Honolulu and the Hawaiian Islands are probably one of the last remaining places on Earth that can replicate the oasis that once was the Garden of Eden. With its volcano lined mountains, turquoise waters, soaring palm trees, white sand beaches, and indescribably colorful plants and flowers, it is hard to find a better natural expression of God’s beauty.
For decades, Hawaii has been an exotic vacation destination for well heeled travelers and a honeymoon capital of the world. Its natural attractions draw visitors from around the world, as does the poignant reminder of the greatest terrorist attack to have occurred on American soil prior to 9/11, the site of the Pearl Harbor attack.
While spending time on its golden beaches, either in the Waikiki District or along Oahu’s North Shore, will form a good part of a trip to Honolulu, these are not the only attractions. There are splendid museums and cultural attractions tracing Polynesian Culture and Hawaii’s unique history, including the Bishop Museum and its world class planetarium, and the US Army Museum of Hawaii; the expansive Honolulu Zoo; and the opportunity to hike up the imposing Diamond Head, the 320 acre cratered volcano. No visit to Honolulu would be complete without a stop at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
Honolulu is also an important pilgrimage destination, for honoring the memory of Hawaii’s great saints: St. Damien of Molokai and St. Marianne Cope, both of whom gave their lives ministering to the lepers on the island of Molokai. The city’s cathedral, The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, houses a shrine to St. Damien, which includes a preserved bone relic (his body was translated to his native Belgium), as well as the relics of St. Marianne Cope, which were repatriated from Syracuse (NY) in 2014. The cathedral is also where Father Damian was first ordained a priest.
Right in the heart of Waikiki is the wood frame church of St. Augustine by the Sea, which is one of the oldest parishes in Hawaii dating back to the mid nineteenth century. It really took off during the Spanish-American War, when US soldiers en route to the Philippines sought a regular parish for receiving the sacraments. It has some beautiful mosaics depicting the life of St. Damien and next door to the church, a new 5,000 square foot museum dedicated to the life of St. Damien, St. Marianne Cope and the leper colony in Molokai has just opened. You will also find public tributes to the saints across the city, such as the statue of St. Marianne found in the Kewalo Basin harbor, or the giant statue of St. Damien in front of the Hawaii State Capitol.
Kalaupapa
The entire story of St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope in Hawaii revolve around the Kalaupapa site on the island of Molokai. This is the leper colony that was set up by the Hawaiian government in the mid nineteenth century to house the victims of leprosy who were shunned from the main land and socially isolated.
The Kalaupapa site is now a National Park, but there are several Catholic churches in the area, including some that were built by Father Damien himself. The principal church is St. Philomena, which was built by the lepers and is where the grave site of St. Damien can be found.
A few years after arriving in Hawaii and being ordained a priest in the cathedral of Honolulu, he voluntarily chose to move to the colony and establish it as a functional community, living alongside and providing physical and spiritual care to the lepers. What he achieved was nothing short of remarkable, as in the end he was able to take an unruly and stigmatized group and structure a new community centered around the teachings of the Gospel. He also succeeded in convincing St. Marianne Cope to leave her ministry in Central New York and move to Hawaii to lead a similar effort for the female lepers in the colony. St. Damien eventually contracted leprosy himself, and died in 1889. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 and remains one of Hawaii’s most famous inhabitants.
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
Leave a comment