Sacred Hearts Father Pat Fanning celebrated Mass Aug. 2 at St. Damien of Molokai Church in Kaunakakai, Molokai, with the relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne displayed before the altar. (Courtesy Mark Jechura) Hawaii Catholic Herald Nearly three months after their nationwide tour began, the Diocese of Honolulu’sfirst-class relics of St. Damien de Veuster […]
Talk story: Following in the footsteps of Hawaii’s saints
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 […]
Planting seeds of hope
Catholics across the country get to view and venerate first-class relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne By Celia K. Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald St. Damien de Veuster and St. Marianne Cope have touched countless lives as their legacies of selfless ministry, compassion and faith in Kalaupapa, Molokai, have been shared across the globe. A […]
Museum restores and opens St. Damien’s birth home to public
Hawaii Catholic Herald St. Damien’s Belgian birth home is now open to the general public after months of restoration. Ruben Boon, curator of the Damien Museum in Tremelo, said in an email bulletin that the work took about nine months. The restoration included the installation of a permanent exhibit featuring “original furniture and interior elements, […]
Photos: Celebrating St. Damien
At top, students from St. Patrick School in Kaimuki performed May 10 in front of the Damien statue at the state Capitol in downtown Honolulu during a ceremony honoring St. Damien on his feast day. Other schools that participated included Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Sacred Hearts Academy and Damien Memorial School; the service […]
Sherry Hayes-Peirce: Celebrate saints, holy people in May
Catholic Social Tips May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. Did you know that there is a document that celebrates the Catholic diversity of the identity, generations, cultures and leadership of the Asian and Pacific Islander community? “Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers […]
St. Damien mural helps stop vandalism
By Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald Walk along the Fort Street Mall near the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and you’ll see a colorful new mural on the boarded-up front of the Kamiano Center next to the church. The all-purpose building’s conditions have deteriorated in recent years, and while the Diocese of Honolulu […]
Damien relatives decry N.Y. rep’s depiction of Molokai saint
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls Hawaii’s choice for Washington’s Statuary Hall a white supremacist colonizer By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald Upset by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ suggestion that St. Damien was a white supremacist colonizer, two of the saint’s Belgian relatives, representing his extended family, wrote her an open letter Aug. 20 denouncing her words. […]
Waialua vestment designer making Damien-Marianne protective masks
By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald Wendy Wylder had been sewing chasubles, the priest’s primary outer Mass vestment, in her small sewing studio in Waialua to present to Hawaii clergy at their annual convocation in May when the coronavirus pandemic struck. The event was canceled, so she adjusted. Wylder is now making protective face masks […]
New portraits of Hawaii’s saints stand out above the cathedral’s altar
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 […]