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St. Faustina welcomed to diocese

By KARA KOCZUR, Globe staff reporter
(Email Kara)

She’s here. Sister St. Faustina has arrived in the Diocese of Sioux City and is here to stay.

“She belongs to the people,” said Father LeRoy Seuntjens, one of five who made the journey to Poland to pick her up. “She’s ours.”

The first-class relic of St. Faustina was installed April 17 at Trinity Heights in Sioux City. The ceremony was done in conjunction with the Divine Mercy novena offered at the shrine, which includes hymns, the singing of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, adoration and confession. Bishop R. Walker Nickless was on hand to perform the installation.

The bishop welcomed St. Faustina to the diocese and said relics are reminders of the opportunity to grow in holiness. Her relic will be a great inspiration to the people of the Diocese of Sioux City, he said.

“As we gather today, we all know St. Faustina is with each one of us, hoping and praying we become men and women of mercy,” Bishop Nickless said. “I hope this relic is a reminder to us of what we need to be like: bearers of mercy, trusting in the mercy of God.”

Merciful love
St. Faustina’s message of God’s merciful love for each person, especially for sinners, is as old as eternity, the bishop said.

“She was sent by God with the message of mercy to an aching world, much like our world today,” he added.

The aching world needs healing, Father Seuntjens said, and pointing to the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament, he told the over 100 faithful gathered, that the answer is there.

“There are oceans of mercy,” he said, quoting Faustina’s diary. “The bigger the sinner, the more claim he has on God’s mercy.”

The journey to get the relic was a marvelous one, the priest said. The process was quick; only 18 days had passed from the time Trinity Heights received word that St. Faustina had accepted its invitation to reside in the Divine Mercy Chapel to the night of the installation.

Journey of Poland
On April 9 Father Seuntjens and two couples flew to Poland to bring back Faustina. They arrived the following day, Good Friday, and traveled to the Divine Mercy shrine in time for the Hour of Mercy at 3 p.m.

On April 13, Easter Monday, the group went back to the shrine to pick the relic up from the sisters at the convent where the saint died and is buried.

Father Seuntjens said he only expected the relic’s transfer from the nuns’ hands into the group’s to take half an hour. That half hour quickly became two and a half hours as they visited with the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.

“The sisters graciously received us in their convent parlor, shared many wonderful stories about St. Faustina and presented us with the sacred relic of St. Faustina,” said Regina Ratino, adding that it was an honor to go to Poland to pick up the relic.

Ratino, who was inspired in 2007 to inquire about the necessary steps for obtaining a relic, said the sisters were happy to learn about St. Faustina’s new home, Trinity Heights, and were pleased that the relic would be available for the needs of the faithful.

“What really impressed me was that they were thanking us for coming to get a relic because we were spreading the message of Divine Mercy,” Father Seuntjens said.

The sisters also explained their expectations for the relic, he said, that it’s treated with reverence and respect, and that it’s kept safe.

Father Seuntjens took the relic’s safety literally to heart. For the flight back to the United States, he took the relic out of the reliquary and put it into his communion purse, which also contained a first class relic of St. John Vianney. He wore the purse around his neck and then put the bag part into the inside pocket of his coat, right next to his heart.

He said it didn’t take long for some of the others in the group to want to wear Faustina for part of the plane ride too. The group returned on April 14 and immediately took the relic to the Carmelites in Sioux City, where it stayed until the installation.

Returning with the relic, Father Seuntjens admitted he didn’t know what to do with it. Not only was he uncertain of the protocol, but he said Bishop Nickless, diocesan canon lawyers and even the Carmelites were unaware of the proper procedure.

In the end, the veneration of St. Faustina at the installation service was treated much like the veneration of the cross on Good Friday. People came forward and either kissed or touched the relic, held by Bishop Nickless. Many also touched their rosaries and other religious items to the reliquary, making those objects third-class relics.

“Tonight was very special knowing that Sister St. Faustina’s relic was going to be here,” said Beth Karpuk of Blessed Sacrament in Sioux City. “I’ve never been at the installation of a relic like that. …It was pretty exciting.”

Karpuk said it’s special for the diocese to have a relic of a recognized saint of the Catholic Church and can already see herself bringing her religion class from Blessed Sacrament School up to Trinity Heights to view the relic when they discuss saints and relics in November.

“The list goes on of what we could do,” she said.

Marvin Japel, who along with the other 4th degree Knights of Columbus stood honor guard for the Eucharist and relic, said the relic adds to the spirituality and holiness of Trinity Heights.

While a person doesn’t pray to the relic, he added, he knows the love and mercy it represents.

“It’s such a blessing to have this after Easter because Easter is such a wonderful holiday,” he said, “and to follow the nine days with Divine Mercy is just phenomenal.”