Chaminade University of Honolulu

Catholic

BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program

Discussing ‘Spirit in the Time of Radical Change’

What is faith? What is spirit? And, how do you approach climate change from the different spiritual traditions? These were the three primary questions addressed during a discussion sponsored by the BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program, which marks its 20th anniversary this year at Chaminade University. Originally named the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai Reverend Fujitani Interfaith Program, the curriculum’s purpose is to bring together the Buddhist community with all other religious communities in Hawaii to promote interfaith dialogue, and to provide opportunities for understanding and action for peace and justice in our communities.

In a conversation themed, “Spirit in the Time of Radical Change,” panelists included Native Hawaiian practitioner Manulani Aluli Meyer, Buddhist David Atcheson, Indian Vedic specialist Akhilesh Tiwari and Mary Anne Magnier of Honolulu Friends Meeting, which is an open and affirming congregation that welcomes everyone.

“I’ve never moderated anything in my life,” says Chaminade sophomore La‘a Gamiao ’25, who was tasked to lead the discussions. “I was really nervous, but I knew I had to be myself.”

Chaminade sophmore La’a Gamiao ’25 moderated the discussion themed “Spirit in the Time of Radical Change.”

Established in 2003 and named in honor of Yoshiaki Fujitani, a past president of BDK Hawaii, the program in the past has featured lectures, which were either usually based on a single speaker or based on panel discussions during which each panelist is given the floor to present his/her religious perspectives. The presentations would be followed by discussion among the panelists, and later opened to the audience for a Q&A session. 

“I was involved with the BDK-Fujitani Interfaith program years before Brother Bernie (Ploeger, Chaminade’s fomer President) stopped me in the hallway of Henry Hall and asked me to take over the program,” recalled Sr. Malia Wong, D.Min, Program Director for Chaminade’s BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program. “He knew of my long involvement with the interfaith community in Hawaii and globally, but I felt I wasn’t ready to assume the position—especially moderating—and I deferred the position to Regina Pfeiffer.

In 2017, Cheryl Edelson, Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Design, asked associate professor Pfeiffer, D.Min., to fill the role as the head of Religious Studies. “Thus, I formally became program director of the BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program, finally fulfilling Bro. Bernie’s wishes,” Wong laughed.

Upon the suggestion of Manulani Meyer, a moderator would be appointed to ask the question to the panelists, who would then be given a chance to respond. Wong explained that this format took a lot more preparation on the back end, not being quite sure how to organize the program so that it flows.

“Thus, I designed it with La‘a as the host and at the helm asking questions, and allowing discussions to grow organically.” Wong said. “The last part of the program included networking and continuing the conversation on the lanai with vegan pupu. It was like being with family and friends with the ease of interaction among guests of the different faith traditions. This will be our new format going forward—open to adaptation and change, a Marianist characteristic of education.”

For someone who has never moderated a discussion, La‘a was grateful that he was chosen as the first student host, despite his initial fears and nervous shakes.

“If you don’t answer, you’ll never know your character,” said Gamiao of agreeing to be the discussion’s moderator. “I put myself out there and the fact that I said yes, I think, says a lot about my character.”

Viral Video

Chaminade alumna’s TikTok post viewed 15 million times

Even before the emergence of social media, Liz Rizzo was already documenting and sharing her life, snapping what are now largely known as selfies and keeping a diary for as long as she can remember. Then Facebook, Instagram and TikTok came along. The latter would help propel the Chaminade alumna to national and international stardom, attracting the media attention of multiple news stations across the country, 400 national and international newspapers, radio stations, “Inside Edition,” “Tamron Hall Show,“ “Good Morning America,” and even the U.K.’s “The Daily Mail.com.”

In a 49-second TikTok clip, Rizzo turned 82-year-old Carman Kelly’s life into a media sensation, taking her viral and being watched more than 15 million times. Due to health issues, Kelly has to use a cane—even when greeting shoppers at an Arizona Walmart.

Liz Rizzo’s TikTok post of Carmen Kelly has been watched 15 million times.

And that’s where the story begins.

