Message from the Director

Today we are called to create a world where all people reach their full potential, achieve self-sufficiency, and live in a just and compassionate society. This is our vision at the Office for Social Ministry as we hold firm to Jesus’s teaching about loving our neighbor and taking responsibility for others. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink…As often as you did it for one of the least of my brothers, you did it for me.” Mt. 25:35-40
The Office for Social Ministry (OSM), is a department of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii, that stands profoundly for the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person …it’s the foundation for all of our ministries. The Office was established to promote social justice throughout the state of Hawaii by empowering parishes to become what the U.S. Catholic Bishops pastoral letter called “communities of salt and light” where people of God put faith into action.
In the Catholic Church of Hawaii’s Strategic RoadMap—Witness to Jesus, the Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu, teaches;

“We are on a journey to accomplish a mission. What is our mission? To give WITNESS TO JESUS! We, who encounter the risen Lord Jesus himself in the Eucharist, are sent out by him, in the power of his Spirit, to give flesh and bone to the Eternal Word of God, the God who is love. We are members of his Body—his hands, his feet, his mouth, his heart. We proclaim him when we gather to worship. We praise him when we reach out to the poor and the needy. We express our love for him when yearning to know more about him and his wonderful way in faith formation. We courageously follow him when we take up the crosses that come with living in the truth. What route is God calling us to take at this time to accomplish this mission?”

Recognizing a need to share and connect with all our parishes as well as the broader community, and as part of the implementation of the Strategic Roadmap, this website was created as a vehicle to share our services and programs. We invite your involvement as we strive to meet the challenges of the ever-changing communities in Hawaii and we welcome you to partner with us, dialogue with us, journey with us to accomplish our mission.                                             

Mahalo nui loa,

Carol Ignacio
Executive Director
Office for Social Ministry