Bishop's Messages

BISHOP'S MESSAGES

Be sure to also visit the "Ask the Bishop" webpage HERE, and the Bishop's Bible Study page HERE.

Latest Messages:

BISHOP'S PASTORAL LETTER ON MAUI
August 17, 2023

My dear Siblings in Christ,

I have just returned from Maui. I am at a loss for words to describe the loss, but, also, of the spirit of resilience and care.

On Tuesday evening, I was asked to share a short reflection on “Hope” at an ecumenical service hosted at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, Wailuku. There, I suggested that hope is grounded in “mercy,” “confidence,” and “vision.” READ MORE

BISHOP'S UPDATED MESSAGE ON MAUI FIRES
August 10, 2023
(VIEW HERE)

FIRES ON MAUI & HAWAI'I ISLAND
August 9, 2023

With the news of the fires on the islands of Maui and Hawaiʻi (“the Big Island”), your prayers are needed. The Lahaina side of Maui has been particularly devastated. Historic Holy Innocents Church is on Front Street and the fire has raged through that part of Lahaina. Because of evacuations, downed landlines and cell towers, and the chaos of the situation, we have no confirmation of the extent of damage or of those impacted. Please pray for those impacted by the fires. READ MORE

THE FEAST OF ST. JAMES
July 26, 2023

[Chronicle, 7/27/23] I write to you today on the Feast of St. James the Great, one of the two sons of Zebedee that first followed Jesus. He and his brother, John, are called the “sons of thunder” by Jesus (Mark 3:17). James is with Jesus throughout the public ministry. In the story, he is on the mount at the Transfiguration and in the garden at Gethsemane. He and his brother were the forceful ones in the group (see Luke 9:49-54, and Mark 10:37). According to Acts 12:1-3, James was the first of the Twelve Disciples to suffer martyrdom when he was killed on the orders of Herod Agrippa I (in about 44 CE).
READ MORE

A REFLECTION ON LOVE (Video Message)
June 22, 2023

TYPHOON MAWAR SLAMS GUAM
May 25, 2023

As you know, Typhoon Mawar unleashed winds of over 145 miles an hour and torrential rain on the island of Guam. I have been in touch with the Reverend Irene Maliaman, a priest of the Diocese of Hawaiʻi who serves as the Archdeacon of the Episcopal Church in Micronesia, the Vicar of The Episcopal Church of St. John the Divine, and the only active Episcopal Priest currently residing full-time on Guam.
READ MORE

A DEACON'S CALLING
May 11, 2023 (Chronicle)

Na ke aloha o ke Akua ma loko o Iesu Kristo, e aloha iā ʻoukou ā pau!

I have long prayed for more vocational Deacons in this Diocese. Such Deacons are called to a particular ordained ministry that is different than those of Priest or a Bishop who pass through a transitional diaconate. Who is truly called to be a vocational Deacon?
READ MORE

THE CURRENT COVID REALITY & HOLY COMMUNION
May 5, 2023 (Chronicle)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that COVID-19 no longer represents a "global health emergency." Likewise, there are no State or County restrictions. I generally now leave it up to each congregation to discern local practices regarding reception of Holy Communion and other fellowship activities. There is currently no set Diocesan policy in force about worship in relation to the pandemic.
READ MORE

ASK THE BISHOP - Episode 1, April 13, 2023

GUN VIOLENCE
Wednesday in Easter Week, April 12, 2023

[April 13,2023 Chronicle] Aloha my dear Siblings in Christ Jesus,

In my years as Bishop, I have had to write way too many times about another mass murder and gun violence in the United States. Well, it has happened again in Louisville and in Nashville.

Like so many, I am weary of our collective failure as a nation to address gun violence. As I have stated before, the addiction of the United States to guns and violence has no place in the lives of the followers of Jesus Christ. Except perhaps for that of the farmer, rancher and/or hunter (especially for food), as Christians, there is no place for guns in our homes or at work. There is certainly no place for guns in our churches, schools and camp. It is a matter of faith. READ MORE

BISHOP'S EASTER MESSAGE 2023
April 6, 2023

The Bishop shares his Easter message with prayers, reflections and music on 1 Corinthians 15.

The Episcopal Church in Hawai'i: Gun Free Zone
April 6, 2023

My dear Siblings in Christ Jesus,

I write during this most holy season in the Church’s life to share that the Episcopal Church in Hawaiʻi is now a “Gun Free Zone.” Until the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling - N.Y. State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, such a policy did not seem to be needed in Hawaiʻi. Events far away have again impacted our Islands.

At my inititative, the Standing Committee and Diocesan Council have each adopted the following resolution with the accompanying explanation: READ MORE

Bishop's Lent Message 2023
February 22, 2023

Continuing Violence In Our Communities
February 9. 2023

My dear Siblings in Christ Jesus,

Over the past couple of weeks, the people of the United States have again been faced with the reality of unwarranted police violence in the death of Tyre Nichols. The Presiding Bishop has addressed this incident in his A pastoral word from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on the death of Tyre Nichols.

I have been ruminating and praying about the pervasiveness of violence in our society and in our lives. Nations have besetting sins that then influence the responses of individuals. I think the besetting sins of the United States are shaped by the myths of individualism and materialism. Materialism and the related sins of greed and lust drove European settlers to displace and eradicate indigenous peoples for land and enslave Africans for free labor. READ MORE

To view more of the Bishop's video messages, visit the Diocesan YouTube channel:

The Rt. Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick

Past Messages

2023

2022

Earlier messages can be found on the archive page:

Message Archive