‘Working’ brother loved landscaping Molokai’s many church properties
Lay Brother Charles Mahealani Kaahanui, who belonged to a six-member community of his Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on topside Molokai, died in Wailuku, Maui, on July 27. He was 73 and a religious brother for 48 years.
According to news reports, the lay brother died after being struck on a Wailuku sidewalk by a runaway motorcycle.
“Brother Charles was very dedicated to his ministry of ‘land management,’ responsible for the landscaping of St. Damien Parish’s five church properties. said Father William Petrie, pastor of the Molokai parish.
It was “simple work,” Father Petrie said, which Brother Kaahanui embraced, proud of the claim to be his congregation’s last “working” brother, an old term for those whose primary service to the congregation was manual labor.
“He was 73 years old, but looked and worked as if he was 43,” Father Petrie said.
“He was an exemplary religious, faithful to daily Mass, adoration before the tabernacle, and morning prayers together as a community,” he said.
Before going to Molokai, Brother Kaahanui had served as a landscaper and maintenance person for the Sacred Hearts communities at Sacred Hearts Center-Bethany, Kaneohe; St. Patrick Monastery, Honolulu; and St. Joseph Church, Makawao, Maui.
Brother Kaahanui was born on February 18, 1943 to William Kaahanui and Margaret Wong. He graduated from Farrington High School in 1962 and entered the Sacred Hearts novitiate in July 1968. He professed his temporary vows on Aug. 22, 1969, in Wareham, Massachusetts. He professed his perpetual vows on Feb. 4, 1973, at St. Ann Church, Kaneohe.
He is survived by nieces, nephews and his religious brothers and sisters.
Brother Kaahanui’s funeral is scheduled for Aug. 12 at St. Patrick Church, 1124 7th Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96816. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by a eulogy and Mass at 11:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made payable to Sacred Hearts Missions, P.O. Box 1365, Kaneohe, HI 96744-1365.
