Those Masked Marvels

By Father Pat Killilea, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

Many of you readers grew up watching the Lone Ranger fight for justice. Some of you may have thrilled at the exploits of Batman as he nabbed all types of crooks and criminals. More of you marveled at the feats of the Green Hornet. As for myself, I was drawn to the swashbuckling but sometimes reckless Zorro. Indeed, I once dressed up as that mystery man, complete with sword and whip and concealed behind a mask, at a parish country fair in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. All of these fought for justice behind the mask. All were heroes.

Today, as we witness on our television screens, we have countless heroes working behind their masks. They are not battling crooks or criminals. They are not rescuing damsels in distress. They are fighting for the lives of fellow citizens, most of whom they do not know. They are fighting against an enemy they can not see. They are giving their lives to rescue others from this deadly coronavirus. Let us all give a shout out for all those masked marvels in the medical field.

Here on this Kalaupapa peninsula, as I have previously noted, we are protected by those massive evergreen cliffs and the surrounding ocean which cut us off from the main part of Molokai. So far masks are not commonplace here. However, the nurses and staff at the Care Home do wear masks to protect the patients who go to the Care Home for meals. A few days ago at the grocery store, I met Jane, the bookkeeper at the Care Home, and she was sporting a very colorful mask. I suggested to her that she must have made it herself from a piece of one of her very colorful dresses. She is indeed a colorful lady. Tomorrow I will wear a mask complements of the famous Father Chris Keahi. I also plan on wearing an eye mask as a mark of respect to Zorro.

As the days and weeks of this very difficult time drag on, we hope for a swift recovery from this pandemic. We pray for those suffering from the disease and we mourn with those who have lost loved ones to the disease. During this time we may try to mask our fears with a little bravado or we may share them with others, but we must at the same time salute all those masked marvels who battle for us on the front lines. Aloha.