The statue of St. Damien at the Honolulu state capitol. (HCH file photo)
May 10 is the feast day of St. Damien de Veuster, an obligatory memorial to be celebrated in the Diocese of Honolulu.
Island parishes and the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary — St. Damien’s religious order — have organized upcoming liturgies and activities to honor the Molokai saint.
Bishop Larry Silva is scheduled to celebrate Mass on May 10 for St. Damien’s feast at 6 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
The bishop is also slated to join in a public prayer service at 9 a.m. that day at the state capitol. Sacred Hearts sisters, brothers and priests will gather at the famous statue of St. Damien in downtown Honolulu for reflection and a lei presentation.
Sacred Hearts Sister Helene Wood said students from Sacred Hearts Academy and other schools run by the religious order — St. Patrick School, Kaimuki; St. Ann School, Kaneohe; St. Michael School, Waialua — will participate in the state capitol service. Parishioners from Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Wahiawa, which is administered by the order, and members of the Sacred Hearts Secular Branch are expected to attend as well.
Christian Brother Daniel Casey, principal of Damien Memorial School, said students from Damien’s student government and Kalaupapa Immersion group will also be at the May 10 service, offering prayers for legislators and Hawaii’s homeless.
Sacred Hearts Father Christopher Kaitapu, pastor of St. Damien Church in Kaunakakai, Molokai, reports that the parish will host a Mass at 6 p.m. on May 10 for “Damien Day,” followed by a potluck celebration. Sacred Hearts Father Pat Killilea, pastor of St. Francis Church in Kalaupapa, Molokai, said a St. Damien celebration is planned for May 6 at St. Philomena Church in Kalawao. A 10:30 a.m. liturgy will be presided by Sacred Hearts Father Bill Petrie, and members of the Order of St. Lazarus will serve a luau dinner at McVeigh Hall.
St. Damien’s feast day, May 10, marks the day when the Sacred Hearts priest arrived on Molokai in 1873 to aid Hansen’s disease patients in Kalaupapa. St. Damien was canonized in 2009.
Visit the Molokai Catholic Community website for “Damien Day” resources: http://www.damienchurchmolokai.org