Veneration of St. Faustina Kowalska is now possible at St. Joseph Church in Waipahu
Hawaii Catholic Herald
St. Joseph Church in Waipahu welcomed a first-class relic of St. Faustina Kowalska Feb. 6, becoming the second parish in the Diocese of Honolulu to honor the young Polish nun who was instrumental in perpetuating the Divine Mercy movement.
St. Faustina’s relic was enshrined during St. Joseph’s first Friday Mass, making it a celebration on several levels, said Father Kazimierz Chwalek of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception during his homily.
Father Chwalek, director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was instrumental in bringing the relic to Waipahu from St. Faustina’s community in Krakow, Poland, and spent the weekend celebrating Mass and giving talks on the importance of St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy.
Bishop Larry Silva was the liturgy’s main celebrant, accompanied by Father Chwalek, St. Joseph’s clergy and other priests.
In addition to enshrining St. Faustina’s relic on first Friday — notable for Jesus’ appearances to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1670s in which he called for a first Friday devotion — Father Chwalek cited the day’s memorial, for St. Paul Miki and Companions.
“They are incredible witnesses,” he said. “They went to Japan and wanted to bring forth the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people there: The sacraments. Hope. Healing. Removal of evil.”
“What unites all of these elements of our celebration is God’s infinite great love that he has for us,” Father Chwalek said.
In his homily, Father Chwalek also reflected on St. Faustina’s impact as, in St. John Paul II’s words, an “apostle of Divine Mercy.”
Jesus is working through St. Faustina to help people “experience mercy, to realize what mercy is,” he said.
“Mercy is the central mystery of our faith. Mercy is manifested to the highest degree in the paschal mystery (according to St. John Paul II in his 1980 encyclical ‘Dives in Misericordia’). If you want to see the mercy of God expressed in the most powerful way, it is through the paschal mystery which is suffering, dying and rising. That’s what it is.”
At the conclusion of Mass, Father Geronimo “Eric” Castro, pastor of St. Joseph, gave a brief history of the diocese’s and the parish’s connection to the Divine Mercy. He also thanked Bishop Silva for presiding at the enshrinement and, 20 years ago, devoting the entire diocese to the movement.
“The presence of the first-class relic of St. Faustina in our parish marks another significant moment because it stands as a reminder of her life dedicated to mercy and love,” Father Castro said. “We are inspired to deepen our adoration and trust in God’s divine mercy.”
After Mass, parishioners were invited to venerate St. Faustina’s relic before it was returned to a small wooden shrine built especially to house the reliquary bearing her relic.
The first isle parish to welcome a first-class relic of St. Faustina was Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Kula, Maui. That celebration took place last October with an outdoor Mass that brought together parishioners from across the island.
At top: Above, images of the Divine Mercy could be found throughout St. Joseph Church, including on one parishioner’s veil, during the Mass enshrining a first-class relic of St. Faustina at the parish. At right, Bishop Larry Silva blessed the relic, which was displayed during Mass and placed into its wooden shrine after the liturgy and veneration. (Photos by Celia K. Downes / Hawaii Catholic Herald)