserving respect and consideration.”
“For all of us, courage becomes the trait that propels us to action. The outcome of our efforts, whether we ‘win’ or ‘lose’ an issue, pales in comparison to the transformative power that unfolds in the aftermath. It is in the post-battle moments that our character is truly shaped and defined. Building good moral character is how we can best shape politics in Hawaii,” Andrade said.
“We work together because we love Hawaii and its people. We all do what we do because we want to make a difference. Whether we are the governor, the bishop, or a stay-at-home mom, we matter. Our values matter. Our decisions matter. Our lives matter,” she said.
Andrade used St. Marianne of Molokai as an example of a successful collaboration between state and church in the service of Hawaii’s people.
“I gained a profound understanding of the compassionate spirit embodied by a woman from Syracuse who journeyed to Hawaii at the desperate request of King Kalakaua to care for his citizens afflicted by Hansen’s disease,” she said.
“When it came to serving the people of Hawaii, Mother Marianne seamlessly bridged the gap between church and state,” Andrade said. “She set a positive example of what can be achieved.”
The Mass began with a Hawaiian chant by Ikaika Maliikapu Bantolina. State senators Brandon Elefante and Mike Gabbard read the two readings.
In his homily, Bishop Silva thanked God “for all of you public officials who are here with us today to join in prayer and worship. You are hereby affirming what our ancestors knew very well must be the basis of all our common living, acknowledging before all that God is our maker.”
Clerics raise their hands in blessing over the public servants at the annual diocesan Red Mass Jan. 16 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. (HCH photo | Jennifer Rector)
Divine law as foundation
The bishop told the lawmakers that secular law should have divine law as its foundation.
“We can only thrive in liberty and justice when we conform ourselves with the inner law that God has placed in every human heart,” he said.
“How scary it is when others go their own way without any reference to the ultimate one, whose laws are our freedom,” the bishop said. “How blessed it is when we discern carefully so that the laws of our land will all correspond to the law of the God who made us, sustains us, and loves us always.”
The Mass, celebrated during the week of the opening of the state legislature, was sparsely attended this year, with only six priests and eight deacons, and about a third of the general public’s pews empty. Royal Hawaiian orders, who attend yearly, were well represented with about two dozen men and women dressed in black and wearing red and yellow capes and feather lei.
Members of royal Hawaiian societies attend the Diocese of Honolulu’s annual Red Mass, Jan. 16 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. (HCH photo | Jennifer Rector)
Also in attendance were members of the Equestrian Order of the Most Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and the Knights of Columbus.
The civic leaders who attended included Gov. Josh Green and Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke; state representatives Henry Aquino, Lauren Matsumoto and David Tarnas; state senators Brandon Elefante and Mike Gabbard; and Honolulu city councilman Calvin Say.
Also present were Anton Krucky from the Department of Community Services, Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Keoni Souza, circuit court Judge Catherine Remigio and former state representative Marcus Oshiro.
Gov. Green, who was attending the Red Mass for the first time as governor, said he has been to the Red Mass “many times.”
“I try to come every year,” he told the Hawaii Catholic Herald. “I have just a lot of dear friends that are in the Christian Church, including my mother. And in spite of the fact that I’m Jewish it is very fortifying to kind of show that we’re together.”
“And for me, it helps guide me as I govern, because then I get people’s perspectives who I care about.”
At the end of the Mass, Bishop Silva invited the civic leaders to stand for a blessing from himself, the priests, deacons and Protestant ministers. With palms extended, he prayed that the Holy Spirit descend on them and give them the grace “to discharge your duties with honesty and ability.”
Hawaii soon will no longer be the only state without a fire marshal, thanks to legislation that was signed into law Friday.
But it may take up to a year to set up an Office of the State Fire Marshal and hire for the position, Hawaii County Fire Department Chief Kazuo Todd said at a press conference in Honolulu at the State Capitol.
That’s in part because the county fire departments are preparing for the peak of Hawaii’s fire season next month.
Todd, one of many people involved with the crafting of Senate Bill 2085, called the fire marshal position “crucial.”
“This has been something that we’ve been lacking for almost four decades now,” he said. “This position will make a difference in our local situation by allowing us to have someone at the state level focused in on these problems that are currently plaguing our state.”
The bill signing in the governor’s fifth floor ceremonial room was one of two press conferences Friday that saw nearly 20 bills enacted. On Wednesday Gov. Josh Green approved 12 bills regarding agriculture, biosecurity and land management.
This week’s flurry comes ahead of Wednesday’s deadline for the governor to sign, veto or let bills from the 2024 Legislature become law without his signature.
The fire marshal bill along with several related measures were very much top of mind as the state nears the one-year anniversary of the Aug. 8 wildfires that killed at least 102 people on Maui. Green noted that, at one point, the state had more than 3,000 households living in area hotels due to the loss of homes.
“This morning it was four households and 13 people,” he said. “So that’s 99.99%.”
Green also said that, of the 4,000 properties and other structures that were destroyed, 88% of the debris has now been removed from residential lots.
