Looking back, it's been an exceptionally busy year for this ministry; exhausting at times, but I'm still happy and thankful. It means I had the opportunity to introduce more people to the lives of our various Saints & Blesseds - our awesome Faith Heroes - and, hopefully, inspired some to a deeper appreciation of our faith the way the Saints have done for me. So I was glad to do today's presentation for my Kailua parish's RCIA group; an opportunity to squeeze in one last talk and closeout my 2018 on a high note, as far as my spiritual life goes.
The relic display altar setup for this
morning's presentation.
The audience I spoke to, from my understanding, was comprised of individuals new to Catholicism and right from the start I sensed enthusiasm; a sincere thirst to learn more about the different aspects of our Faith. Being able to educate them about one important aspect - our rich tradition of honoring Mary and the Saints - was a privilege.
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| Another view of the relic display. |
As I always do for all my Saints & Relics Presentations, I began with a summary of the Canonization Process before narrating the lives of several holy individuals who are currently going through the process. For an example of a Servant of God, I featured Julia Greeley (d. 1918), a former slave who died in Colorado; for a Venerable, it was Carlo Acutis (d. 2006), a teenaged computer wiz from Italy; for a Blessed I spoke about Fr. Solanus Casey (d. 1957), the miracle-working Capuchin from Detroit. I ended the talk with the lives of three Canonized persons, all members of the same family - St. Louis and Zelie Martin, and their ever-popular daughter, St. Therese the Little Flower.
My ministry's trademark relic display was also part of the talk. The lineup of relics included not just Bl. Solanus and the sainted Martin Family, but there were also relics of St. Bernadette of Lourdes and the Holy Family, in keeping with the Christmas Season.
We closed this morning's RCIA session by praying the Our Father together. Not sure about everyone else, but for me, it seemed it wasn't just our group praying, but I also felt the supportive presence of the saintly individuals I spoke about - praying with us and for us; drawing down grace from above. We were in good company... and as I stated earlier, it's a good way to end the year on a high note.
Happy, Blessed New
Year to us all!
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