Msgr. Terrence Watanabe and sculptor Dale Zarrella stand by the artist’s statue of St. Marianne on the beach behind the artist’s home in Kihei, Maui. (Photo courtesy of Leroy Carrington)
Msgr. Terrence Watanabe blessed a larger than life-size monkeypod wood statue of St. Marianne Cope at sunset June 14 on the beach behind the artist’s home in Kihei, Maui, where it two years in the planning and making.
The statue, by sculptor Mai Dale Zarrella, honors Hawaii’s latest saint and her charitable works and virtuous deeds. It was made possible through the kindness of generous donors.
St. Marianne’s likeness is depicted caring for a child modeled after Zarella’s granddaughter U‘i.
Msgr. Watanabe is the pastor of Kihei’s St. Theresa Church where the statue will be displayed until its designated home, the St. Damien and St. Marianne museum at St. Augustine Church in Waikiki, is built. There the Marianne statue will join a statue of Damien Zarella carved two years ago.
U‘I opened the blessing ceremony with a hula dedicated to Queen Liliuokalani, a great supporter of Mother Marianne and her work in the islands. Zarella welcomed the crowd and Kimo Keo blew a conch shell and offered a Hawaiian chant. Msgr. Watanabe blessed the statue and the gathering of onlookers with prayers and water. Les Kuloloio provided sea salt from the Kalaupapa shoreline for all to toss at the foot of the statue.
St. Marianne was a Sister of St. Francis of Syracuse, N.Y., who, in 1883, answered a plea from King Kalakaua for help care for leprosy sufferers in Hawaii. She and six fellow sisters arrived on Oahu and worked there until 1888 when she went to Molokai to care for the dying Father Damien, assume his burdens and carry on his work with the patients.
She is credited with establishing the first two Catholic hospitals in upstate New York and Malulani, the first general hospital on Maui. She remained on Molokai caring for the patients until her death in 1918. She was beatified in 2005 and declared a saint in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.
A bronze copy of Zarella’s Damien statue was presented to the Vatican while a bronze of Marianne is in California awaiting the visit of Pope Francis to the United States in September.