The fire marshal bill was one of four fire-related fire bills. A second gives law enforcement and fire officials more authority to inspect premises to ensure compliance with the state’s Fireworks Control Law.
A third bill establishes a language access coordinator so that emergency management officials can help people whose first language is not English.
And a fourth fire bill creates the offense of charitable fraud during a state of emergency to crack down on deceptive acts or practices. Civil Beat reported on possible fraudulent fundraising efforts after the fires.
The governor said that anyone found violating the new law would be penalized harshly.
Sen. Angus McKelvey, who represents Lahaina, championed the bill.
“I can’t reiterate what the governor said enough — that if you come into Hawaii with fraud as an intention, you will pay the price,” McKelvey said. “We’ve seen so many families who have suffered so much absolute hell. And when people give money, they’re relying on the fact that the money they give is going to be in the hands of the very victims, not elsewhere. It’s not going to enrich those for other purposes.”
McKelvey, who lost his home in the fire, said charitable fraud ends up diminishing the fundraising work of reputable groups because it makes some donors think their contributions would be wasted.
Public Safety
At a second bill-signing event, Green approved two measures relating to traffic and public safety.
House Bill 2526 increases to a class C felony a third or subsequent offense involving unauthorized driving or operation of motor vehicles. The vehicle used in the offense could also be subject to forfeiture.
HB 2526 was inspired by the 2023 traffic death of a McKinley High School student. But last month the governor said he might veto it because it could increase caseloads for prosecutors, law enforcement, the Judiciary, the Hawaii Public Defender’s Office and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation without providing additional funding for enforcement.
Green said he changed his mind after speaking with the author of the bill, House Speaker Scott Saiki.
Saiki said at the press conference that some 9,000 people a year are believed to drive in Hawaii without licenses.
“Sadly, there are just too many people in Hawaii who die or are seriously injured while they are a passenger in a vehicle, on a sidewalk, or even in a crosswalk,” said Saiki, who represents the district where the fatality occurred. “This year, the Legislature made it a priority to work on pedestrian and traffic safety. We know that something has to change in Hawaii.“
Green also signed Senate Bill 2347, which establishes the offense of habitual violent crime. It was opposed by the Public Defender’s Office, the Community Alliance on Prisons and the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, which generally argued the bill was unnecessary.
Not so, said Sen. Sharon Moriwaki.
She said that many of her Waikiki constituents have complained about multiple assaults in her district.
Kauhale Updates
The Friday flow of press conferences began with Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi holding a media briefing on an emergency shelter and housing facility on Kapiolani Boulevard.
Waikiki Vista, a former educational facility, was purchased by the City and County of Honolulu two years ago for $37.5 million. Blangiardi said it was the largest acquisition in the history of the city.
But the mayor said his administration recognized the property’s potential to develop both emergency and workforce housing.
In addition to being home to the Royal Hawaiian Band, Waikiki Vista has provided emergency shelter and transitional housing to 21 families including 37 adults and 41 children.
Housing Solutions is the property manager for the building, and manages five floors of affordable housing studio units. And Catholic Charities Hawaii administers a program known as Hale Imi Ola, meaning “to seek life,” in offices on four floors.
Full occupancy is expected by the end of the summer.
State and city officials said more help for the homeless is coming later this year, including a new facility on North King Street to provide medical triage services and a kauhale village of tiny homes.
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As summer heats up, Americans everywhere pack their SPF and sunglasses to take on the dog days in style. Their destination of choice? The beach.
There’s no wonder these sandy spots are filling up, either. According to data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2023 was the warmest year ever documented—and the heat isn’t expected to die down any time soon.
If you’re looking to embrace the summer swelter and hit the waves, take a look at which beaches are expecting the highest number of travelers in 2024.
This data, courtesy of the Sunshine State rental company Florida Panhandle, analyzed 450 of the most popular beach destinations in the U.S. to determine which 10 are the most frequently visited. Here’s what they uncovered:
|
Ranking |
Beach |
State |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Waikiki Beach |
Hawaii |
|
2 |
Manatee Public Beach |
Florida |
|
3 |
Golden Gardens Park |
Washington |
|
4 |
Main Beach |
California |
|
5 |
Arroyo Burro County Beach Park |
California |
|
6 |
Mission Beach |
California |
|
7 |
Magic Sands |
Hawaii |
|
8 |
Moonlight State Beach |
California |
|
9 |
Silver Beach County Park |
Michigan |
|
10 |
Clearwater Beach |
Florida |
Unsurprisingly, the list was dominated by states like Hawaii, Florida, and California, which are all well-known seaside vacation destinations.
Take the results with a grain of salt (or, perhaps more appropriately, a grain of sand), as this data was based on one factor alone: reviews. Florida Panhandle compiled this list based on the number of times users on review sites complained of a beach’s busyness. These more popular spots likely aren’t places you’ll want to visit if you’re aiming for an afternoon of peace, quiet, and solitude.
But, if you’re someone who loves a good crowd, the above beaches may fit your travel needs. Be warned, though: You might have trouble finding that perfect tanning spot.
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