Saturday, July 28, 2012

On July 28 and 29, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Outreach College presents two performances of DAMIEN, the award-winning one-man play by Aldyth Morris. The riveting drama of Saint Damien’s life in Hawai‘i will be performed by actor Dann Seki and directed by Tim Slaughter. The entire playscript is included in Almost Heaven: On the Human and Divine (Mānoa 23:2), which will be available for sale at the performances. The 1980 edition of the play is still available by order from UH Press.

Act One opens with a chant, written originally in Hawaiian by a composer and hula master who contracted leprosy and died at the Kalaupapa settlement on Moloka‘i. “Song of the Chanter Ka-‘ehu” begins:

    What will become of Hawai‘i?
    What will leprosy do to our land—
    disease of the despised, dreaded alike
    by white or brown or darker-skinned?

    Strange when a man’s neighors
    become less than acquaintances.
    Seeing me they drew away.
    They moved to sit elsewhere, whispering,
    and a friend pointed a finger:
    “He is a leper.”

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Catholic Parish Gets New Priest

(Bishop Larry Silva and Father William Petrie (right) at his installation at St. Damien Church. Photo by Catherine Cluett)
As a high school student in Arizona at the age of 16, Father William Petrie read a biography of St. Damien in school. That’s what started the priest’s journey in the Catholic faith, which has culminated in his installation as pastor of Molokai’s St. Damien Parish last Tuesday.  “That book inspired me so much that I decided I was going to become a priest and work with leprosy patients,” he said. “And it all came true.”

He entered seminary and joined the order of the Sacred Hearts, of which St. Damien was a member. Sixteen years after he felt called by the saint from Molokai, he went to India to work with Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whose mission was to serve those with leprosy, where he lived for 25 years.  Now, at the age of 70, Petrie said he has found the place he plans to stay “until God calls me home.” He lives in a little house next to the picturesque St. Joseph’s Church in east Molokai that Damien himself built.  “It feels like coming home to heaven,” he said joyfully. “I’m constantly thanking God for the gift of being here [on Molokai].” Petrie is replacing Father Clyde Guerreiro, who was assigned to serve at a parish in Wahiawa, Oahu.

Dedication to the Afflicted
 Petrie’s mission in India began with a letter to Mother Teresa, introducing himself and letting her know he wanted to be involved in serving those with leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease. He never heard back. He raised $1000 for a ticket to India, which at the time cost $800, he said. He again wrote to Mother Teresa, restating his hope to work with her, and including the remaining $200 as a donation to her mission. Again, he never received a response.  Petrie wrote a third and final letter to Mother Teresa, this time giving his flight information for his planned trip to India.

(Father Petrie and visiting priests pray before mass last week. Photo by Catherine Cluett)
 
He still hadn’t heard back by the time he boarded a flight and landed in a busy Indian airport. There was no one there to pick him up. He wound his way through throngs of people in the street, looked up the contact for Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, and called the number. A woman answered and Petrie asked for Mother Teresa. The woman said that was she. He again introduced himself and expressed his desire to work with her.  “She was delighted… we struck up a friendship that lasted until she died,” said Petrie, adding she had never received his letters.

During his years working with her, he not only became an important member of Mother’s Teresa’s well-known mission, but also followed in Damien’s footsteps of service to those with leprosy. He started the Damien Institute in India, which included a medical clinic, education for youth, rehabilitation and employment services. He also established a Sacred Hearts congregation in India to join the worldwide community and continue the work of the Institute.

Fulfillment on Molokai
(Mass at St. Damien Church. Photo by Catherine Cluett)

Despite the fulfillment of his past missions, Father Petrie said he feels as though those assignments have all led up to fulfilling the call on Molokai.  At his installation at St. Damien Church in Kaunakakai last week, Father Petrie promised that during his first six months, he would visit every single home and family of the parish to listen, meet and bless each house. Listening, he said, is one of many lessons he learned from Mother Teresa.

One goal Father Petrie has for the parish is to foster pilgrims to the island to not only honor St. Damien and the soon-to-be-canonized Mother Marianne, but also to support local economy.  Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva, who presided over Petrie’s installation, called the priest’s vision for welcoming pilgrims “much-needed.”  Father Petrie’s passion for sharing St. Damien’s legacy is welcomed by Molokai parishioners.

“He breathes Damien, which I believe is good for our souls here,” said Leoda Shizuma upon learning of Father Petrie’s assignment earlier this year. Shizuma and other parishioners got to know Father Petrie when he visited Molokai for six months during his sabbatical in 2000.

Petrie’s permanent move to Molokai was made possible by a merger of the Sacred Hearts East Coast and Hawaii chapters last year. He is one of the first priests to make the transfer to Hawaii, along with Kalaupapa’s new pastor, Father Patrick Killilea. Father Killilea was installed at the peninsula’s St. Francis Church on July 11.
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Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Mozlink’ for any or all of the articles/images placed here. The placing of an article does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
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Saturday, July 7, 2012

See "Journey to Kalaupapa: In the Footsteps of Saints" at Hawaii State Library

Mother Marianne Cope -
Courtesy B. Marianne Cause for Canonization website

Fr Damien - Courtesy of NPS Archives
“Journey to Kalaupapa: In The Footsteps of Saints,” a free presentation, will be offered at the Hawaii State Library on Saturday, August 4 at 11:45 a.m. in the First Floor Reading Room.

Norman Soares, tour driver for Damien Tours, will share stories about the historical sites at Kalaupapa National Historical Park, a remote area on Molokai where leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) patients were quarantined from 1866 to 1969.  In addition, Soares will share information about the patients and the humanitarian efforts of Father Damien of Molokai who became a Saint of the Catholic Church in 2009, and of Mother Marianne Cope, who will be canonized as a saint on October 21.

The Friends of the Library of Hawaii is sponsoring the one-hour program which is suitable for ages 12 and older.  Call the Library two weeks in advance if a sign language interpreter or other special accommodation is needed.

Hawaii State Library is located at 478 South King Street.  For more information, please call the Library’s Hawaii & Pacific Section at 586-3535.
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Disclaimer 
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Mozlink’ for any or all of the articles/images placed here. The placing of an article does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
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