“I saw Carman, and she just cracked my heart open,” recalled Rizzo, who graduated from Chaminade with an Associate Degree (’00), BA in Psychology (’10) and master’s in Criminal Justice (’14). “I see this elderly woman with a cane, leaning on a shopping cart, and working. I just turned my camera on. I didn’t even think about it. I felt it was divine intervention.”

Rizzo stayed true to her word, promising Kelly that she would make sure that her TikTok post would go viral. And it did. In the post, Rizzo pleaded with viewers to help Kelly by donating to a GoFundMe account she had set up for the 82 year old.

“We talked afterwards and I asked her, ‘Do you have to work here?’” said Rizzo, adding that she asked Kelly for permission to share the video beforehand. “We did her bills and it came up to about $10,000, so that’s what I put on GoFundMe.”

At 82, Kelly is one of many Americans who are 65 and older and likely have to pay higher medical costs out-of-pocket, according to a 2022 report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency. Another report from the Kaiser Family Foundation also estimates that about 41 percent of adults have some kind of medical or dental bill debt, showing Kelly’s situation isn’t unusual.

Liz Rizzo and her late service dog Buddy at a “Save Our Beach Park” rally in Kailua.

To date, over 9,000 donations, totaling more than $133,000, have poured into the online fundraiser for Kelly, who had only $50 in the bank when she first met Rizzo.

“I’ve been having a really hard time money wise, medical wise and I’ve fallen quite a few times over the past year, and so I had some big hospital bills from that,” Kelly told “Good Morning America.” “My Walmart money, it helped me pay for food and gas and other things.”

However, now that she’s about to receive a big windfall, Kelly said she “still can’t believe it’s happened.”

“I’m going to be able to pay off all my bills, get a new place to live, hopefully [an] assisted living place to just help me with life,” she said. “I can never ever, ever thank her enough for doing this. I mean, she was a total stranger to me and it’s like God sent her to me. And I really feel that way because she has been absolutely wonderful.”

For Rizzo, doing good and helping others was instilled in her by her late grandmother, who used to instruct her to remove any pebbles from the sidewalk so older people wouldn’t accidentally trip. Kind, generous and empathetic help describe the 68-year-old music publisher. But what defines her are her actions.

“I’ve always approached life like a buffet,” quipped Rizzo, whose late service dog, Buddy, used to accompany her to classes when she was enrolled in Chaminade’s master’s program. “I want to sample everything—and I have. I’ve never wanted to work at a same job for 40 years, take a cruise and then retire. There’s too much to do, and people to help.”

Brink of Enlightenment

Formation never really ends for a Marianist; it is a life-long process of spiritual renewal, personal growth and committed service.

Bro. Ed Brink, S.M.

Bro. Ed Brink sheds light on Marianist values

Inspired by author Rachel Carson’s seminal novel about the environment, “Silent Spring,” a young dewy-eyed Bro. Ed Brink sought to pursue a degree in Environmental Engineering Technology with hopes of being part of the solution to climate change. The caveat: He had to attend a Catholic college.

After researching Catholic universities in and around his home state of New York, Brink decided to step out of his zip code and visited the University of Dayton. Hesitant at first about living in the Midwest, Brink arrived on the College Park campus not yet fully committed to enroll. However, after reviewing the various majors offered at the school, the then-18-year-old teenager found an environmental program that suited his passion.

“Like a lot of people in the ’70s, I was influenced by Rachel Carson’s writings about the dangers to our environment,” recalls Brink, who pledged his first vows to the Society of Mary (Marianists) on Aug. 11, 1985. “I wanted to use technology to do good for the climate.”

Bro. Ed Brink discusses Marianist values with students at the Sullivan Family Library Lawn.

Soon, though, Brink found himself more interested in the acts of service, which is one of the pillars of a Marianist education. He no longer saw himself as a renegade “environmentalist” with a mission to save the planet. Instead, with the encouragement of his professor, Fr. James Heft, Brink thought deeply about committing to the religious life of a Marianist.

“I went to my first meeting and I got scared away,” says Brink, with a smile. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure this was going to be for me.”

