Here is the prepared text of the talk delivered by Sister Alicia Damien Lau, a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, at the Diocese of Honolulu’s Red Mass, Jan. 17, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu.
Aloha! In its profoundest spiritual sense, “to come together face to face” (alo) “in the presence of the sacred — the essence of life” (ha) — how right and proper it is to come together at the beginning of the New Year to invoke the Providence of the Most High over our deliberations.
Today we remember the core of the sacred trust invested in us by the ka lahui, people, is to insure that what drives our decisions this year, and every year, is the principle enshrined in Hawaii’s motto that “the life of the land be perpetuated in righteousness.” Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka ‘Aina I Ka Pono. (Kamehameha III)
What does it mean to live a life of pono? Pono means to discern the true condition or nature of things and situations. Then to act and make decisions consistent with what is moral, truthful and good. In spiritual language, we understand this as seeking the Higher Truth or “Will of God” in all things.
Of course pono is not always self-evident, as to use a modern example — the issue of rail and balancing the interests of business and labor — the development of our natural resources versus mandates for sustainability and stewardship, its impacts on the rights of the ka lahui, and especially the voices of those drowned out by the power of vested interests. How does one discern and act justly in the face of so many contending voices?
Pacific Island peoples derive their spirit/culture from the power of the aina — “if we care for the land, she will care for us.” Ethics begins by connecting with the land, or appreciating the aesthetic principle of “sense of place.” The “land has eyes” is a popular saying. This morning I wish to bring to mind the lone windswept peninsula, Kalaupapa, on the north shore of Molokai. One is overwhelmed by the steep cliffs of the gigantic pali, vertically diving below the surface of the waves crashing into her base. Few are unmoved by the desolate and terrible beauty of this place. The convergence of the wind, waves and barren landscape create a sense of the sacred. Here one feels the power of the aina in all of its awe-inspiring and natural beauty.
While we have all heard the story of my namesake, St. Damien de Veuster, a Sacred Hearts Belgium priest who transformed the plight of those in Kalaupapa, today I’d like to share with you a lesser known story of his contemporary, Sister Marianne Cope, a 19th century religious who is also acknowledged by the Catholic Church as one who gave exemplary witness to divine love and became St. Marianne Cope on Oct. 21, 2012, in Rome. I would like to share this extraordinary woman of whom little is known outside the Catholic Church, but who earned an important place in the history of Hawaii by the life of pono she lived and bequeathed as her legacy.
Imagine yourself, for a moment, as a woman being suddenly thrust into the Sandwich Islands in 1883. It was a century of turmoil and unrest. Sandalwood trade, whaling and plantations were thriving, creating a powerful commercial elite. The monarchy sought to assert itself to resist the strong undertow of political and commercial interests and as well as international intrigue. Rumors of revolt further stirred the waters. Factions scurried to seek favor, as well as to build alliances.
Marianne was a woman ahead of her time. Only completing the eighth grade, she became a cultured and self-educated individual not intimidated by the cultural, ethnic, gender, religious and political power rifts in the kingdom. At the age of 45, she arrived in Honolulu an accomplished administrator, a leader in health care, an educator and superior general of her Order. Like many who arrive here, she notes an instant affinity to her new home and felt humbled and touched by the welcome of King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani. She is especially touched by the warmth and kindness of the queen’s acknowledgment for leaving home and coming to care for the queen’s “poor afflicted children.”
Her experience as founder and administrator of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse (1877) and the collaboration she pioneered with the Medical College of Geneva provided her invaluable experience for public health in Hawaii. Two months after being at the Branch Hospital at Kakaako, the main Hansen’s disease facility in Honolulu, Marianne is asked to open a hospital in Maui and shortly thereafter founds Malulani (meaning “under the protection of heaven”). Today it is known as Maui Memorial.
When Marianne returns to Honolulu, she discovers that the superintendent at the Branch Hospital has been tormenting and mistreating the patients. Ravaged and mutilated by their disease, the patients become natural scapegoats to be exploited by the unscrupulous, capitalizing upon the cultural fears and prejudice that has always accompanied the victimized, or other such scourges. The woman of faith realizes that decisive action is called for and confronts the authorities with an ultimatum. If the integrity of the mission and care of the patients are to be successful, they must choose between the sisters or the superintendent. Shortly, thereafter, the superintendent is finally removed.
While still being overwhelmed with the work at Kakaako, she heard that non-diseased children living in Kalawao were being cared for by the sore, bleeding hands of their parents. Some were kept on as servants and some abused. Marianne called upon the Board of Health and Queen Kapiolani to establish an orphanage in the grounds of the convent at the Branch Hospital. The orphanage was built and dedicated on 1885, (two years to the day after their arrival) and was called Kapiolani Home. This bold decision to further segregate the ohana was difficult, but necessary.
But the triumph is short-lived. The winds of political and social change reinforced by the fears of the public stir a Board of Health decree to support one place for treatment of Hansen’s disease patients —the settlement at Kalaupapa. Board of Health recognized the only way to succeed in this decree was to elicit the leadership abilities of Marianne. She and the sisters were asked to open a separate residence in Kalaupapa for single women and girls, which they did in light of their commitment to their mission in 1888.
Marianne, a religious and state employee, completed 35 years of service in Hawaii, 30 of those years at Kalaupapa ending in her death in 1918. Her dedication to the alii, to the aina and the kanaka maoli illustrates the spiritual teaching that we do not find ourselves except through a total gift of self in service to the other. St. Marianne’s manao (her spiritual and intellectual knowledge) and mana (the divine spiritual power) truly describes her many accomplishments at Kalaupapa. Additionally, as a true Franciscan, she embraced the Hawaiian culture as she lived the life of hoolokahi (to keep peace and unity in the settlement) in her daily work bringing hauoli (happiness/joy) and pono (the respect, caring, and righteousness) to all the patients. Today, her spirit of aloha lives on.
I am proud to belong to her order of the Sisters of St. Francis with its mission to care for the poorest of the poor in Hawaii nei. I am grateful for the opportunity to join you in pledging ourselves to living a life of pono, in behalf of those most in need of our care and aloha.
