Hawaii Catholic Herald
There is an exciting update on the sainthood cause for Servant of God Joseph Dutton, a layman who worked for decades with Hansen’s disease patients in Kalaupapa — first alongside Father Damien de Veuster, then as a contemporary of Mother Marianne Cope.
The Joseph Dutton Guild, which was established a decade ago to advocate for Dutton’s beatification and canonization, announced in an email shared July 30 that an alleged miracle has been investigated in Illinois:
“We are happy to announce that the acts of the process conducted by the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, regarding an alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of Servant of God Joseph Dutton has been sent to the Dicastery (for) the Causes of Saints at the Vatican for study and judgment,” the guild reported.
“A decision will be made if and when the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has officially declared the Servant of God Joseph Dutton to have lived a heroically virtuous life. Since this will take some time, everyone is encouraged to pray for a favorable outcome.
“We would like to encourage our followers to continue to pray for the intercession of Servant of God Joseph Dutton in their moments of need and inform us of the potential miracles that may have been granted.”
Dutton was born Ira Barnes Dutton in Vermont. He was a Civil War veteran but faced personal problems that led him to become a functioning alcoholic. Realizing he had to change his life, he quit drinking and became a convert to Catholicism, taking the name Joseph.
Dutton went to Molokai in July 1886, seeking to atone for his sins by helping Father Damien care for Hansen’s disease patients.
Father Damien affectionately called Dutton “Brother,” and was aided by his American assistant until his death in 1889. Afterward, for more than 40 years, Dutton administered Kalaupapa’s Baldwin Home for boys and men, while Mother Marianne oversaw Bishop Home for girls and women.
Dutton died in 1931 in Honolulu’s St. Francis Hospital. His grave is next to Father Damien’s at St. Philomena Church in Kalawao.
Dutton’s canonization cause formally opened in 2022, about seven years after the Joseph Dutton Guild was formed to encourage the start of the process.
In January 2024, the cause took a major step forward when its diocesan research phase ended, and evidence showing his “life, heroic virtues, reputation of holiness and intercessory power” was sent to the Vatican and the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.