Speaking Presentation & Holy Relics Visitation: Diocese of Honolulu Faith Formation Conference, 6/18/2016

Several Saints and Blesseds made a positive impact today at the 2016 Faith Formation Conference sponsored by the Diocese of Honolulu at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa (the Little Flower).  The powerful theme of this year's conference, which was attended by 300+ catechists and parish staff from all over Oahu island, was "Mercy Overflowing"; a theme in line with the Church's ongoing celebration of the Year of Mercy that was implemented by Pope Francis, beginning on December 8, 2015, and lasting until November 20, 2016.

During the two-day conference, the participants were given the opportunity to choose from several courses related to the topic of Mercy, that were facilitated by religious and lay people from local parishes.  This year, I was given the honor and privilege of participating as a conference facilitator with a course I titled, "Faces of Mercy: Modern Saints and Their Relics".

I spoke to a full classroom of over 35 individuals of various ages with whom I shared about the Church's Sainthood Process; the relevance of Saints in our faith-lives; and especially featured the following Saints/Blesseds (with their corresponding relics) whose lives exemplified the overall theme of the conference:  Bl. Aniela Salawa, St. Pope John Paul II, Bl. Bartolo Longo, St. John Vianney, St. Maria Goretti, Bl. Maria del Carmen of the Child Jesus, and Bl. Speranza of Jesus.  Other relics that I presented for my audience's veneration were my ministry's relics of the True Cross of our Lord and Our Lady's Veil; relics from St. Louis & Zelie Martin, along with their famous daughter, St. Therese the Little Flower; and finally, St. Philomena, an early-Church Martyr.

       

The relic display altar with 14 relics

(1st & 2nd Class) on exhibit for veneration

... and several devotional items offered to

those present as free take-aways.

After the presentation, it was satisfying for me to see many individuals approaching the display altar to pay their respect to our Saints/Blesseds and to touch the reliquaries with small pieces of fabric I provided to make souvenir 3rd Class Relics.  Several people also took the time to fill-in prayer intention slips to the Saints, which were dropped into my ministry's petition box that is always kept in front of my home-shrine to our Blessed Mother and the Holy Relics.

Overall, it appeared the presentation was very well-received by my audience members.  Evaluation sheets submitted by the participants were, for the most part, completed with high scores and included favorable feedback, as to how the lives and sacred remains of the Saints/Blesseds had deeply impressed them; a goal I was hoping and praying for with my team of prayer supporters.

  

Conference participants awaiting the start

of the presentation... then venerating relics

and completing prayer intention slips to

the Saints and Blesseds after the talk.

I also got to personally speak with several individuals who expressed their gratitude over being able to connect with the Saints/Blesseds in this special manner.  One particular comment that stood out was from an elderly woman who approached me to tell me that she had considered herself a "devoted" person for most of her life... but after hearing the stories of the lives of the Saints/Blesseds I shared, she wanted to be even better.  Praise the Lord!

May our holy spiritual heroes continue to lead us all to a closer walk with Jesus Christ who is, indeed... Mercy Overflowing.

June 13, 2016: Celebrating St. Anthony of Padua

    

Parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua

Church in Kailua, celebrating the feast

of our illustrious Patron Saint (click

on each photo to view larger images).

June 13th.  I was looking forward to today for the past week.  It's, again, the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, which means it's fiesta time for my parish... and we, parishioners, sure know how to celebrate!

First, we started with the customary Feast Day Mass, concelebrated by the three priests of St. Anthony of Padua Church, Kailua, and assisted by our two resident deacons.  The homily, this year, was delivered by Deacon Mike and it was simply brilliant in the way it clearly brought to focus the valuable faith-lessons passed on to us through the life of our great Patron Saint.

