By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
More than 900 Hawaii Catholic school teachers, administrators and staff took a break from the classroom on Jan. 28 to make a little joyful noise in Honolulu’s Blaisdell Arena at the annual Conference of Catholic Educators.
During the all-morning event, they celebrated a spirited Mass, honored 20, 30 and 40-year veterans of their profession, and listened to three experts in the field of Catholic education.
Barbara Yamasaki, the administrative secretary for the Hawaii Catholic Schools office, was recognized for her 40 years in Catholic education. Twelve teachers were honored for 20 years of service to Hawaii’s Catholic schools and 13 were honored for 30 years.
According to Dawn Yogi of the Hawaii Catholic School office, 915 of Hawaii’s 1,048 full and part-time school employees signed up for the conference. They came from Oahu, Kauai and Maui. The conference speakers also went to the Big Island to talk to the staff of St. Joseph School, the island’s only Catholic school.
Diocesan administrator Father Thomas Gross presided at the convention Mass, at which seven more priests concelebrated. An energetic band composed of leeward Oahu teachers playing drums, guitars, ukulele and keyboards led the liturgical music.
In his homily, Marianist Father Allen DeLong, the headmaster of Saint Louis School, urged his fellow educators to live the “Catholicity” of their schools.
“How do we facilitate our Catholicity in our math and science classes, in our coaching, in PE, in band?” he asked. “These are questions we must ask ourselves over and over again.”
He said that being Catholic is more than a matter of reciting prayers and displaying Christian symbols in the classroom.
It is “what you do and who you are,” he said.
“Let your beliefs show in your actions,” Father DeLong urged the gathering which filled the floor of the arena.
“Prayer, reading Scripture, learning about your faith must be a part of your daily life,” he said.
Faith is demonstrated “when you praise, encourage, recognize and reward,” the Marianist said. “Sharing your faith with students must be a normal occurrence.”
“God and our belief system is a part of who we are,” he said. “Teach by what you do; teach by who you are.”
After Mass, the superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools Carmen Himenes commended the group on its enthusiasm. “No arena can contain the joy that we hold as a group,” she said.
She and Father Gross presented etched glass plaques to 25 lei-bedecked educators celebrating anniversaries in Hawaii’s Catholic school system.
After a break, the attendees listened to speakers Sister of Charity of Nazareth Mary Angela Shaughnessy, Christian Brother Robert R. Bimonte, and Dr. Kevin Colleary.
Sister Mary Angela, university legal counsel at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, spoke on “Catholic Schools and the Law.”
Brother Bimonte’s presentation was entitled, “Building a Better Brain: Creating the Classroom of the 21st Century.”
Dr. Colleary addressed “Social Studies and Social Justice in the Catholic School.”