Holy Relic Visitation: Castle Hospital (Kailua), 12/31/2011

My friend, Letty, holding the reliquary

of St. Therese the Little Flower

Today, after attending Saturday morning Mass at a neighboring parish, I was approached by an acquaintance of mine - a lady named Letty Query, who had attended one of my speaking presentations about the Saints & Holy Relics. Letty is a life-long devotee of St. Therese the Little Flower, and she informed me that her husband was very sick and staying in a nearby hospital. Knowing that I had a 1st Class Relic of her Patron Saint under my care, she asked me if I would be willing to bring the relic of St. Therese to the hospital to comfort her husband.

Sensing the heaviness in her heart, I willingly agreed and later went to meet her at the hospital with the blessed relic. The couple's two daughters were also present during the visit and it was a very moving experience to watch as the family placed the reliquary into their father’s weak hands, and fervently implored St. Therese to intercede for his recovery; the atmosphere seemed much lighter after the blessing was prayed.  

Incidentally, the other male patient in the hospital room and his wife were also both Catholics who were very familiar with St. Therese... and they also asked to be blessed with the relic, which we gladly did. Together, all of us in the room then prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the two sick men before I took leave of the families. It was the first-ever, official pilgrim visit to a hospital for my personal ministry... and definitely a great way to close-out 2011.

A Testimonial to the Power of Our Lady's Intercession...

Today was an extraordinary day of personal blessings for me.  In fact, it was so out-of-the ordinary, I feel compelled to post this blog as a public testimonial of gratitude and love to the Blessed Virgin and the power of her maternal intercession.  I received three signal graces from her for which I am most grateful and humbled:

* The first grace Our Lady granted was the recovery of a Holy Relic of St. Lucy of Syracuse (left) that I lost yesterday in our Honolulu Cathedral after I attended the noon Mass.  I accidentally forgot the relic on a bench in the church and it was recovered this morning - safe and sound - under truly remarkable circumstances in the Cathedral's sacristy. 

* The second grace I received from Our Lady was an answer to a prayer - a peaceful resolution - to a family conflict that I had been commending to her intercession for the past couple of weeks.  The prayer was answered shortly after I reached my place of work, only minutes after having left the Cathedral.  

* And finally, the third grace Our Lady granted had to do with a small flower I found after praying in the Cathedral this morning.  As I got up from the pew to head for work, I noticed a fresh, fragrant Pikake blossom ("Sampaguita" in Filipino) lying at my feet; strange because I hadn't seen it earlier.  I decided to pick it up, and took it back to my office where I enjoyed its pleasant scent.

At the end of the work day, while I was walking to my car, I lifted the blossom to my nose to smell its sweet fragrance again, and that's when I noticed an uncanny image formed in the middle of the petals - incredibly, it resembled a shadowy likeness of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who also happens to be this writer's patroness and the namesake of this ministry!  I immediately used my cellphone to take the photo posted below to capture and preserve the moment...

 Note the figure's close likeness to the

superimposed Guadalupe image!

With all that I've experienced today, it's been somewhat overwhelming but in a good way - I can gratefully testify: our God is an AWESOME God... and our Blessed Mother is a powerful intercessor before the throne of her Divine Son.  I am at a loss for words to adequately describe her motherly love and solicitude towards us - her children.  Turn to Our Lady with Faith, Love, Humility, and Confidence during your own times of need and you will not be disappointed.

Ad Jesum per Mariam! 

Saints & Holy Relics Speaking Presentation: Dumadag Residence, 12/12/2011

A stunning depiction of Our Lady of

Guadalupe - painted by Hawaii artist,

Sheree Pokipala - stands watch over

several Holy Relics

  

On Monday evening, 12/12, I was re-invited by the Dumadag Family from Kahalu'u to conduct another Saints & Holy Relics Presentation for several members of their Basic Christian Community (BCC) cell group who had missed the presentation I did for them back in March 2011.



 A closer view of the Holy Relics that were

made available during the presentation.



As today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe - the special patroness of my ministry - I was excited to do this presentation as a feast day gift for our Blessed Mother. So for the public veneration of those who attended, I brought along the relics of 8 holy persons in addition to Our Lady's clothing relic: Bl. Alberto Marvelli, St. Bernadette Soubirous, St. Charles Houben, Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, Bl. Pope John Paul II, Bl. Maria Stella & 10 Companion Martyrs of Nowogrodek, St. Paola Frassinetti, & St. Veronica Giuliani.

Praising the Lord through song prior

to the start of the presentation 



As with the past presentation, I along with the Sacred Relics were warmly welcomed by the Dumadags... and at the end of it, it appeared that all that was shared with the audience had been very well received. Several members of the family expressed interest in the individual holy persons that I had talked about and asked for their names so they could pray for their intercession in their respective homes.

I left the home grateful to Our Lady and the Saints for having planted seeds of faith in the hearts of the people. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.