By Charlotte and Bob White
Special to the Herald
Pope Leo XIV has declared Jan. 10, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi. It is his hope that we Christians will follow the example of St. Francis and become models of holiness and witnesses of peace.
Bishop Larry Silva has designated Holy Trinity Church in Kuliouou as one of the diocesan pilgrimage sites for the holy year.
Upon visiting one of the designated sites, Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence (removal of temporal punishment from sin) for themselves or for someone who is deceased by making a sacramental confession within eight days of receiving Eucharist at Mass and praying for the intentions of the pope.
To honor St. Francis, Holy Trinity’s faith formation team asked Capuchin Franciscan Father Mike Dalton, pastor of the parish, to share the relevance of St. Francis’ life and the impact his legacy can have in our world today.
On June 24, about 100 parishioners and guests from other parishes listened to Father Dalton share stories and highlights from the life of St. Francis. He described St. Francis’ early life — that he was from a wealthy family and enjoyed what money could buy, from fine clothes to gala parties with tasty food and good wine.
Then a crisis occurred: St. Francis was captured by enemy soldiers and imprisoned with only a Bible to read, which provided an opportunity to pray and meditate. After his release, he met a person afflicted with leprosy — an encounter he feared due to the “unclean” nature of the person’s illness. Still, the meeting touched his heart so much that he began to feel compassion for and minister to the infirm.
With this conversion, St. Francis renounced wealth and embraced simplicity. He went on to establish the Order of Friars Minor, now known as the Franciscan Order.
Father Dalton also shared his own call to become a Franciscan. As a youth he had the opportunity to meet friars who helped with weekend Masses at his home parish. He witnessed the joy the friars displayed, and he wanted to emulate this joy and service.
Holy Trinity Church is privileged to have a first-class relic of St. Francis in its reliquary. Whenever we enter the church and pass the reliquary, we can recall the saint’s story.
Visitors are welcome to view the relic. A brochure is available at the reliquary.