By Anne Kristen Ryecroft Bennett-Colaricci
Special to the Herald
St. Joseph Church in Waipahu will welcome a first-class relic of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, an apostle of Divine Mercy, next month as part of a weekend of events exploring and celebrating the Divine Mercy.
Bishop Larry Silva will celebrate the Mass Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m.; the homilist will be Father Kazimierz Chwalek of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
Father Chwalek, who is director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was instrumental in obtaining the relic from St. Faustina’s community in Krakow, Poland, for the Waipahu parish.
The members of the Eucharistic Apostles of the Divine Mercy at St. Joseph are happy to welcome St. Faustina to their dedicated chapel at the parish. They inspired La Salette Father Geronimo “Eric” Castro, pastor of St. Joseph, to acquire St. Faustina’s relic.
EADM, a lay outreach ministry of the Marian Fathers found in 40 countries, is an adult faith formation initiative that roots its members in the Scriptures, “Catechism of the Catholic Church” and “Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska.” Another important part of the ministry’s formation is Eucharistic devotion.
The Marian Fathers have promoted the Divine Mercy message and devotion since 1941 through the EADM as well as their apostolic centers in Stockbridge — the Association of Marian Helpers and the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy.
The message was near and dear to the heart of St. John Paul II, who affirmed the Marian Fathers’ mission in 1993 when he told them: “Be apostles of the Divine Mercy under the maternal and loving guidance of Mary.”
As pope, he famously said that the message of the Divine Mercy “formed the image” of his pontificate.
St. John Paul II — himself a native of Poland — beatified St. Faustina in 1993 and canonized her on Divine Mercy Sunday in the Jubilee Year of 2000, as the first saint of the third millennium; on the same day, he extended the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday to the universal church.
The Feb. 6 Mass will kick off a series of homilies and interactive conferences by Father Chwalek.
On Feb. 7, Father Chwalek will celebrate Mass at 7 a.m., then lead a morning of presentations and discussion. He will speak at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on “The Eucharist: Our Life” and “The Devotion to the Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart,” with faith-sharing and lunch to follow.
Father Chwalek will conclude the day with the 6 p.m. vigil Mass.
He will then celebrate Mass Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. and noon, with a presentation on “Saint Faustina: Future Doctor of the Church?” following at 1:30 p.m.
Above: Father Kazimierz Chwalek (Courtesy photo)