KAPAUPAPA DIARY: BARGE DAY It appeared on the horizon Aug. 22 at about 7:30 a.m. At 8 a.m. approximately it arrived in the inner harbor, and by 9 a.m. had settled in next to the pier at Damien’s Landing. Looking at it from my front porch brought to mind these lines from a Girl Scout […]
Father Patrick Killilea, SSCC: COVID coping in Kalaupapa
KALAUPAPA DIARY Legend says that “trees are the record keepers of the earth. They are busy gathering information and holding volumes of wisdom and knowledge. Branches layer themselves with information and their leaves capture your words and actions as you walk by them.” It is also written that “the banyan tree represents a time of […]
Father Patrick Killilea, SSCC: Under the banyan tree
KALAUPAPA DIARY It was about 10 a.m., Kalaupapa time, on June 10, as we gathered in the shade of the giant banyan tree on Staff Row. Some of us sat on metal chairs, others sprawled on the grass, while others stood on in the outer rim of the shaded area. We observed the proper social […]
Forever gracious: Remembering Kalaupapa advocate Pi‘olani Motta
Pi‘olani Motta fought hard to honor the legacy of her grandparents and other forgotten Kalaupapa souls By Valerie Monson Special to the Herald In describing Pi‘olani Motta, certain words keep coming to mind: Gracious. Elegant. Determined. Others before self. Motta died Feb. 14 at the age of 90 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor […]
Father Patrick Killilea, SSCC: Wind in the willows
KALAUPAPA DIARY Some people awake to the sound of an alarm, some to the call of one or more roosters and some have a natural awakening. It was that way for me last week during this lockdown because of the coronavirus. One morning I awoke to the memory of childhood days and “The Wind in […]
Kalaupapa diary: To bee or not to bee
By Father Patrick Killilea, SSCC Special to the Herald KALAUPAPA, Hawaii — I had just finished sharing the Gospel of the day when I felt this thing on my left hand and figured it was just a pesky fly. So I swatted it with my right hand only to feel a sharp sting and then […]
Early Kalaupapa Christmases
“Christmas is coming and a New Year approaches and I send you my best wishes.” – Father Damien writing to his family in 1885 By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald Christmas in Hawaii in the mid- to late-1800s was a much simpler holiday than today. On Molokai’s isolated Kalaupapa peninsula, where those suffering from Hansen’s […]
NANCY CHANG TALINO | 1925-2019
Kalaupapa resident the last living patient-member of Siloama Church By Valerie Monson Special to the Herald The death of Nancy Chang Talino earlier this year at the age of 93 not only draped a veil of sadness over her family and many friends, it marked a solemn juncture for the Protestant churches of Kalaupapa. “Nancy […]
‘More than just young at heart’
John Arruda, 95, accepted and overcame the heavy price of Hansen’s disease to live a long, fulfilling life By Valerie Monson Special to the Hawaii Catholic Herald From a bench on the old sampan idling in the bay, John Arruda stared at what was about to become his new home: the Kalaupapa peninsula. It was […]
Kalaupapa: How to get there today
By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald You may know about St. Damien and St. Marianne. And you may know about Kalaupapa and its Hansen’s disease settlement where they dedicated their lives to serving those forcibly sent into isolation because of their disease. But do you know how to get to this holy and historic place? […]
