Marian Apparitions - A Mother's Plea Presentation @ Sts. Peter & Paul Church (Honolulu), 5-17-2026

I had a sense this presentation was somehow going to be extra-special.  There were seemingly heavenly affirmations leading up to it ... then the attendance was surprisingly big!  Plus, from the very start, the audience showed an intensity of interest that I don't often see in the beginning; it takes some time to warm up participants, but people's eyes were glued to the slideshow, early on, indicating just how eager they were for the information being shared!

So the Marian Apparitions I featured included: Akita, Betania, Cuapa, Fatima, Champion, Heede, Kibeho, Lourdes, and Paris (Miraculous Medal apparitions) ... and when I periodically polled the audience by a show of hands, I was surprised to discover that the majority had never heard of most of these sacred destinations, not even Fatima or Lourdes?!!!  Perhaps the reason why many seemed so intrigued.

A statue of Our Lady of LaSalette displayed

in the church for the month of May.

I spoke about the common fundamental points of our Blessed Mother's messages: CONVERSION, PRAYER, PENANCE, and frequenting the SACRAMENTS (e.g. Eucharist and Confession).  And the need to follow through with putting the messages into action rather than just being nonchalant bystanders; how our personal follow-through can not only positively change our lives, but also bring about the conversion of others.

As for the relics I displayed - they were from St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Catherine Laboure, the Fatima Seers ... and other Marian mystics: St. Faustina Kowalska and St. Padre Pio.  After the talk, everyone came up to the display table to venerate the relics and to touch medals and prayer cards I provided to them.  Many were in awe and deeply impressed by the up-close encounter with the Saints they had just heard about.

And lastly, one of the unexpected highlights for this author was an elderly woman who approached me after the talk to show me two rose petals with holy figures on them, something I had spoken about as potential signs at apparition sites.  One petal was impressed with St. Mother Teresa's face and another with St. Padre Pio's face.  She said the images inexplicably appeared after Bro. Carmelo Cortez (an alleged Filipino Marian visionary) had prayed over the petals.  I asked the lady if I could snap pics of the petals to include them in a future talk, and imagine my surprise when she said, "You can have one."  I ended up picking St. Pio.  What a wonderful gift from Heaven and a great way to close the presentation!  I knew it was going to be extra-special and it was.  God is good!

The "Padre Pio Rose Petal" gifted to this ministry

(compare the image with the inset of the Saint's photo).

Nature is God's beautiful "picture book" ...

After attending noon Mass yesterday in Downtown, Honolulu, I sat near a planter to take a quick break ... and serendipitously, a leaf with an odd brown blotch caught my attention.  It somehow reminded me of the Holy Grotto of Lourdes.

"There is a great book:

the very appearance of created things.

Look above you!  Look below you!

Note it.  Read it."

- St. Augustine of Hippo

Pilgrimages: Journeys of Faith Presentation @ St. Anthony of Padua Church (Kailua), 5-14-2026

On May 14th, at my parish of St. Anthony of Padua Church, this ministry was invited to speak on the topic of Pilgrimage.  So I explained the biblical foundation of Catholic pilgrimages and how "sacred journeys" have always been part of humanity’s search for God.  From the Exodus of Israel to the pilgrimages made to Jerusalem during the time of Christ, Scriptures narrate how God often calls His people to encounter Him through travel, sacrifice, and devotion; a metaphor of an internal spiritual progression.

Relics on display: Sts. Francisco & Jacinta of Fatima,

St. Catherine Laboure, & St. Bernadette of Lourdes

I also discussed how the early Christians inherited this tradition and continued it by visiting places closely connected to the life of Christ, the Apostles, and the holy martyrs.  These sacred destinations became places of prayer, repentance, healing, and spiritual renewal for generations of believers.

"Pilgrimage is a powerful expression

of faith—one that reminds us that we are

always on a journey toward God."

– St. Pope John Paul II

Finally, I explored how pilgrimages continue to endure today and are still encouraged by the Church as an important form of popular piety and spiritual devotion ... and highlighted several major types of pilgrimage destinations, including: the holy places of the Holy Land and Rome, where pilgrims walk in the footsteps of Christ and the Apostles; the importance of saint and relic shrines, where the faithful honor the witness and intercession of the saints; and Marian apparition sites that have become centers of prayer and conversion for millions around the world.  Through pilgrimages, believers continue to deepen their faith, seek God’s grace, and experience a living connection to the history and spiritual heritage of the Church.