Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Kalaupapa survivor Ivy Kahilihiwa countered life’s hardships with faith and a smile

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Ivy Strong By Valerie Monson Special to the Hawaii Catholic Herald As a 9-year-old girl on the North Shore of Kauai, Ivy Laamea climbed a tree to survive the deadly 1946 tsunami that killed four members of her immediate family. Barely eight years after that, she was diagnosed with leprosy and forced to give up […]

Belgian officials visit Kalaupapa to honor beloved countryman

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By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald A delegation of nine Belgians was in Hawaii this month to commemorate the 150th anniversary of their revered countryman, St. Damien de Veuster, stepping foot on Molokai, and to sign a “commitment statement” with Bishop Larry Silva, Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen, Kalaupapa residents, representatives of […]

Mary Adamski: Passing the Kalaupapa baton

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VIEW FROM THE PEW Why is it that we humans have this need to measure events, people, what’s important in life, by using numbers? How many years of life, of service, birthdays, anniversaries, we count them. Money counting is important, how much spent, saved, paid, stolen; and there’s the relentless daily stories about spending by […]

Hutchison memoirs: ‘The book no one else could have written’

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“Yours Faithfully, Ambrose Hutchison: Recollections of a Lifetime at Kalaupapa,” edited by Anwei Skinsnes Law, published by Ka Ohana O Kalaupapa, 233 pages. Order at www.kalaupapaohana.org/new-book. Cost is $50 which includes shipping and handling. For more information, contact info.kalaupapa@gmail.com. By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald It would be difficult to invent such a character as […]

Melody of love

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A reflection on Yo-Yo Ma’s Kalaupapa concert among the headstones By Sisters Alicia Damien Lau and Barbara Jean Wajda Special to the Herald “Melody of Love.” That seems a fitting description of the moving performance of Yo-Yo Ma as he made his borrowed cello sing with the energy of all those who have ever lived […]

Officials in place, the inquiry into Dutton’s cause begins

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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 […]

State Legislature OKs $5 million for Kalaupapa Memorial

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By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald A major step recently took place toward the creation of a Kalaupapa Memorial for all former patients. On May 5, the Hawaii State Legislature approved SB 3338, which grants $5 million for the design, planning and construction of The Kalaupapa Memorial as proposed by Ka Ohana O Kalaupapa, the […]

Dutton’s sainthood cause moves to ‘diocesan inquiry’ phase

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By Anna Weaver and Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald It’s another small, but significant, hop forward on the long path to sainthood for Kalaupapa’s Servant of God Joseph Dutton. On March 30, Bishop Larry Silva of the Diocese of Honolulu announced that preliminary steps are now done and the first session of the “diocesan inquiry” […]

In the family: Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa webinar brings together descendants and supporters of Kalaupapa settlement

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By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald The numbers of those logged on to the Zoom session quickly ticked upwards as the start time for a Damien and Marianne Catholic Conference webinar approached on Jan. 22. Attendees left notes in the chatbox introducing themselves. “I am the adopted Daughter of the Late Laurenzio & Katherine Costales […]