Kalaupapa

Stranded

Wednesday, March 8th, 2023

Community Contributed

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

Flight 583 from Honolulu to Kalaupapa was rather bumpy but we made it safely across the treacherous waters of the Ka’iwi Channel. The plane looped around the south side of Molokai island, then headed north before turning to the right and shortly thereafter preparing to land. At which, the cry went up, “This is not Kalaupapa.” Sure enough, we were about to land at Ho’olehua, the topside Molokai airport. We were not happy. We had landed at the wrong airport and it was close to sunset.

Sunday, Feb. 19, had started well for me.…

Ship Ahoy!

Wednesday, August 31st, 2022

Community Contributed

Opinion by Father Pat Killilea

It was 7:30 a.m. as it arrived at the outer fringes of the inner harbor. By 8 a.m. it was being nudged closer to the pier by two tugboats and at 8:30 a.m., it had nestled close to the dock. Then at 9 a.m., the action began for real. It had been one of the earliest dockings of the Young Brothers barge during my 10 years here in Kalaupapa.

As I sat on my front porch, the crew were unloading empty shipping containers off the barge. Old friend Lionel from Hawaii Island stopped by to say hello and told me that these containers would be filled with metal and wood scraps before going back on the barge.…

The Heart of the Matter

Wednesday, May 25th, 2022

Community Contributed

Opinion by Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

I had been attempting to entertain the accompanying nurses when the anesthesiologist stuck this gadget in my mouth, presumably to keep me quiet. Then he told me to take a deep breath and then to exhale which I did. He then repeated the command which I obeyed and I swiftly slipped into the land of nod, trusting my heart to my lovely cardiologist, Dr. Carol Lai. She would zap my ticker back into a normal rhythm and would take pictures of that same ticker. When I returned to wakefulness, she had disappeared but I saw an angel hovering over me in the person of a most tender, loving care nurse.…

Kalaupapa Memorial to Get $5M

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

For almost 20 years, families and members of nonprofit Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa have been working to make the Kalaupapa Memorial a reality, honoring the men, women and children who were taken from their families and exiled on the peninsula because they were diagnosed with Hansen’s disease. That dream came one step closer to completion when the Hawaii State Legislature approved $5 million in funding for design, planning and construction of the memorial on May 5. 

“Today was monumental for all those exiled to Kalaupapa,” said Charmaine Woodward, President of the Board of Directors of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa.…

Celebrating Kalaupapa Month

Wednesday, February 9th, 2022

Community Contributed

Opinion by Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

You may have noticed that I’ve been AWOL from these pages for the past several weeks. The reason is that my computer died a sudden and unexpected death several weeks ago, perhaps as a result of the acidity of my writings. So, last week, I spent several hours in Honolulu (make that several days) under the tutelage of our man, Bill Pimental, learning computer. Power to the Portuguese! Bill gave me a crash course on how to use my new computer as well as my new Apple smart phone. He was very patient with me, seeing that I am not the brightest bulb in the room.…

Soul of Compassion

Wednesday, December 15th, 2021

Community Contributed

Opinion by Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

At a recent convocation, the speaker told a story about two Irish priests who were out for a stroll one day in the Irish countryside. They came to the River Shiven and there standing on the riverbank, looking across the shimmering water, was a lovely young woman. She had long golden hair and a figure like an hourglass. It was clear to the two priests that she wished to cross the shallow river but she did not want to get her dress wet. So, one priest said to the other, “The compassionate thing to do would be to carry her across.”…