Although ambivalent, Brink was still very much interested in the acts-of-service component of his education, prompting him to live in a Marianist community during his junior and senior years. The experience compelled him to start the Marianist Formation, a relatively lengthy, five-step process to help future Marianists determine whether it is the right path for them. 

The first phase, “Contact,” requires regular interaction with a Marianist priest or brother and a local Marianist community, which would provide the opportunity for live-in experiences, discernment groups and retreats.

“And then you do two years of novitiate, most of which takes place at Mount Saint John in Beavercreek, Ohio,” explains Brink, whose pursuit to understand the meaning of religious life led him to the Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning, a nearby retreat that welcomes people of all faiths to experience spiritual growth through its educational and ecumenical programs. 

“During the first year, the formation focuses on intellectual and spiritual growth,” Brink says, “and you take classes in the history and theology of religious life, and life as a Marianist in particular.”

During his second year as a novice, Brink participated in active ministry while also teaching classes. Once he completed his novitiate stage, Brink made his first vows and entered the “Temporary Professed” period, which can take three to six years.

“It’s a long and involved process to become a perpetually professed brother,” Brink says. “Formation never really ends for a Marianist; it is a life-long process of spiritual renewal, personal growth and committed service.”

Bro. Ed Brink returns to the classroom to teach CUH 100.

After completing his bachelor’s in Environmental Engineering Technology at the University of Dayton, where he also obtained his Ohio teaching certificate, he then attained his master’s in Private School Administration from the University of San Francisco. In 1985, he started full-time teaching at Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School in Dayton, until 1989, when he switched to part-time teaching and worked in campus ministry the rest of the time. Brink was subsequently named director of Faculty and Staff Development and then principal from 1994 to 1998. 

 “I’ve spent more than 25 years in Dayton, longer than any one place I’ve lived in my life,” Brink says. “And now I’m entering my seventh year here in Hawai’i.”

Prior to his appointment as Chaminade’s Rector in 2016 and now also its Vice-President of Mission, Brink served as a regent for the university from 2007 to 2015. At the same time, he worked for the Society of Mary as the Assistant for Education for the Marianist Province of the U.S., overseeing the relationships between the Province and three Marianist universities: Chaminade University of Honolulu, University of Dayton and St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. At the University of Dayton, he served as the director for the Center for Catholic Education and the school’s Lalanne Program director.

Brink was also a liaison between the Province and such sponsored schools as Saint Louis, planning and executing programs for teachers and administrators. In addition, he was a member of the Provincial Council and a board member for Saint Louis School.

The popular campus figure has now also returned to the classroom, teaching CUH 100, which provides an overview of the university. 

“I really like the interaction with students,” Brink says. “I received a call out of the blue the other day from a former UD student, whom I remember taking outside the chemistry lab and telling him he better button up and apply himself. He became a doctor and he wanted to tell me this, and that he has never forgotten the talk I gave him that day. Now seeing that kind of transformation is rewarding.” 

Words of Wisdom

Villanova scholar offers strategies during her ‘A Life Worth Loving’ lecture 

Two college students. Two different experiences. And one identical outcome: Brooke and Sophia (pseudonyms for two Villanova roommates) ended up, on separate occasions and during their same senior fall semester, in Dr. Anna Moreland’s office—in tears.

During her freshmen year, Brooke developed paralyzing anxiety about her future, which resulted in weekly therapy sessions. In her sophomore year, she decided to isolate herself, alienating her entire group of friends, and only talking to her boyfriend. The 18-year-old also chose to keep herself extremely busy, thinking that it would alleviate her angst.

“It didn’t work; it just made things worse,” read Moreland, sharing Brooke’s letter with attendees during her “A Life Worth Loving” lecture on Feb. 19. “It did help me fill my resume, and I thought it would help guarantee me a job. Now I’ve got what all my friends want: a well-paying job at a top bank. But, I wasn’t sure this is what I wanted. I felt backed in this career because it was something practical and prestigious.”

Dr. Anna Bonta Moreland received the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought.

