Saints & Holy Relics Visitation & Speaking Presentation: Dona Residence, 4/11/2015

Me, with my two lovely hosts.

I've conducted many speaking presentations in private home-settings and it usually takes me a little while to get comfortable with my surroundings... but when I walked into the Dona Residence in Mililani Town last night to do one of Saints & Holy Relics Presentations, I immediately felt at ease.  It wasn't just the sincere warmth expressed by my hosts - Mrs. Ellen Dona and her daughter, Paz - but it really felt like I was in a relative's house.  Hearing the people speak "Tagalog" (a dialect from the Philippines), smelling the delicious Filipino dishes on the dining room table, and seeing a home-shrine to the Santo Nino (Holy Child) in the living room with other devotional images; it all felt wonderfully familiar to me.

I also sensed that I was in a home where Faith was alive.  In fact, I later learned that my host - "Auntie Ellen", as I started calling her - had actually been to the Marian apparition sites of Medjugorje and Lipa in the Philippines... so it all came together for me as to why I felt so much at awe and at peace in the home; we shared the same spiritual mother - our dearest Blessed Virgin Mary!

So at this presentation, we started off by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet together (it was the last day of the Divine Mercy Novena) before I had the joy and privilege of sharing about our Church's spiritual heroes with a large group of over 20 people.  The roster of Blesseds and Saints, whose 1st and 2nd Class Relics I shared about included the following holy persons:  Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernadette of Lourdes, Bl. Bartolo Longo, St. Damien of Molokai, St. Pope John Paul II, Bl. Maria of the Angels Ginard Marti, Bl. Maria Pierina de Micheli, St. Padre Pio, Bl. Peter To Rot, the veil of the Blessed Virgin, and my small sliver of wood from the True Cross of Jesus Christ.

   

The makeshift altar on which was

displayed my large Divine Mercy statue

and the 12 Relics I brought for public

veneration by the audience.

During the talk, there were a few times when I was almost at a loss for words and felt somewhat "out of myself", being very moved by the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst.  I think some in the audience felt His spiritual presence, too.

After the presentation, the questions and positive feedback received from the participants was confirmation that the message of the Saints was well-received, and interest in the Blesseds/Saints had been sparked.  Many individuals took the time for a few moments of personal prayer before the display altar and a lot of them took home devotional items - Holy Face Medals, informational brochures, prayer cards, and 2nd/3rd Class Relics - that I freely offered on a separate table. 

   

The devotional items I brought to share

with the people were almost gone by the

end of the night, which means faith- seeds

were planted and interest was sparked.

I am always highly contented after each of my talks when I have at least one person come up to me to express that he/she had learned something new about this important aspect of our Holy Faith; tonight there were many who said they did.  So mission accomplished, thanks to the grace of God and the intercession of our Blessed Mother and the Blesseds/Saints.

And finally, my heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to my mother and daughter hosts; not just for the hospitality they expressed... but also for the special gift they donated to my ministry.  Auntie Ellen purchased a portable projector screen, especially for this presentation, and she informed me that it was for me to take home for use in my future presentations.  I never expect anything for my presentations... and their kind gesture deeply touched me because I really needed a screen, but never had the opportunity to purchase one because of financial obligations... so God bless Auntie Ellen and Paz, most abundantly, for their immense generosity!  God is good!