Following the Mass was our traditional potluck dinner, which is always a highlight of our annual celebration. This year, the overall theme was "International Gala", which gathered together in our parish hall, a large number of parishioners from diverse ethnic backgrounds... and with them came delectable dishes representing their cultures: Chinese, Hawaiian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, and Portuguese.  There was even a section called "Any Kine Food" for dishes that didn't fit any category - too funny!

But this is why I love Hawaii - it's truly the cultural melting pot of the Pacific... and our parishioners, along with several St. Anthony devotees from other parts of Oahu, all enjoyed the variety of food from around the world: Chicken Adobo, Squid Luau, Kalua Pig, Porcini Mushroom Risotto, Linguini, Sushi, Portuguese Bean Soup, Chili, etc.  My intent was to sample a little from each ethnic section so my first stop was the Chinese table; next it was on to the Hawaiian table; Italian cuisine followed, but I never made it past that country - I was down for the count!

Parishioners entertaining the crowd

with Hawaiian Music and Hula.

Another highlight of the evening was the beautiful entertainment of live, traditional Hawaiian music accompanied by hula dancing, which is always something to be appreciated about our Hawaiian islands.  All in all, it was another great Feast Day Celebration at our church.  Congratulations to our beloved St. Anthony - 'already looking forward to June 13th, 2017!

The Green Scapular: A Gift from Mary's Heart

Often enough, I've had people - family and close friends - confide concerns to me over individuals in their lives who are either living in a wayward manner or left the Catholic Church for another Christian denomination or non-Christian practice.  I empathized with  their worries... and the advice I offered in return was pretty consistent:

1)  Pray very hard for the person and be patient: trust that God is listening and working on your behalf

2)  Set a good, active example of faith for the person; show him/her what it means to be a true Catholic

3)  Enlist the Blessed Virgin's help, via the Green Scapular

Almost always, #3 was followed by immediate questions: What's a Green Scapular?  What is it for?  How do I use it?  or Where do I get one?  etc...  so this post is for people who are in the same boat as us folks - who worry about the spiritual welfare of loved ones who've strayed from the Lord and His Church - and who haven't yet discovered the amazing gift of the Green Scapular, given to us by Mother Mary, herself.  

About the Green Scapular

It all began with a French nun named Sr. Justine Bisqueyburu. Justine was born in 1817 and entered the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (those nuns with the funny "winged" head-wear) in 1837.  By all accounts, she was a model religious and was described as a "living rule" by another nun who worked closely with her for many years.

While on a discernment retreat in 1840 at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, France, Justine experienced the first of a series of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin while praying in the chapel. Interestingly, this is the same chapel where a fellow sister of her congregation - St. Catherine Laboure (d. 1876) - received the world-famous Miraculous Medal revelations from Our Lady only 10 years before.

The Holy Virgin appeared to Justine dressed in her trademark white gown, draped with a sky-blue mantle; no veil covering her head, but rather, her long hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back; at the level of her chest, the Virgin held her Immaculate Heart with both hands - "a heart all ablaze with rays more dazzling than the sun..." - and it was topped with flames of love and pierced with a sword of sorrow (see the drawing below).  During the same retreat, Justine again saw Mary in the same attire; both times, the Mother of Christ did not speak to her, but the experience left the aspiring nun with a burning desire to love and serve God.

Our Lady of the Green Scapular,

as described by Sr. Justine.

After Justine formally entered the novitiate of the Daughters of Charity, Mary reappeared to her five more times. As with the prior two apparitions, she said nothing to the novice, preferring to smile at her sweetly and encouraging her to a deeper faith life with her visible presence.

On September 8th, 1840 - the Feast of Mary's Nativity - while Sr. Justine was assigned to a convent in Blangy, Our Lady again appeared to the young nun. This time around, the Blessed Virgin held her heart in her right hand, while in her left, she held something new - the Green Scapular.  The scapular was comprised of a single piece of green rectangular fabric attached at the end of a long loop of cord of the same color. On one side of the cloth panel was Mary's image, as Justine had seen her several times before... and on the reverse side was the image of her glorious Immaculate Heart surrounded by the words of a short prayer: 

"Immaculate Heart of

Mary, pray for us now and

at the hour of our death."

