By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Bishop Larry Silva presided May 10 over the historic opening session of the diocesan inquiry for the cause of the beatification and canonization of Joseph Dutton, the Civil War veteran who spent the final 48 years of his life caring for the patients of Kalaupapa, Molokai. At the end of an evening Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, nine officials for the cause read and signed their oaths of office, opening the inquiry.
The main celebrant was Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio of the United States since 2016, who was visiting the Diocese of Honolulu for the first time. The liturgy was for the memorial of St. Damien de Veuster, May 10. A walnut-sized bone relic of the saint was on display for veneration in a polished wood box in front of the altar.
The procedures officially launched the diocesan inquiry “into the life, the virtues, and reputation of holiness and intercessory power of the servant of God Joseph Dutton, layman.”
“Servant of God” is the initial title given any candidate for sainthood.
Msgr. Robert Sarno, retired official of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints who assisted in the canonizations of Father Damien and Mother Marianne, and who now serves as the Episcopal Delegate for Dutton’s cause, led the formal proceedings.
Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, preaches May 10 in Honolulu’s cathedral basilica. (All photos on this page courtesy of Dann Ebina )
The participants in the cause read and signed their oaths of office at a lectern in the church sanctuary. They included diocesan judicial vicar Father Mark Gantley as Promoter of Justice, Father Siegfried Dosdos as the Diocesan Postulator, the primary advocate of the cause, and members of the Historical Commission Father John Paul Kimes and Patrick Boland. Not present was commission member Father Joseph Badding who had been sworn in earlier.
The diocese’s Moderator of the Tribunal Roxanne Torres signed in as notary and Deacon Keith Cabiles as chancellor.
All, including Bishop Silva, “solemnly” swore to “faithfully and carefully execute the duty” committed to them, and to “keep secret” all that they may learn in the inquiry.
“In fulfilling my duty, I will keep my eyes only on God and the good of the church, so help me God,” they each said.
According to the Mass’s order of worship, the pen used to sign the documents was made of wood from a tree growing on the property of St. Anthony Church in Wailuku, Maui, when and where Father Damien made his auspicious choice to volunteer for Molokai.
Also introduced were members of the Joseph Dutton Guild who, for about a decade, have been laying the groundwork that led to the initiation of the cause.
The final reading acknowledged 13 actions leading up to the opening inquiry, including the creation of the guild, consultations with the faithful, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the bishops of the metropolitan province of San Francisco, and approval by the Vatican.
After enduring more than 30 minutes of repetitious legal language in the reading and signing of the oaths of office, Bishop Silva delivered the punch line:
“Obviously, it takes a lot of people to make a saint.”
That drew laughs, but also introduced a broader truth. “That it is not just the people working on the causes, but it does take a lot of people to make a saint. Joseph Dutton would not even be proposed as a candidate for sainthood had it not been for many people who were saints to him, who were inspirations to him, such as Father Damien and Mother Marianne.”
“And he would not have been a candidate for sainthood had it not been for the many people that he served and who inspired him along the way. And so we thank God for all of them,” he said.
“Of course we remember that the reason we have the process of the canonization of saints is so we can become saints ourselves, so that we can imitate those who have gone before us in their fidelity to Jesus. And so we thank God for this day.”
Imitating the Good Shepherd
Earlier, in his homily, the French-accented archbishop spoke of the heroic love of Molokai’s two saints and saint candidate.
“What we see in Father Damien, Marianne Cope and Joseph Dutton is commitment — commitment to the sick and to the marginalized,” he said. “We see total commitment in imitation of Christ the Good Shepherd, who lay down his life for his sheep.”
“The church is missionary and its mission is Spirit-driven,” he said. “She is not concerned so much with self-preservation, as to going forth with apostolic boldness to proclaim the joy of the Gospel.”
“The mission is Spirit-driven,” he repeated. “Don’t forget that. It is not driven by politics, by money. It is not driven by the whims of the fashions of the day, but by the Spirit of God.”
“What gives us strength for our mission is prayer,” he said.
“The model of action is not action, the model of action is prayer,” Archbishop Pierre said. “The dynamism of our life is prayer, the source of our action is prayer. If there is no prayer in our life, nothing happens, we are stuck.”
“Would Father Damien, would Marianne Cope, would Joseph Dutton have been able to accomplish anything without the power of God?” he asked. “Today it is fashionable to speak about missionary discipleship. But be careful. Don’t make that just a slogan.”
“We are first disciples of Jesus, if we are not with Jesus, we can do nothing,” he said.
“In Father Damien, in Marianne Cope and Joseph Dutton, we have models to imitate, of holiness and of missionary discipleship. They went into the world to preach the good news and they willingly and lovingly laid down their lives for their friends,” he said. “And thus they lived and died not only as friends of (those with leprosy), but as friends of God, and the two things go together.”
“So my friends, may we do the same.”
About 75 people attended the Mass. Thirty priests concelebrated. Three deacons assisted.
The music, a blend of Gregorian chant and musician Robert Mondoy’s Hawaiian-inflected compositions, was provided by Mondoy, Calvin Liu and the Damien and Marianne Choir.
Several tumultuous years
Ira Dutton was born to Protestant parents in Stowe, Vermont, on April 27, 1843, and raised in Wisconsin.
He fought in the U.S. Civil War, rising to the rank of captain with the 13th Wisconsin Volunteers. Discharged from the Army in 1866, Dutton endured several tumultuous years with a failed marriage and alcohol abuse.
He worked difficult jobs to support himself, including bringing the remains of soldiers back from Civil War battlefields to the common burial ground that is now Arlington National Cemetery.
Dutton found solace in Catholicism and was baptized on his 40th birthday, April 27, 1883. He took “Joseph” as his baptismal name.
As an act of atonement for his turbulent post-war years, he traveled to Molokai in 1886 to join St. Damien in his work with leprosy patients. St. Damien affectionately called his American assistant “Brother.”
Dutton helped St. Damien until the priest’s death three years later in 1889, and remained in Kalaupapa for an additional 42 years, administering the Baldwin Home for boys and men. St. Marianne during that time cared for girls and women at Bishop Home.
Dutton died in 1931. His grave lies next to that of St. Damien on the grounds of St. Philomena Church in Kalawao.
