The new portraits of Sts. Damien and Marianne could be seen as construction workers took down scaffolding inside the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu on Dec. 19. The new paintings were a part of Phase 2C of the Cathedral Renewal Campaign, which wrapped up in time for Christmas.
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Two new faces can be seen in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. Specially commissioned portraits of St. Marianne Cope and St. Damien de Veuster went up in December on each side of the crucifixion scene on the high altar.
The new paintings depict the two Hawaii saints in 1888-1889, the time period when they were both in Kalaupapa. Damien died from Hansen’s disease complications April 15, 1889.
EverGreene Architectural Arts in New York painted the images based on photographs of the saints and with input from cathedral staff and the Cathedral Renewal Project’s architectural and liturgical consultants. The images show each saint in front of their primary church: St. Damien with St. Philomena in Kalawao, which he partially built, and St. Marianne Cope in front of St. Elizabeth Chapel in Kalaupapa.
The new portraits were dedicated and blessed at the Christmas Eve midnight Mass by Bishop Larry Silva. The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities and the Congregation of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the religious congregations to which St. Marianne and St. Damien belonged, both made substantial contributions to the Cathedral Renewal Campaign and will receive special recognition for their donations.
“It’s very special because these orders are the living legacy of the work in Kalaupapa that began with the saints and still continue today,” said Kamalani Rodrigues, the renewal campaign’s director.
The saint portraits were the focus of Phase 2C of the Cathedral Renewal Campaign. This phase also included cleaning the high altar’s marble, applying faux marbling to the cathedral’s large columns, replacing wallpaper above the high altar and behind the bishop’s chair, and replacing or upgrading the church’s security cameras.
The Cathedral Renewal Project started with Phase 1 — repairing termite, water and other damage in the cathedral, particularly its second floor gallery, which was finished in November 2015.
Repairs to the cathedral’s bell tower made up the first part of Phase 2 and were finished in March 2017. Next up were renovations that began in fall 2017 that included an expanded sanctuary floor, four restored stained glass windows, and a new burial vault for bishops. Those upgrades were unveiled in time for the cathedral basilica’s 175th anniversary in August 2019.
Phases 3-6’s goals are the construction of a reliquary chapel, a full immersion baptismal font, new pews, new and restored artwork, a new tile floor, new lighting, a new audio/video system, and electrical and mechanical upgrades. There are also plans to complete restoration of the vaulted ceilings, the stained glass windows and the pipe organ, as well as do exterior painting and landscaping.
The goal of the Cathedral Renewal Campaign is to “honor and invoke the 19th century time period of St. Damien and St. Marianne,” according to the campaign’s website.
For more details on the renovation project go to honolulucathedralrenewal.org
