There was a prayer said and a maile lei untied. There was also a pass thrown by football Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice on a former sugar cane field Thursday in what made for an unusual blessing of land in East Kapolei slated for a new shopping center.

The developer of the planned Ka Makana Ali’i mall, DeBartolo Development LLC, has close football-family ties with Rice. So the company made use of Rice being in town as alumni captain for Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl to give the blessing ceremony some extra flair.

Construction on the first phase of the 1.4 million-square-foot regional mall isn’t slated to start until late this year. And a lease for the 67-acre mall site has yet to be signed with the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Yet the blessing was held with much fanfare and only a small fumble.

As is typical with large commercial development project blessings in Hawaii, thanks and congratulations were given to partners and elected officials.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie praised DeBartolo for its conviction, tenaciousness and perseverance on the project. "They didn’t want to let go of this dream," he said.

The $500 million project was announced in 2006 but was set back by the recession and a struggle with leasing and financing. Negotiating a lease with DHHL also has been challenging.

DeBartolo has agreed to pay $600 million in base rent over 65 years plus tenant percentage rent that could amount to another $400 million. The lease also could be extended to 85 years, increasing the cash given to DHHL to help finance homesteads for Native Hawaiians to well more than $1 billion.

However, the developer has yet to sign the lease. In November DHHL gave DeBartolo one last and final 12-month extension on an option for the lease after an initial three-year option expired in 2011 and got extended two more years.

Ed Kobel, DeBartolo’s president, called DHHL Director Jobie Masa ga tani an amazing partner and fierce negotiator.

"It hasn’t been an easy process," Masagatani said. "But I think we reached a good agreement."

To celebrate a little bit, Rice wrapped up the ceremony and was introduced by Kobel, whose brother, Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., founded DeBartolo Development and owned the San Francisco 49ers from 1977 to 2000 during Rice’s time playing for the team.

"And now the moment you all have been waiting for — who cares about a mall? — superstar Jerry Rice is here," Kobel announced.

Rice drew an analogy between how Hawaii government leaders welcomed DeBartolo into its family supporting the project and how DeBartolo welcomed him as a "country boy from Mississippi" drafted in 1985 by a big-city team. Rice said the familylike bonds he made with the team owner helped produce success on the field.

The 49ers under DeBartolo won five Super Bowls, including three with Rice.

After the speeches, Rice handed out signed footballs to Kobel, Abercrombie and other dignitaries. Rice also lofted a pass to Mike Formby, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, there to represent Mayor Kirk Caldwell, who was at a conference of mayors. The pass fell through the fingers of Formby, who in fairness is no Hall-of-Fame receiver like Rice.

The blessing ended with untying a maile lei, and Rice later signed autographs for fans.