Over the last year, the `ohana, our lay associates in Hawai`i, have been celebrating their 35th anniversary of association with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in Hawai`i. The `ohana began on the island of O`ahu in 1988 and on Maui two years later.
Evelyn “Evie” Char, a charter member of the O`ahu `ohana in 1988, shared what being “companions on the journey” has meant to her: “`Ohana means non-biological family; that’s exactly what the CSJs are to me. Being an affiliate has taught me about feminine spirituality, ways to raise my five children in various stages of their development and, later in life, being companions as we age. Being an `ohana member is such an integral part of my life that I cannot imagine it otherwise.”