A portion of newly canonized Saint Damien's ankle, now considered a holy relic, arrived back in Honolulu this afternoon en route to the Big Island where it will begin a tour of the Neighbor Islands before being permanently housed at Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.

Bishop Larry Silva carried the relic back from Rome, with stops in Detroit and San Francisco.
"I had to keep pinching myself," said Silva, whose great-grandfather and great-aunt once lived in the Kalaupapa community Damien once served. "I kept asking myself how this happened to me, why was I blessed to be able to bring a part of Father Damien back to Hawai'i."
Silva handed the reliquary containing the bone to Father Lane Akiona, who will transport it to the Big Island.
The relic will return to O'ahu on Nov. 1. The return will be marked with a service at Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and an interfaith ceremony at 'Iolani Palace.