In Sophia’s case, the then-freshman did not want to repeat what she felt in high school—burnout and competition. So, she decided that her college experience would be focused on what she wanted to learn, which was anthropology. However, in her senior year she had no idea on how she was going to go “from courses she loves to a life she loves and to a professional life that she actually wants to do,” according to Moreland, whose discussion centered around her third forthcoming book, “Daring to Live: A Guide to a Meaningful Life,” co-authored with former colleague Dr. Thomas Smith from Catholic University of America.

“This is a book that I almost randomly wrote,” Moreland recounted. “But I wrote it after 17 years of listening to my students and being concerned about them. I wanted to give them a wider vocabulary and a wider vision for a good life.”

Moreland offered three challenges that confront young adults in today’s world: the meaning of work; the meaning of leisure—which she quipped—they don’t even know how to spell; and loving relationships.

“Young men and women really suffer from choice paralysis,” Moreland said. “We need to help them move through this. We need to help them think more broadly, more ambitiously and more fully about the lives that they are building.”

During her lecture, Moreland asserted that Brooke and Sophia treated high school like a race with a clear end marker—college. They had won the race. And now that they were in college, they were again treating the experience like another marathon.

Lecture attendees listened to Moreland's "A Life Worth Loving."
Lecture attendees listened to Moreland’s “A Life Worth Loving.”

“But college is not a marathon,” Moreland said. “It’s a big confusing supermarket—think of Costco or Sam’s Club.

“Brooke races through the aisles, throws things in her cart, and races to the cashier,” Moreland added. “Sophia ends up being paralyzed in one of those overwhelming Costco aisles, unable to move or commit to the 84 rolls of toilet paper.”

They both suffer from choice paralysis. They’re both hungry, but they don’t know for what.

The Villanova Department of Humanities professor later spoke to Brooke and Sophia about four ingredients that would help them move through those aisles: 1) to rehabilitate their imagination; 2) to move away from pro-and-con lists and from right and wrong, and towards goods versus goods or rights versus rights; 3) to not think about what they’re good at, but to think about what they want to become good at; and, 4) to encourage them to seek companions.

The latter point is of great concern to Moreland, who said that young adults don’t know how to form long, loving relationships because of their fear of failure and rejection.

“The hook-up culture is not the problem,” Moreland said. “It’s actually the epidemic of loneliness.”

Dr. Moreland discusses the challenges that college students face today on campus.

It starts with technology, and being enslaved to our phones and, for some students, alcohol.

“Marry the two and it ends up being an exhausting social life and a toxic combination for leisure time,” Moreland explained. “How you spend your leisure time shapes you, molds you and changes you, just as much as how you spend your work time.”

Moreland believes we need to reclaim our free time, and redefine how we choose to spend that time.

“There’s an epidemic of loneliness on campuses across the country, and it is heartbreaking to me,” the religious scholar said. “And if they’re lonely, there’s no way to develop a great leisure life because friendship is at the heart of leisure practices. Loving is at the heart of human life, and friendship, loving relationships are at the heart of how we should spend our leisure time.”

In conclusion, Moreland ended with a hopeful story about a group of Villanova students who bonded through a shared passion for playing The Settlers of Catan and service.

Reciting a junior student’s letter aloud, Moreland read: During one night of heavy drinking, we all admitted to each other that we loved playing The Settlers of Catan with our friends and families growing up. We started jostling with each other about who could build the largest settlement.

By the end of the night, the group decided to start playing regularly, getting together once a week to play Catan, which eventually expanded to include other games.

“It was the first time in college that I had done any fun type of activity that was planned other than drinking,” the student wrote. “We became really close, and they’re still some of my best friends today. I actually met my boyfriend through Catan nights. This is my favorite memory of college.”

I Go To College

Fifth-Graders Attend Classes and a Mock Graduation Ceremony

The excitement was palpable as 254 fifth-graders from Catholic schools across the islands descended on campus to participate in the inaugural “I Go To College” event. Gathering at the Sullivan Family Library Lawn, 20 students from St. Theresa Honolulu were playing cornhole, spike ball and Jenga, as they waited for fellow students to arrive from St. Catherine, St. Anthony’s on Maui, St. Theresa Kauai, Holy Family Catholic Academy, Mary Star of the Sea, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Saint Louis, St. John Vianney, St. Joseph Parish School, and St. Joseph in Hilo. Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington welcomed the students, their teachers and chaperones to campus.

