Author Archives: Megan Stephenson

Aloha Saint Damien: Alleluia!

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

This is an ongoing blog about Father Damien from Molokai Dispatch reporter Megan Stephenson.

Proclaimed by the thousands of pilgrims in Rome, and officially by Governor Lingle, today is Saint Damien Day!
Canonization ceremonies are usually held outside in St. Peter’s Square, able to hold up to 500,000 people. However, rain storms on Saturday threatened again on Sunday morning in Rome, and so the canonization ceremony was moved indoors to St. Peter’s Basilica. Many of those in the Hawaiian delegations described their position, inside or out, as feeling like sardines, as inside was maxed out at around 60,000 people, and another 40,000 spilled onto the square to watch the litany. But the wait and the crowd were worth it, as one Herald blogger wrote, because their Damien was now a saint!
The Kalaupapa delegation was given prime seating inside, and one patient with ‘miracle lady’ Audrey Toguchi were among those to offer the relic in thanks to the Holy Father (the relic will then make a tour in the next few weeks, ending in Molokai).
Pope Benedict XVI led a smooth service elevating five extraordinary souls to sainthood.

Saint Damien was also featured in a number of publications over the weekend, ranging from fellow Catholics commemorating, to national, leading newspapers.
• A parish from New York state blogged about the renamed St. Damien parish (http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2009/10/hawaiian-church-to-be-renamed-for-st-damien.html);
• An editorial appeared in the New York Times about the stigma of leprosy and Father Damien’s message (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/opinion/11sun2.html?_r=1);
• An article calling Damien the first Ironman for his endurance in American Spectator (http://spectator.org/archives/2009/10/09/the-first-ironman-of-hawaii);
• The Voice of America wrote of Damien’s story (http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2009-10-09-voa25.cfm);
• USA Today asked if the honors of Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize and Damien’s sainthood inspired people (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2009/10/barack-obama-sainthood-nobel-peace-prize-catholic-damien/1);
• The first news piece on Wikipedia’s news segment on Oct. 11 was Father Damien’s canonization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)

Aloha Saint Damien: What will you do to celebrate?

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

This is an ongoing blog about Father Damien by Molokai Dispatch reporter Megan Stephenson.

It is around 6:30pm Hawaiian standard time, which means its 6:30am in Rome – less than four hours until the beginning canonization ceremonies. At 10 o’clock, the Vatican will be streaming live the ceremony; here on Molokai St. Sophia’s church will have two large screens for anyone who wishes to watch.

While this is a special day on Molokai, and around Hawaii – Governor Lingle has already proclaimed October 11 to be Saint Damien Day – there are four other special souls who will be sainted with Father Damien.
Sister Jeanne Jugan (1792-1879) of France, a nun with the Little Sisters of the Poor; Rafael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938), a Spanish Cistercian; Francesc Coll y Guitart (1812-1875), also from Spain, he was a Dominican priest; and Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski (1822-1895), a Polish bishop.

The many Hawaiian groups that made the long journey to Europe have been posting their news via blogs and Twitter. The Boy Scouts of Oahu enjoyed Rome yesterday, visiting the Colesseum and attending Mass at St. Peter’s. Those in the Hawaiian Catholic Herald group, the official delegation from the Diocese of Honolulu (with Bishop Silva) posted the ‘Hawaiian pilgrims’ are headed to St. Peter’s Square around 7am (their time) for the canonization Mass. There blog can be found here: http://hawaiicatholicherald.wordpress.com/

In just a few hours, at 10pm Hawaiian time, Father Damien will become Saint Damien. Of course, it will be 10am local time, so it’s as if Hawaii gets a peek into the future!
Go out and celebrate!

Aloha Saint Damien: It’s Almost Time!

Friday, October 9th, 2009

This is an ongoing blog about Father Damien by Molokai Dispatch reporter Megan Stephenson.

First, a quick rundown of the Father Damien celebrations here on Molokai. St. Sophia Church in Kaunakakai is hosting a canonization celebration on Saturday, Oct. 10. Mass and Damien Novena at 6pm; potluck dinner and entertainment at 7:15pm; viewing of a Damien documentary at 9pm; and live screening of the canonization mass from the Vatican at 10pm.

I am also searching for contemporary news on Father Damien. There are two popular and notable blogs about the upcoming canonization: Countdown to St. Damien by the Honolulu Advertiser, and the Saint Damien Boy Scouts of Hawaii. Both are in the action: sending photos, videos and information back to Hawaii about the Belgian celebrations and (soon) the canonization ceremony in Rome.

One of the things the Advertiser reporter, Mary Vorsino (who is traveling with Honolulu Diocese Bishop Larry Silva) pointed out was how difficult it is to gauge how popular Father Damien is outside the Catholic, Belgian or Hawaiian worlds. A Google News search of ‘Father Damien’ brings up mostly articles from Catholic publications, Hawaiian publications, and a few AP article syndicated to other newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer. Not many US publications are picking up on this event.

But there are only eight American saints, and six Blessed persons ‘adopted’ because of their service to America, including Father Damien and Mother Mary. Out of over 10,000 saints by the Catholic Church in the past millennia, less than 20 people associated with America are astounding!

http://stdamienboyscouts.wordpress.com/
http://countdowntostdamien.honadvblogs.com/

Aloha Saint Damien: His Presence on Topside Molokai

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

This is an ongoing blog about Father Damien by Molokai Dispatch reporter Megan Stephenson.

In my journey through Father Damien’s life, it has become apparent how difficult it is to narrow down someone’s entire life into small statements – especially someone like this soon-to-be saint. His experiences when he was young shaped his later decisions; he met people that impacted his life choices, personally and professionally; and he kept focus on a spiritual journey that is impossible to truly capture and share with others. This information has filled several books and even a few movie screens.
 
However, Father Damien was a truly remarkable person for his time. While he lived in the ‘Age of Reason,’ where scientific discoveries overtook religious explanations of the world, his life’s work had no answers. Leprosy was a mystery until the middle part of last century – it left only misunderstandings and instilled fear in most people. Damien was one of the few to work among those afflicted with the disease despite the apprehension.

In light of these recent thoughts, I am exploring Damien’s legacy on the very island he served. A week or so ago, I was driving on the Kalae Highway and saw a sign for a Kalaupapa exhibit. My nerdy self got excited: it combined my work, writing about Father Damien and his impact here on Molokai, and indulged my hobby of visiting museums.

So today, I went to the Molokai Museum and Cultural Center. It’s primarily the R.W. Meyer Sugar Mill Museum, dedicated to Rudolph Meyer, who started the sugar mill after he arrived on Molokai around 1848 as the public works superintendent. He worked closely with Damien during his tenure, often helping the missionary find the resources he needed.

Very understated, the Kalaupapa exhibit focused on the patients. There were many donated crafts, photos, and other artifacts from present patients in Kalaupapa: a coconut lamp, a wood-burned image of Father Damien, and black-and-white photographs of the peninsula, the nuns, and life throughout the years. The museum gave a very honest impression of how private the peninsula’s residents are, as well as the island’s protective nature of their privacy.