Hawaii's New Shrine to St. Anthony of Padua

The votive Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua

in the Church of St. Anthony in Kailua, Oahu.

The case to the right of the statue encloses a

certified 1st Class (bone) Relic of the Saint.

Today, our Kailua parish had the joy of dedicating our newly redesigned reliquary to St. Anthony of Padua - the only shrine in Hawaii, as far as I'm aware, that has a rare bodily relic of the illustrious Saint of Miracles!  The shrine was formerly situated at the other end of the church, under the main crucifix... but our priest - Fr. Clarence Zamora - felt that it belonged in a much worthier and accessible setting (and rightfully so).

       

Fr. Clarence blessing our parish's new

shrine to our patron, St. Anthony of Padua.

The students from the parochial school

assisted in the ceremony by bringing up

lit candles for the recently donated

votive candle stand.

So with the generous help of a few parishioners, Fr. Clarence ordered a votive candle stand for the devotional use of our faith community and set about making arrangements to move the relic to its current resting place.  The redesigned shrine utilized a niche and a marble statue of the Saint that was already in place within the church... and once the candle stand arrived, plans moved quickly and smoothly, culminating in a simple devotional space that fits in well with our unique church interior - it's beautiful!

I am now looking forward to seeing rows of lit candles offered by our parishioners and guests in observance of a time-honored and highly symbolic Christian tradition.  My sincere prayer is that from this hallowed place, St. Anthony will shed his blessings on all who have recourse to his powerful and effective intercession.

The original sketch I did for our priest of

the redesigned shrine to St. Anthony of Padua

and the first location of the reliquary when

it was under the church's familiar crucifix.

If you happen to live on the island of Oahu (Hawaii), or just visiting our islands, feel free to stop by our Kailua church.  All are welcomed to seek St. Anthony's intercession before his Sacred Relic and to light a candle as an expression of our faith in him... and in Jesus Christ, the Light of the World!

* * *  UPDATE:  A GREAT TESTIMONIAL FOUND IN GOOGLE REVIEWS * * *

For directions to St. Anthony of Padua Church in Kailua, click here.

First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony's Church, 12/1/2012

 

Mary, the Mystical Rose, awaits the

prayers of her children in our chapel.

 

'nothing really new to report about this month's First Saturday Rosary other than the fact that we happily welcomed three newbies to the prayer meeting... and welcomed back a semi-regular participant who recently had heart surgery; it was a comfort to learn that he is recovering well.

 

Holy Relics of the True Cross of Jesus (left),

Our Lady (center), & Bl. Eugenia Ravasco.

 

As with past meetings, it was simply very special... and it was just today that it dawned on me that the bond among the regular participants has deeply grown over this past year; we've become a spiritual family under the Blessed Mother's maternal care and it's a genuine blessing.  For the thirty minutes that we're all praying the Holy Rosary together in the Day Chapel, it feels like time stops and all of our cares and worries are set aside as we're engulfed in a "bubble" of peace and a sense of the Divine.  Even a lady who joined us for the first time, today, testified that she appreciated the calm that came over her while she prayed the rosary, especially since she's been going through some difficult times recently.  She left looking much lighter than when she first walked in.

 

 

A new participant seeking Our Lady's

blessings and venerating the Holy Relics

on the display altar, including a 1st Class

Relic of Bl. Eugenia Ravasco (right) 

 

Our featured holy person was Bl. Eugenia Ravasco (d. 1900), the Italian founder of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary... and it is always encouraging for me to see the expression on the participants' faces whenever I share about a little-known Saint or Blessed with them - I can clearly tell that most of the audience are genuinely interested and/or inspired in some way when they learn about the heroes of our Catholic Faith.  So tonight we had Bl. Eugenia's relic present on the display altar along with Our Lady's veil-relic... plus my relic of the True Cross, which was especially requested by one of the regular participants.

 

The next First Saturday Rosary for Peace will be prayed "next year" on January 5th.  All are invited to join us in welcoming 2013 with prayers for PEACE, for ourselves, our families... and for our troubled world.  Until then...

 

Merry, Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Saint of the Month - December 2012: Saint Charbel Makhlouf

St. Charbel Makhlouf

Man of Silence & Virtue

Feast: July 24th

Youssef ("Joseph") Makhlouf was born on May 8, 1828, to a poor Lebanese family.  Being a pious boy, he entertained thoughts of one day becoming a religious but his family opposed his plans and put obstacles along his vocational path.

At age 23, Youssef secretly left his home and entered the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, where he became a monk and a hermit for the rest of his long life.  He chose for his religious name, “Charbel”, after an early Christian Martyr who lived and died in the area.  As a testimonial to his resolve to follow God, when his family discovered his whereabouts, his mother went to the monastery in an attempt to convince him to return home; he flatly refused and had his superiors send her away.

At Annaya, Charbel distinguished himself through his fervent practice of the faith, his habitual silence, and his immense devotion to the Holy Eucharist.  His reputation for holiness spread beyond the walls of the monastery and many sought him out for guidance and blessings.  His clients were hardly disappointed, as many came away from his presence comforted or physically and/or spiritually healed of their ailments… or a recipient of some other favor Charbel had performed on their behalf.

In his final years, the holy monk obtained permission to live as a solitary hermit and continued to practice strict self-discipline and mortifications - i.e. fasting, wearing a hair shirt, sleeping on the ground with a log for a pillow, etc. - until his death from a stroke in December 1898.

After his burial, the other monks and the townspeople witnessed a brilliant light which emanated for several days above his grave.  The excitement caused by the luminous display, along with the reported healings that were happening at the tomb, prompted the monks to exhume Charbel’s body to transfer it to a worthier tomb – to their amazement, the body was found completely incorrupt and as flexible as a living person.  The body also began "sweating" a mysterious liquid (manna) that occasioned healings for those who invoked the dead monk’s intercession.

Charbel was elevated to the ranks of the Saints in October, 1977, and his monastery at Annaya continues to attract pilgrims from all over the world, Christians and non-Christians alike.  

Although his body is no longer preserved, and the manna has since ceased to flow, miracles are still reported at St. Charbel's tomb.  In fact, it's one of the most visited religious sites in Lebanon.  May he pray for our personal needs and the needs of the entire Church.

A Reflection
Saints are the special friends of God... and when we befriend the Saints, we also befriend God.

A Short Prayer
Dear St. Charbel, help us to practice holy silence that we may listen more clearly to the words and inspirations of God.  Amen.