“This is all they could talk about yesterday and today on the bus,” said St. Theresa Honolulu fifth-grade teacher Alyssa Yabes of the students. “Some of them were even saying that they were going to graduate from college even before their older siblings.”

Started approximately 15 years ago on the mainland, the “I Go To College” program aims to expose 9-12-year-old students to higher education, even before they step onto a middle school campus. According to Llewellyn Young, Ph.D., superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools, this type of early exposure encourages these fifth graders to start thinking about attending college.

“I’ve seen the anecdotal results of these visits,” said Young, a former dean at Arizona Western, where “I Go To College” visits have taken place since 2010. “We want these kids to see that going to college isn’t such a far-fetched idea. It is achievable.”

Sitting across from each other during “What’s for Dinner? Setting an Interfaith Table” with Sister Malia Wong, Ph.D., Keslen Carroll and Julia Carlos from Holy Family Catholic Academy were enthusiastic about being on campus, both expressing that they plan to attend college.

Keslen Carroll receives her diploma from Drs. Lynn Babington and Lance Askildson during a mock commencement at Mamiya Theatre.
Keslen Carroll receives her diploma from Drs. Lynn Babington and Lance Askildson during a mock commencement at Mamiya Theatre.

“This is going to be a good day,” said Carlos, with a wide smile. “I’m not sure where I want to go college, but maybe Idaho University because I like the snow.”

A seven-year longitudinal study* of a college prep program for middle school students showed that “college visits were an integral part of the program.” Students who went on a campus visit had more positive perceptions of college than those who did not. Research also shows the importance of starting college and career planning, and awareness in middle school. Early exposure to a college campus makes a difference, especially among first-generation college-bound, and other underrepresented groups, which are an integral element to increase college enrollment and diversity on campus.

“We’re trying to make the transition from grade school to university as seamless as possible,” said Dr. Janet Davidson, Chaminade Vice Provost and Academic Affairs Professor, who helped organize the day’s event. “We’re hoping that these kids will continue with their education and with their Catholic journey.”

Before setting off on their campus tour, students were divided into eight groups, offering a more intimate setting to simulate the typical Chaminade class size. Class topics varied from “Landing on the Moon on Mars—An Engineering Design Challenge” and EDventures in Science: Water is Life” to “Agriculture and Food Waste” and “Pocket Sharks & Water Bears: An Introduction to Biodiversity.”

“By the time they’re in grade eight or nine, it’s almost too late to spark their interest in college,” Young said. “We’re collaborating with Chaminade in a way that we’ve never collaborated in the past. When I approached Drs. Babington and Askildson about ‘I Go to College,’ they were thrilled, and immediately said yes. This is our pilot year and we’re already talking about how to refine it for next year.”  

Students ended the day with a “graduation” ceremony at Mamiya Theatre with Dr. Lynn Babington and Chaminade Provost Dr. Lance Askildson presenting them with certificates. 

“You are now part of our Silversword ‘ohana,” Babington told students. “I hope you learned a lot after completing your first full day of college.” 

*Research in Middle Level Education, Rich A. Radcliffe & Liz C. Stephens, 2008

Fifth-graders attended classes, toured the campus and participated in a mock Commencement during “I Go To College” event, which aims to expose 9-12-year-old students to higher education.

Art Teacher

Amy Rose Craig ’18 overcomes obstacles on her path to becoming an art teacher

During her senior year at University of South Florida, Amy Rose Craig required surgery to remove a benign tumor the size of a beach ball. Her fiancé had left her for another woman. And she could neither work nor attend classes, setting her back emotionally, financially and academically. It was a disastrous trifecta that had her in a downward spiral and ready to quit.

Then, she had an epiphany.

“I discovered my own faith,” says Craig ’18 (Master’s of Art Teaching), with tears welling up in her eyes. “I asked God to intervene and to help me.”

This would be her first proverbial miracle.

