Bob White and Capuchin Franciscan Father Michel Dalton stand in front of the new reliquary at Holy Trinity Church in Kuliouou. (HCH photos | Anna Weaver)
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
You’ll find Saints Aloysius Gonzaga, Theresa, John Vianney and Catherine in the vestibule of a southeast Oahu parish. Or at least a tiny part of them.
First-class relics, or parts of the body, of those and 18 other saints are on display at Holy Trinity Church in Kuliouou in a new reliquary.
The specially designed display case has room to hold several other relics that Holy Trinity’s pastor, Capuchin Franciscan Father Michel Dalton, will add as he gets new and uniform containers to hold each.
Father Dalton received the relics from the archives of a now-closed Capuchin friary in New York after writing for permission to display and venerate them at the church.
“I just want to share what I’ve been able to collect,” he said. “The more people are exposed to different aspects of the faith the better I think the church is.”
One of the relics yet to be displayed at Holy Trinity, Kuliouou, as Father Dalton figures out a uniform theca, or relic container, to hold the relic. (HCH Photo: Anna Weaver)
While there are relics at other churches in Hawaii, Father Dalton believes Holy Trinity may have one of the only reliquaries.
Each relic is in a container called a theca, a small, round case, usually made of metal with a glass cover showing the relic inside. Thecas are sealed with wax to show their authenticity and come with documentation showing where they came from.
The wood and glass reliquary came from a Holy Trinity parishioner with a contracting business, David Clyne, who had one of his carpenters make it.
Fellow parishioner Bob White oversaw the project and researched the saints whose relics are now at Holy Trinity. With the help of his daughter, he published a pamphlet summarizing the saints’ lives. He also wrote a document explaining the three classes of relics and why Catholics venerate them.
Second-class relics are things owned or used by a saint. Third-class relics are objects that have come into contact with first-class relics or second-class relics such as the saints’ casket.
The wax seal on the back of a relic holder. (HCH photos | Anna Weaver)
“Veneration of relics is based on the faith in the mystery of the Incarnation; the belief that we will receive God’s grace to live in the virtue of the saint,” White’s summary explains. “It differs from adoration in that veneration is reserved for objects (relics) as a sign of respect, while adoration is reserved for God alone, a sign of worship to Him and His presence in the Eucharist.”
Relic veneration is tied to the Catholic belief in eternal life, the Resurrection of the body, respect for the living and the dead, the intercessory power of saints, and closeness to the saints through the Communion of Saints, White explained.
“Even to make a connection with the recent blessing of the columbaria at St. Ann’s [Kaneohe],” Father Dalton said. “This is what the early church did with their holy blessings.”
Father Dalton said the parish has already had a “soft intro” to the relics, telling Mass-goers a little about the reliquary and putting out the informational pamphlets for anyone to take. He hopes to hold a more formal event soon, possibly for the upcoming All Saints feast day.
