The Senior division at Saint Louis met with Bishop Larry Silva, the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu. This tradition has lasted for “about 15 years,” Bishop Larry Silva says. Bishop Larry Silva goes to various Catholic Private Schools in Hawaii, like Saint Louis, and interacts with the Senior Class. A tradition that is usually called Bagels or Breakfast with Bishop had a little twist to it, as Saint Louis School mixed it up and called it Bentos with Bishop.
The Bishop’s visit allowed students to interact with the Head of the Catholic Church in Honolulu. Students sometimes see the Bishop as this “very up-tight businessman.” Senior Isaac Milford says. But the bishop is not just some “up-tight businessman” he is like many of us regular people wanting to connect with God. The Bishop is just like “an actual human being,” Senior Sean Thomas Ozeki exclaims. “ He is a down-to-earth guy. He enlightened me about what I mean to have in my faith.” Even though the Bishop seems to be in a position that is “position that’s out of touch or out of reach,” Ozeki adds. He is still a human that we can “relate to, somebody we can talk to. He was just, like, a normal person that I’m comfortable with.”
The Bishop’s visit helped show the Seniors how we can use our Faith outside of High school in whatever path we take. “You’re leaving high school but going on to other things, college or careers,” Silva says. “I just wanted to touch base with the seniors and let them know that they are very important to the Church and to the mission of Jesus.” The Bishop also gave the Seniors information that can help them in college. “Different organizations such as the youth groups or sexuality groups were talked about, and it opened my mind to just being open to these groups and being more knowledgeable about them,” Ozeki explains.
The Senior Division has plenty of activities going on. From Finals being moved early to Graduation Practice and Graduation. Everything is moving fast for the Senior class, but interacting with the Bishop allows Seniors to pause and “find God as a friend.” Milford says. While finding God as a friend, Bentos with Bishop also allowed students to connect with their Senior Brothers and find friends in each other. “ I was able to eat and talk with my brothers at Bentos with Bishop,” Milford says. Bentos with the Bishop also got students to understand each other better. “ I got to learn more about who believed in God,” Ozeki exclaims. “And so I grew closer with my brothers through our connection to religion and faith.“ It was just a time for “Christians willing to talk with the bishop,” Ozeki adds.
The Bishop connected with the students throughout this lunch and left all the students with advice that they can carry out into their lives after Saint Louis. “God might not take us where we want to go. But he will never lead us astray,” Silva says. At the end of the lunch, the Bishop told the Seniors that no matter what happens after Graduation, “Everybody is loved by Jesus and has a mission from Him.”
