Feast Day Celebrations: St. Anthony of Padua Church in Kailua, 6/13/2013

A powerful sight to see... 5 visiting priests

concelebrate the Feast Day Mass with our

parish priests, Fr. Clarence (far left) and

Fr. Exsequel (far right).

 

I have just one word to describe my parish's evening celebration in honor of our Patron Saint's Feast Day: AWESOME!  Compared to last year's event, this one was "super-sized" with more food, more people, and definitely more celebration!  My guess-timate counted 300+ parishioners and visitors who came to our Kailua parish to honor and venerate St. Anthony of Padua. 

 

After the Mass, parishioners lined up

to honor and touch the Sacred Relic of St.

Anthony.  In the center is pictured the

votive shrine in our church where the

relic is normally kept.

 

At the start of the festivities, we welcomed five priests from neighboring parishes, who participated in an exhibition basketball game against our parochial school students (the priests were victorious!)... and later concelebrated a beautiful Mass with our priests, Fr. Clarence and Fr. Exsequel.  After the Mass, our congregation was invited to come forward to touch or kiss the reliquary that held the little bone fragment from St. Anthony's hallowed remains.  It was a moving scene to see so many people paying tribute to the holy man who countless devotees around the world have come to recognize and love as a truly great Saint.  I sensed his presence among us... blessing us and interceding for our special prayer intentions and our personal needs.  It was definitely special with the Holy Spirit and power of God being extra-tangible in the church.

 

Just a sampling of the many dishes

that our parishioners brought in for the

celebration. The food reflected the diverse

ethnic background of our community.

 

After the service, everyone headed over to our parish hall where a potluck dinner awaited us.  Tables were set-up in different areas of the hall, reflecting many food dishes from diverse ethnic backgrounds: American, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Mexican, and Portuguese.  It looked like a food court in the hall... and there was even a whole roasted pig (Lechon!), which was a big hit with the hungry crowd; the poor little pig was gone in no time ('loved the crispy pork skin)!

 

Parishioners and guests, gathered in

our parish hall to celebrate with food and

music. Me, and a few of our parish women,

standing watch at the Mexican Food

Station (center).

 

Video: Our "Kupuna" (elders) dance a

prayer of blessing in the Hawaiian language

before the start of our meal.

 

While we enjoyed our meals, several groups of parishioners entertained us with music and hula (Hawaiian dance).  Even the group of priests, instigated by Fr. Exsequel, were persuaded to come up to the stage to sing us a song.  To be fair, they were good and carried the tune well... but I still wouldn't recommend they quit their day jobs any time soon to switch to a career in music - God bless them!

 

Video: 7 priests entertaining

the crowd with a song.

 

All in all, it was a fantastic and memorable evening, thanks to the planning efforts of a small, dedicated group of volunteers... and of course, the generous participation of the parishioners and guests who came to show their love for St. Anthony.  We made our dear Saint the bright star of today's events, and rightfully so... in return, he blessed us by bringing our Kailua community together in enthusiastic expression of our Catholic Faith and Traditions, and in the Joy of Christian Fellowship.

 

Thank you, Lord Jesus... thank you for giving us (and the rest of the world) the gift of St. Anthony of Padua.