2023 Feast Day Celebration of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

Tonight, 9/28/2023, Fr. Raymund and the St. George Parish's Filipino Association organized a celebration to honor St. Lorenzo Ruiz - the first official Saint of the Philippines.  The event included Mass, lots of great food, fellowship, and live entertainment ... and this ministry was privileged to be able to participate in it.

St. George Parishioners sure know

how to throw a party!

Before the Mass ended, I was invited to speak about the life of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and the significance of Saints, who affirm the possibility of us attaining holiness ourselves; the value of our Saints' intercessory help; and the relevance of relics, their sacred remains.

Can you believe this family friend of

mine is 90-years-old?  Wow!!!

The turnout was bigger than ever and, as with prior-year celebrations, everything came together smoothly, making for a fantastic San Lorenzo Fiesta!

St. Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us! 

In Hawaii it wouldn't be a complete

celebration without a hula dancer.

Monthly Message from the Queen of Peace of Medjugorje: September 2023

Message given to Marija on September 25th, 2023:

  "Dear Children!  I am calling you to strong prayer.  Modernism wants to enter into your thoughts and steal from you the joy of prayer and of meeting with Jesus.  That is why, my dear little children, renew prayer in your families, so that my motherly heart may be joyful as in the first days, when I had chosen you, and day and night prayer resounded -- and Heaven was not silent but abundantly bestowed peace and blessing on this place of grace.  Thank you for having responded to my call."

Saints & Relics Presentation: St. Ann Church Women's Group, 9/19/2023

It was a wonderful night of prayer, fellowship, and testimony with the ladies of St. Ann Church in Kaneohe. This ministry was again invited and welcomed to faith-share with the group - this time around about our dear Saints and devotion to relics.

Featured were the lives and relics of St. Bernadette of Lourdes, Bl. Carmen of the Child Jesus, St. Faustina Kowalska, Pope St. John Paul II, Servant of God Maria Domenica Lazzeri, Maria Goretti, Bl. Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung, St. Peregrine Laziosi, and St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Table 1 (above): Relics of St. Maria,

St. John Paul II, St. Peregrine, & St. Teresa

Margaret of the Sacred Heart.

Table 2 (below): Relics of Bl. Nicholas,

Bl. Carmen, St. Faustina, SoG Domenica,

& St. Bernadette of Lourdes.

At the end of the talk many of the attendees enthusiastically venerated the relics, while also sharing about which Saints particularly impressed them.  Their feedback ranged from forgiving an ex-spouse in order to hopefully trigger a conversion (following the example of Maria Goretti and her killer, Alessandro Serenelli) ... to simply trying to love others more in order to experience God in a deeper manner (following St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart's example).

A photo sent to this ministry by the organizer.
 

Above all things, this ministry wanted the women to go home knowing that it is God's will that we all become Saints ... and it is not impossible.  It simply starts with love.  After all, GOD IS LOVE.

GOD is LOVE

A photo taken of the sun directly

over the Honolulu Cathedral Basilica

of Our Lady of Peace - the Heart of

God shines its Love upon us!

"And so we know and rely

on the love God has for us.

GOD IS LOVE.

Whoever lives in love lives

in God, and God in them."

- 1 John 4:16

GOD is full of surprises!

"But as for me, the nearness of God

is my good; I have made the Lord God my

refuge, that I may tell of all Your works."

- Psalm 73:28

If we but open our eyes in faith, we'll see that our Lord is full of small, yet meaningful surprises.  It's true.

Just yesterday - 9/11/2023 (a historic date  for the USA!) - while this author was at the noon Mass in the Honolulu Cathedral, I noticed a small stain on the floor - reminded me of a large drop of dried blood or coffee - at the spot where I regularly sit.  I never noticed it before and I avoided being near it, not knowing what it actually was ... but when I knelt with my head down during the Consecration, I took another look and noticed something remarkable about it.

After the Mass, I snapped this pic of the stain ...

'not saying it's really Jesus or that it's a miracle ... but, coincidentally, I am an enthusiastic follower and promoter of the Holy Face Devotion, as seen here ... and here.  And why on 9/11?

It goes without saying, that the image really impressed me.

Personally, rare occasions like these - "spiritual serendipity", as I like to call them .... or "God Moments", as I've heard some others say - have a way of uplifting the soul, as well as, reminding us that our loving Jesus is never far from us!