Eucharistic banners hang in Holy Trinity Church in Kuliouou. (Photos courtesy of Bob White)
By Charlotte White
Special to the Herald
This year the focus of faith formation at Holy Trinity Church in east Honolulu is the Eucharist, the true presence of Christ, not a symbolic gesture, but a profound encounter with the living presence of Jesus himself. This belief is a source of profound comfort, inspiration and solace in our daily life in a sometimes chaotic world.
At the start of each Mass, our pastor, Capuchin Franciscan Father Michel Dalton, invites each of us to participate in the transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ so that, as we partake of Communion, we become this connection with the divine.
To illustrate this belief, a very talented parishioner crafted two banners that are hung on pillars behind the altar. The first banner celebrates the bread, a food that offers sustenance. This banner is divided into three sections. The top shows the sun as we start our day. The second, bread, a life sustaining food that Jesus shared. The third depicts the mountains.
The second banner starts with night and the moon. The center of this banner has a chalice, which signifies Jesus’ blood. The third section is the ocean.
The crafter of the banners, who does not want to be named, explained her work very succinctly. “As we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we know he is with us always. He is with us from the start of our day until we drift off to sleep. He is with us everywhere from mountain to sea.”