Speaking Presentation & Holy Relics Presentation: Sacred Heart Church, 9/13/2016

The large statue outside the church

Praises be to God!  Tonight, I was privileged to bring the lives and relics of Jesus, Mary, and 11 Saints/Blesseds to yet another parish on the island of Oahu.  This time around, I was invited to speak at the Sacred Heart Church in Waianae by its team of RCIA facilitators.  I've never been to this parish before, given its distant and remote location on the leeward coast of the island, so I was excited to be able to faith-share with some of the members of the small, close-knit community.

But this presentation was actually the most difficult for me to prepare for; many obstacles were thrown at me due to work and personal matters.  In particular, I was incapacitated for several days last week by a severe cold... and then also developed an uncomfortable, oozing pink eye.  Plus on top of it all, my presentation slideshow and relics weren't even prepped yet. I was almost on the verge of cancelling the presentation, but instead, I mustered all the faith I had in the Lord, trusting that He would make me well enough to speak tonight and help me to finish my preparations.... and sure enough, I recovered, finished my prep-work, and received a green light from my doctor to proceed with the presentation.  In lieu of how things turned out this evening, I'm glad I wasn't forced to cancel.

   

Left: Devotional medals and informational 

pamphlets on several Saints and Blesseds

for free distribution.  Right: Some of the

Sacred Heart parish's RCIA members and

sponsors awaiting the presentation

My new Waianae spiritual family proved themselves to be an open-hearted audience. Despite the presentation lasting longer than normal, they were patient and showed genuine interest in the various topics I discussed throughout the talk. Afterwards, many of them enthusiastically collected the Holy Face Medals and various devotional pamphlets that I brought with me for distribution... before venerating a splinter of wood from the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ and the relics of Our Lady; St. Joseph; Bl. Alberto Marvelli; St. Bernadette of Lourdes; Bl. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez; St. Gemma Galgani; St. Lucy of Syracuse; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque; St. Maria Goretti; Bl. Maria Pierina de Micheli; St. Padre Pio; and the recently canonized, St. Teresa of Calcutta.

   

After the presentation, audience members

collected devotional items and venerated

the relics of Our Lord, our Blessed Mother,

& Saints and Blesseds on the display altar.

If receiving an invitation to return for another talk is any indication of a positive response, then I think I can safely report that tonight's presentation was very well-received; the inhabitants of Heaven have done their work of evangelization - Our Lord and Our Lady, along with the Saints and Blesseds, have left their blessed mark in the hearts and minds of the Waianae faith-community.  Thanks be to God!