Sr. Justine was further made to understand that the specific purpose of the Green Scapular was to obtain the spiritual conversion of sinners, via Our Lady's special assistance.

The visionary obediently reported all her private revelations to her superiors and her confessor, who after much discernment, obtained the necessary church approval to have Green Scapulars made and distributed by the Daughters of Charity.  Almost immediately, extraordinary conversions and physical cures were reported through the prayerful use of the new devotional item, which was also being called the "Badge of the Immaculate Heart of Mary"... so much so, that Pope Pius IX approved the Green Scapular Devotion in 1870.

The front panel (left) and the reverse

image of the Green Scapular.

Sr. Justine lived the rest of her life maintaining strict discretion over her heavenly communications; never seeking personal attention or gain from her experiences (a positive indication of a true seer's credibility).  She ministered in different houses operated by her congregation, humbly caring for the aged and the sick until her holy death in 1903.

The visionary of the Green Scapular

"Praying" the Green Scapular

Per the revelations made to Sr. Justine, the Green Scapular should be worn by the person who it is intended for with the scapular prayer being recited daily by the person.  If the intended person does not wish to wear the scapular, or even refuses it, one can place the scapular inconspicuously near the vicinity of the intended individual (e.g. hidden in the bedroom) and the prayer recited daily on behalf of the person whose conversion or healing is being sought.

I do want to stress, as I did in a prior blog I wrote on the Brown Scapular, that the Green Scapular or any other sacramental - medal, relic, statue, etc. - is not a talisman or "lucky charm", nor is it "magical".  To regard it, as such, would be the sacrilege of superstition.  Rather, the power of the Green Scapular lies in the confidence we put in the Blessed Mother's power to intercede; belief in her unique role as mediatrix of graces between her Divine Son and mankind... and, of course, for any sacramental to be effective, faith in God is absolutely necessary.

A Green Scapular Testimonial

I'd like to close this blog with a testimonial.  I've handed out many Green Scapulars throughout the years and have personally witnessed signal graces received by people in varying degrees. One situation, in particular, stands out.  It took place in the late 1990's:

A senior lady-friend of mine - "Liz", a regular participant at my then-weekly rosary prayer meetings - had her husband suddenly walk out on her after 40+ years of marriage.  It was a complete surprise to the woman and all attempts she made to reconcile with the man were ignored.  He even went so far as to move to a different state, leaving Liz confused and heartbroken here in Hawaii... but, still, she had her faith to keep her going.

When she confided in me, I made my usual recommendations (numbers 1 to 3 above) and provided Liz with a Green Scapular, which she taped to a photo of her husband that she had on her refrigerator door.  Each time she went to the fridge for something, she looked at the photo and prayed the Green Scapular prayer for her husband: "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death."  Liz prayed diligently for about three months, after which she was awakened at 3:00am one morning by an unexpected phone call - it was her husband calling from the mainland. In short, he asked Liz for forgiveness and wanted to come home and start their marriage "all over again", with no questions being asked.  She agreed... and the husband was back in Hawaii within a week.  Liz later testified to me and our prayer group that her husband was a changed man and her marriage, afterward, was better than ever!

Hence, the power and effectiveness of Our Lady's intercession through her gift of the Green Scapular. Used with proper faith and a bit of perseverance, it really does channel the Lord's divine grace!

*** This lay-ministry currently has a limited supply of Green Scapulars, which are being offered to the readers of this blog at no charge (Hawaii or US-mainland residents only).  If you would like to receive one (one Green Scapular per person, per request), please email Peter with your full name and mailing address at guadalupe_house@yahoo.com (indicate 'Green Scapular Request' in the subject line).  The scapulars have been blessed by a Catholic priest, as well as, prayed over and touched to a relic of Our Lady's veil in this ministry's custody.