Saints and Relics in Waimanalo!

Praise the Lord!  Oahu has another public place of devotion where locals and visitors can come to pray and personally encounter Saints through their precious, sacred relics.  This new reliquary-shrine is located in St. George Church in Waimanalo.

Some of the backstory: last year, during the St. George Parish's annual September Feast Day Celebration for St. Lorenzo Ruiz, I happened to have a talk with the resident priest, Fr. Raymund ("Fr. Ray").  When he expressed his personal interest in relics, I suggested he make use of their relic of St. George the Martyr.  The priest replied, "What relic?" ... so I proceeded to tell him about the 1st Class (bone) Relic that was embedded at the base of a large icon of their Saint hanging high at the back of his church (see below).  Fr. Ray was surprised; in the 5 years he's been at that parish, he was well-aware of the icon but never noticed the spiritual treasure that was there all along (as far as I can recall, the reliquary-icon was in the same spot in that church for 40+ years).

For those not familiar with St. George, he was a secret Christian born in Cappadocia (now in Turkey), who served as a Roman soldier in the region of Lydda during the reign of the pagan emperor, Diocletian.  When the emperor launched his persecution of Christians in 303 A.D., he first ordered all his public officials - including his vast army - to make offerings to Rome's pagan deities.  At that point, St. George bravely professed his faith in Jesus Christ and flatly refused to worship heathen gods.  He was consequently apprehended, but stood firm in his beliefs, despite cruel torture; miracles were said to have been worked by St. George during his trial and, along with his active evangelization while imprisoned, he drew many converts to Christ.  In the end, the Saint was beheaded for his faith in our one true God, thus earning him the glorious palm of martyrdom.

Devotion to this Martyr flourished after his heroic death and was at an all-time high during the Middle Ages.  He was counted among the popular group of Patron Saints known as the "14 Holy Helpers".  This group included such Saints as St. Barbara, St. Blaise, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Christopher, St. Margaret of Antioch, and other Martyrs and Saints from the early period of the Church.  The "Helpers" were renowned for their effective intercession and St George, in particular, was invoked against skin diseases.  Furthermore, his veneration is something we share with our Eastern/Orthodox brethren who grandly refer to him as either the "Holy Great-Martyr St. George" or "St. George the Wonder Worker".

So, going back to Fr. Ray - after our conversation, he later went into the church and was excited to discover the relic; he then called me to ask for advice on how to better honor it.  Having grown up in Waimanalo and being a former parishioner, I was familiar with the church layout and suggested he establish a new prayer space near the front of the church for the relic.  I also provided him with a sketch of what I envisioned for a suitable shrine that would blend in with the existing church interior.

Fast-forward to now - this ministry is happy to report that Fr. Ray acted on my suggested design and had the cruciform shrine constructed with the assistance of a carpenter-parishioner; it turned out beautiful!

Last night, St. George Parish began its annual 9-day Novena leading up to the Feast of St. George on April 23rd.  In conjunction with the start of the novena, a blessing ceremony to inaugurate the shrine and formally install - not just the relic of St. George - but also a hair-relic of St. Damien of Molokai and a "memorial stone" of St. Lorenzo Ruiz (from the site of his martyrdom in Japan) was celebrated! ... And this ministry had the privilege of introducing the relics to the attendees, via a Saints & Relics Presentation.

ABOVE:  This author's original design concept.

BELOW:  The finished shrine, which was

intended to mimic the look of the abstract 

crucifix behind the main altar (left photo).

     

It goes without saying that the event was meaningful and edifying, thanks mostly to Fr. Ray's enthusiasm and pride over the new shrine ... and those of us present responded, likewise.

The relics being processed to their new shrine

where Fr. Ray blessed and incensed them.

I left the church very hopeful that, going forward, "St. George the Wonder Worker" will be blessing his parishioners in a special way, along with Sts. Damien and Lorenzo.  I sense this shrine will bear much good fruit for all the Waimanalo community.

ABOVE:  Parishioners venerating the relics

after the night's novena prayers.

BELOW:  Me, with Fr. Ray ... in front of the 

end-result of our successful collaboration.

If you're a Waimanalo resident, or just happen to be passing through Windward Oahu, make a "mini-pilgrimage" to St. George Church for Mass and veneration; take advantage of the special presence of the Saints in their rare bodily remains!  As this ministry can readily testify, time and time again, God works through his Saints and their relics ... and miracles and graces are often just a prayer away!

St. George, Soldier and Martyr,

pray for us!