from St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish Newsletter — Feb-Mar 2023
by Catholic Stewardship Consultants
Early Sunday morning, before 7 a.m. English/`Ōlelo Hawai`i Mass, our clergy get a special delivery of beautiful lei made by parishioner, Kumu Keoni Jenny, that will adorn their vestments during the Sacred Liturgy.
“I love to do the lei,” Kumu Keoni says. “It’s part of my dedication to the faith. We give our clergy lei to represent not just our aloha for St. Michael and the Church, but also because it’s a Hawaiian Mass, it’s appropriate to wear a lei. So that’s why I dedicate myself every week to give the clergy their lei adornments for Mass.”
For many years, Kumu Keoni has been creating and providing extraordinary lei for St. Michael’s with his homegrown flowers and plants. The practice of lei-making is a spiritual exercise for Kumu Keoni. He loves seeing the clergy when they come to celebrate the sacraments each Sunday, wearing the result of his week-long meditation that prayerfully prepares him for each Sunday Mass.
“I look at the lei when I’m in liturgy, thinking about sewing the lei and praying, collecting the flowers, putting time aside in thought,” he says. “That’s like putting time every day to dedicate to prayer with Jesus; with God. It’s never been put on me as a heaviness — I am always so excited to see the floral adornment on our clergy. It fills the altar with the beauty God has provided.”
Kumu Keoni says his gift of service is a privilege and something he enjoys taking part in. Having been gifted the flowers from God, he feels it is a way to give back to God the blessings he has received.
“I always make my lei in thought and prayer.”
There is a spiritual component to wearing lei. At certain times during the liturgical year, such as Lent, lei are not worn at our parish as a form of fasting for the season. Kumu Keoni prepares during the week by gathering flowers every day at his homestead to make the lei which consists of thousands of individual flowers. This has become a daily time for prayer and meditation for him. This process immerses him in a keen awareness of the beauty of Ke Akua’s creation that is plentiful at our island home.
We grow the flowers, we grow the trees, and we pick every single day,” he says. “When we pick, it’s always good to know we’re preparing from Sunday to Sunday for the Mass. Every day is a picking experience; a closer walk with the Lord.”
Kumu Keoni has been practicing lei-making for as long as he can remember. Taught by his Tūtū wahine from a young age, he began providing lei for special occasions and events. But now, he desires to dedicate his time to serving the Church with his talent.
“It’s just a wonderful representation of aloha — always give, never stop giving,” he says. “And when I see the clergy wearing the lei, I am reminded that it’s all a part of that style of our Hawaiian culture to give — to give freely and lovingly and give with no expectation. Sitting in Mass, seeing the lei on display around Father’s shoulders, it’s beautiful. It’s just a wonderful feeling.”
