Dominican Sister Malia Dominica Wong, left, and Franciscan Sister M. Davilyn Ah Chick hold a copy of their new book, “A Walk with Saint Marianne Cope of Molokai.”
Two Hawaii religious sisters have written a compact book that presents St. Marianne Cope as a spiritual companion and friend, full of understanding, patience, love and common sense, and as an example to imitate on one’s personal journey to heaven.
“A Walk with Saint Marianne Cope of Molokai: Reflections and inspirations from her life for our living,” was written, illustrated and designed by Sister M. Davilyn Ah Chick, a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, and Sister Malia Dominica Wong, a Dominican Sister of the Most Holy Rosary.
The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities is the publisher.
St. Marianne Cope, the Franciscan Sister from Syracuse, N.Y., who cared for Hawaii’s Hansen’s disease patients from 1883 until her death in Kalaupapa in 1918, was canonized in Rome last year on Oct. 21. She was a woman who faced extreme physical and administrative challenges with serenity and a remarkable trust in God, making her the perfect subject for a book of inspiration.
The authors describe their new 100-plus page hard-cover volume as a “lei” offered to the reader, a garland symbolizing “greeting, affection or celebration.”
As a lei, it is of the “haku,” or braided, variety, woven through with a lush assortment of thoughts and observations by and about St. Marianne, quotes from Scripture, original drawings, photos, prayers and Hawaiian vocabulary lessons.
The lei’s central cord is the “Prayer of St. Francis,” explored one line at a time in eight-page chapters.
Each chapter offers three Hawaiian words for values that illuminate St. Francis’ famous lines — terms like “maluhia” (peace), “hanohano” (dignity, honor) and “ho‘ona” (to comfort).
Each Hawaiian value is expounded upon further with three Bible verses, a biographical passage, a quote from the Molokai saint, a reflective question and a one-sentence prayer for guidance. All are accompanied by Sister Malia Dominica’s meditative artwork and photography.
The book includes quotations from St. Marianne’s own journals, the journals of companion sisters, and the writings of biographers and commentators.
The cover displays two glossy photos of Kalaupapa, Molokai, where St. Marianne lived for the last 30 years of her life in a Hawaiian community of Hansen’s disease exiles. The front cover shows the gravel-paved road connecting today’s Kalaupapa town with the older settlement location of Kalawao.
“A Walk with Saint Marianne Cope” offers its own suggestion on how to use it: “Sit quietly, place your hand in St. Marianne’s and take up one value a day, or even practice one each week. Let the stories come alive before your mind’s eye. Then look at the scriptures and reflect further. To what more may God be calling you?”
“May your life be surrounded with the fragrance of holiness as you walk along your own path to sainthood,” the authors write.
This little 5-by-7-inch book is a welcome addition to the growing literature about Hawaii’s newest saint. Its unique presentation and accessible content will make it a valued companion on retreats and pilgrimages, or on one’s personal spiritual journey.
Both authors are Hawaii-born. Sister Davilyn served for many years as an assistant to Franciscan Sister Mary Laurence Hanley, St. Marianne’s biographer and the director of her cause for canonization. Sister Davilyn is now the principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Ewa Beach, Oahu.
Sister Malia Dominica is a professor of religious studies at Chaminade University of Honolulu with a focus on world religions and spiritualities. She is a regular contributor to the Hawaii Catholic Herald, reporting primarily on Hawaii’s religious congregations. For Mother Marianne’s canonization, she wrote a series that examined the saint’s Syracuse-Hawaii connections.
The book is available at the Pauline Books and Media Center in downtown Honolulu, at the Cathedral of our Lady of Peace Gallery, at Logos Bookstore in Honolulu and online at www.olphschoolewabeachhi.com.