“The hospital forgave my $30,000 debt,” Craig recalls. “And my professors all gave me A’s. It was truly a miracle.”

While recovering from surgery, her friends convinced her that she needed time to recuperate. So, she decided—wisely or not—to pack up her bags and work for a Northern Michigan Christian camp, making the 1,800-mile drive with her surgical sutures still intact. For two years, she worked at SpringHill Experiences with children with disabilities, bringing out the artistic talent in them.

Amy Rose Craig '18 now teaches art at Honolulu Museum of Art.
Amy Rose Craig ’18 now teaches art at Honolulu Museum of Art.

Faith would have it that Craig would befriend someone at the camp who was set to start a ministry at the University of Hawai‘i–Mānoa. A few months later, she found herself on a flight across the Pacific headed to then-named Honolulu International Airport.

“I was trying to enroll in UH’s BFA program, but I kept facing hurdles,” Craig says. “Again, I leaned on God to help me get through UH.”

And again, she received an answer from a higher being.

Craig would eventually graduate with her BA, matriculating in what she calls her own BFA program. Then she says she had a calling. As she pondered what to do next, she did a Google search, typing in four key words: master arts teaching hawaii. Chaminade University appeared at the top of the page.

“I didn’t even know there was such a program,” Craig says. “I was already teaching art on and off, so I applied and got in right away.”

To make ends meet, Craig worked part-time at the Cheesecake Factory in Waikīkī. It wouldn’t last long. But her luck was changing. Out of the blue, she received a letter from Kailua High School’s then-principal Francine Honda, who invited her in for an interview for an undisclosed job opening.  

“It turns out they had several emergency hire teaching positions open, and the one that they wanted me for was FSC/CBI (Fully Self Contained/Community Based Instruction),” Craig explains. “Teaching kids life and job skills, and helping them function in life; the position sounded wonderful.”

Her interview with Honda would again alter her life’s trajectory. “She explained to me that even though I would need to change the focus of my new master’s program, she thought that a master’s in special education was a much better fit for the art education role I was trying to design for myself, and she turned out to be right.”

Honda advised Craig that she could use art modalities and processes in many creative ways in meeting her Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) goals, which she has since instituted in her studios and classrooms. 

When Craig first entered University of South Florida, she had never stepped foot in an educational institution. Her parents not only mistrusted the public education system, but they didn’t believe in home schooling, preferring what Craig calls “unschooling.”

“They were pioneers long before home schooling entered the national lexicon,” Craig says. “I had an unusaul childhood, and we lived off the grid, moving around from northern, southern, eastern and western parts of the country.”

So when she started her undergraduate studies in Florida, she not only lacked structure, patterns and discipline, but she was never diagonsed with a learning disability, unable to do the simplest of assignments, such as write a short essay or solve simple math problems.

“Getting my master’s at Chaminade—knowing I had moderate disabilities—was one of the key [elements] that helped me begin to understand and unlock,” Craig asserts. “I started treating and advocating for myself as a person who had disabilities. Up until that point, I had hidden and ignored it, and I did my best to work around it and I kept it a secret. I was embarrassed and ashamed.”

In her bestseller “Educated,” American author Tara Westover writes about overcoming her survivalist Mormon family in order to go to college, and emphasizes the importance of education in enlarging her world. It’s a memoir that Craig strongly identifies with and relates to, having endured years of emotional and physical isolation, lack of support and empathy.

“I was part of my parents’ great social experiment,” says Craig, with a tinge of irony. “I always felt I was walking on egg shells, which is the title of one of my performances, and it is what I experienced during my childhood.”

Craig is currently a Teaching Artist at Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMa) studio arts, where her workshops/sessions are open to pre-school keiki and adults alike, covering a variety of subjects, from an overview of art and drawing to painting and assemblage. Her class, ‘Finding Beauty in the Everyday,” was inspired by walks with her mom in the forest, where she would collect leaves or anything that she deemed beautiful, and glue them to what she now calls “Amy’s Nature Sticks.”

“I resented how I was educated,” Craig says. “But now I’ve come full circle with a new perspective. I overcame a lot of obstacles to be where I am today, and I am glad I didn’t quit.”