Retreat attendees
By Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy
Special to the Herald
On Sunday, Jan. 19, we gathered in the lush tropical tranquility of St. Anthony Retreat Center deep in Kalihi Valley, drawn together by a common bond: the silent grief of a miscarriage.
Lei Poina ‘Ole — “beloved keiki always remembered” — is a new retreat program in Hawaii for women and their loved ones who have experienced the death of a child through miscarriage. Knowing life begins at the moment of conception, our goal is to honor the lives of our children who died in utero and offer a place and space for remembrance, healing and joy in Christ.
Our faith teaches us that every human person is created in the image of God. From the very moment of our conception God wills us into being and desires that we spend eternal life with him. Our soul does not perish when it separates from the body at death, but will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 366).
Lei Poina ‘Ole brings this teaching to life through a partnership between the diocesan Office of Religious Education and Malama o Na Keiki, a cultural nursing program of Caring for Hawaii Neonates, a non-profit 501c3 organization of registered nurses who specialize in neonatal intensive care, infant hospice, fetal demise, family grief counseling and outreach.
Under the expert guidance of registered nurse and kumu hula Leilani Kahoano, Lei Poina ‘Ole is a time for prayer, sharing stories, and marveling at the gift of life given to us by God. We were also given time to venerate the relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne who lovingly provided the children of Kalawao and Kalaupapa with shelter, protection and care.
And we received a special insight into the legacy of several monarchs of the Kingdom of Hawaii who believed in the Christian faith and shared Hawaii’s two saints’ commitment to the protection of children. Stories of Queen Emma and other royalty who had pregnancy losses connected us to the history of our island home and God’s infinite mercy in the realization that “he lei poina ‘ole ke keiki” – “the beloved child is always remembered.”
Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy, director for the Office of Religious Education, and Leilani Kahoano wish to acknowledge retreat core team members Robert and Lesley Noguchi, Denise Oliveira, and Sister Cheryl Wint of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. Plans are underway to offer Lei Poina ‘Ole on Oahu and the neighbor islands and to provide pastoral guidance for clergy and the faithful to minister to those who have experienced the death of a child in utero.
