St. Joseph Church Waipahu to host St. Faustina relic during Divine Mercy weekend
St. Joseph Church in Waipahu will receive a first-class relic of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, known as an apostle of Divine Mercy, next month. The event is part of a weekend focused on the Divine Mercy.
Bishop Larry Silva will celebrate Mass on Friday, February 6 at 6:30 p.m., with Father Kazimierz Chwalek from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception delivering the homily. Father Chwalek is director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He played a key role in obtaining the relic from St. Faustina’s community in Krakow, Poland.
Father Chwalek said he is pleased to bring the relic for public veneration by parishioners from St. Joseph and nearby parishes.
Members of the Eucharistic Apostles of the Divine Mercy (EADM) at St. Joseph have expressed particular enthusiasm about welcoming St. Faustina’s relic to their dedicated chapel at the parish. Their efforts encouraged La Salette Father Geronimo “Eric” Castro, pastor of St. Joseph, to acquire it.
EADM is a lay outreach ministry associated with the Marian Fathers and operates in 40 countries as an adult faith formation initiative rooted in Scripture, Catholic teaching, and “Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska.”
The relic will be placed in a special chapel at St. Joseph for veneration.
The February 6 Mass will begin a series of homilies and interactive conferences led by Father Chwalek over the weekend.
On Saturday, February 7, Father Chwalek will celebrate Mass at 7 a.m., followed by presentations and discussions throughout the morning. He will speak at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., covering topics such as “The Eucharist: Our Life” and “The Devotion to the Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart.” Faith-sharing sessions and lunch are scheduled after these talks, with Father Chwalek concluding Saturday’s events with a vigil Mass at 6 p.m.
On Sunday, February 8, he will celebrate Masses at 10 a.m. and noon before giving a presentation titled “Saint Faustina: Future Doctor of the Church?” at 1:30 p.m.
Planning for enshrining this relic has taken three years. Many graces and church-approved miracles have been attributed to Saint Faustina’s intercession.
The Diocese of Honolulu oversees Catholic activities across Hawaii’s islands through its network of parishes and ministries aimed at meeting spiritual needs (official website). Bishop Clarence Silva leads the diocese (official website), which supports multicultural faith communities (official website) through education programs, social services, youth initiatives, marriage preparation services (official website), and other ministries designed to spread the Gospel (official website). The diocese was established as an official diocese in 1941 but traces its roots back to missionary work begun in 1847 (official website).
