Office for Social Ministry “We who live here in Hawaii are very blessed and privileged to be the heirs of the story of Sts. Father Damien and Mother Marianne, who served the poorest and most needy among us.” (Bishop Larry Silva, “Following Footsteps” YouTube video for the Office for Social Ministry) This month, word is […]
Mary Adamski: Music makes bishop’s legacy come alive
View from the pew Music is accompanying memories as I start down a reminiscing path about a very special person who has affected all our lives for the past several years. I am hearing a congregation gustily singing the Litany of Saints, not as the dirge-like traditional ritual, but sung to a Hawaiian tempo, accompanied […]
15 years a saint: Recalling St. Damien’s canonization
By Jennifer Rector Hawaii Catholic Herald On Oct. 11, 2009, people speaking different languages and from many nations all united at the Vatican to witness Pope Benedict XVI proclaim Hawaii’s first saint — Father Damien de Veuster of Molokai. The canonization of St. Damien put a spotlight on his courageous story of ministry to Hansen’s […]
Reflection: An isle family’s deep connection to Father Damien
By Alika Hussey Sheldon Special to the Herald Sometimes in a family’s long and complicated history, a story emerges from a long-lost relative that was shared with family members who believed it was worth preserving. Oral tradition is usually passed on in this way and goes back to the time of the early church. Then […]
The story of the statue: How Father Damien’s capitol sculpture came to be
This story first ran in the Hawaii Catholic Herald in July 2008. It is being reprinted here after renewed interest in the Father Damien statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection. A duplicate statue sits outside the Hawaii state capitol. The story of the statue It took years of grassroots campaigning, political maneuvering, artistic disputes, […]