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RELIGION
Relic of St. Therese
of Lisieux to lie at Star
of the Sea ParishHawaii Ministries conference
Mary Adamski
Star-BulletinThousands of Hawaii Catholics are expected to participate next week in the "visit" of a young French nun who became one of the best-known saints of the Catholic church.
A relic of St. Therese of Lisieux will lie in state at Star of the Sea Parish in Waialae-Kahala Wednesday night through Friday at the end of a four-month tour of the United States. Some of the bones of Therese are sealed in a silver and wooden reliquary which has already been displayed in 14 countries and will be taken to the Philippines at the end of the week.
Therese, who is called the Little Flower, died in 1897 at the age of 24. She was canonized by the church in 1925, and in 1997, Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church, a title reserved for people who were outstanding witnesses to Christian belief and practice.
She is popular because "her way is so simple and so attractive," said Star of the Sea Parish Deacon Andy Gerakas. "Her approach is that when we do the daily things in life, whether we are housewives or professionals, if we do them well for the glory of God, we gain our sanctity. She is like St. Francis of Assisi; their messages are applicable to everyone." Her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," is a staple blueprint for Christian spirituality, he said.
Gerakas explained that Catholics do not worship saints or relics such as the bones of Father Damien's right hand, which were returned to his Kalaupapa grave in 1995. People turn out to view a relic in a spirit similar to visiting an ancestor's grave. "We venerate her and use this as an opportunity to talk about her spirituality, to get closer to her and to feel some of that spirituality in our own lives," he said.
The Rev. Donald Kinney, a Carmelite priest who has accompanied the relic in the United States, will give a lecture on "The Story of St. Therese, Then and Now" at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Before its public display, the reliquary will be taken for private viewing at the Carmelite Monastery in Maunawili where six Carmelite nuns, of the same order as Therese, live a cloistered life of prayer.
Gerakas said a tent will be erected outside the church at 4470 Aliikoa St. because crowds are expected to exceed the church's capacity of 500. The church will be open for private prayer and veneration of the relic from Wednesday night through Friday evening. Services include:
8 p.m. Wednesday: Welcoming ceremony.
Hawaii Ministries to hold
Star-Bulletin staff
conference March 2-4The advance registration price for the March 2-4 Honolulu Conference of Hawaiian Islands Ministries is now available.
The annual three-day gathering at the Hawaii Convention Center will feature prominent Christian speakers at six general sessions and more than 80 seminars on spiritual and practical topics for lay people as well as clergy.
Jan. 31 is the deadline for registration at $165 per person. Churches and organizations may qualify for a group rate of $145, and the student rate is $75.
Jan. 31 is also the deadline for early-bird registration rates for Honolulu 2000 Intensive Workshops on March 2, an all-day series of workshops for Christian leaders. The lower rate of $39 for one session and $59 for two sessions is available until then.
Call Hawaiian Island Ministries at 988-9777 to register.
