Fr. Damien

Above is an illustration of the young Damien of Molokai. The Presbyterian minister, Dr. Hyde of Honolulu, in 1889 wrote the following attack about Fr. Damien of Molokai to his friend, Reverend H.B. Gage and said the following things about Fr. Damien:
“Honolulu. August 2, 1889.
Rev. H.B. Gage:  “Dear Brother—In answer to your inquiries about Fr. Damien, I can only reply that we who knew the man are surprised at the extravagant newspaper laudations, as if he was a most saintly philanthropist. The simple truth is, he was a coarse, dirty man, headstrong and bigoted.
   ”He was not sent to Molokai, but went there without orders; did not stay at the leper settlement (before he became one himself), but circulated freely over the whole island (less than half the island is devoted to the lepers), and he came often to Honolulu. He had no hand in the reforms and improvements inaugurated, which were the work of our Board of Health, as occasion required and means were provided.
   ”He was not a pure man in his relations with women, and the leprosy of which he died should be attributed to his vices and carelessness. Others have done much for the lepers, our own ministers, the government physicians, and so forth, but never with the Catholic idea of meriting eternal life.—Yours, etc.”
The famous writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, had just visited the leper colony at Molokai and heard first hand accounts of Fr. Damien’s work there. When he read such a slanderous defamation of Fr. Damien from a minister of his own denomination, he became enraged and begins a famous response called Fr. Damien: An Open Letter to the Reverend Dr. Hyde of Honolulu:
   ”You (Dr. Hyde) have done me (Stevenson) several courtesies, for which I was prepared to be grateful. But there are duties which come before gratitude, and offences which justly divide friends, far more acquaintances. Your letter to the Rev. H.B. Gage is a document, which, in my sight, if you had filled me with bread when I was starving, if you had sat up to nurse my father when he lay a-dying, would yet absolve me from the bonds of gratitude.”
Stevenson is saying that the sin of slander against the priest is so awful, that there is nothing that should prevent him from exposing how down low and dirty the calumny is. He is saying that if there is anytime to break rank with your friends and even forget their courtesies to you, it is when they have slandered an innocent person. Setting the record straight may not be nice, and you may lose followers for it, but all the niceness of your friends can never be an excuse for covering up or ignoring their calumnies against someone.

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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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SSCC Leadership for the next six years

Fr. Javier Alvarez Ossorio & Sr. Emperatriz Arrobo

On Sept. 17th 2012, at the General Chapters of the Sisters and the Brothers of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts being held in Rome, Fr. Javier Alvarez Ossorio (Spain) and Sr. Emperatriz Arrobo (Ecuador) were elected as Superior Generals of their respective branches. They are charged with the responsibility of leading our Congregation for the next six years. May God bless them in their service of the Congregation.

This General Chapter, the highest authority within the Congregation, is seeking concrete orientations for the mission of this religious family, starting from the needs of the world and Church, being especially attentive to those who are living at the margins and at the edge of society.

Biographic data of the Superior General of the Brothers
Fr. Javier was born in Seville in 1962, the second of three brothers. He studied at Colegio San José SS.CC. He made his temporary profession in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in 1982. In 1987, he was ordained to the priesthood by the archbishop of Seville, Cardinal Amigo in Sacred Hearts Parish. He worked in various ministries of the Congregation with the most disadvantaged before doing his licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Catholic Institute of Paris.
After these studies he was assigned to the Democratic Republic of Congo in en 1993, where he finished his licentiate in Philosophy at the University of Kinshasa. In 2001 he was elected as the first Provincial Superior of Africa and was reelected in 2004, a job he held until being elected as Superior General in 2006.
The newly elected is a member of the Executive Committee of the USG (Union of Superiors General). Over the past six years he has written a monthly letter to the Congregation, inspired by what he sees in the real life of the Congregation and by personal reflection on what the texts which inspire the religious life of the Sacred Hearts might possibly mean for today. This letter has been an impetus in the renewal, commitment and spirituality of the SS.CC. religious. In addition, he is a regular columnist for the 21st religious magazine in Spain.

Biographic data of the Superior General of the Sisters
Emperatriz Arrobo Lima ss.cc. was born in 1959 in Loja (Ecuador). She has been the Provincial of Ecuador and the Coordinator of the Latin American Conference of the religious women of the Sacred Hearts.
During her religious life she has served as director of schools, formator of religious women, as well as in tasks of governance and coordination. She is a psychologist by profession. She has become the first Latin American Superior General in the history of the Congregation.
The sisters highlight her honesty, simplicity, organization, respect, clarity and closeness.

PS:  It was the Superior General of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of the time, who responded to a request of the Holy See to send missionaries to the Pacific Islands, which led to Fr. Damien ministering on Molokai.
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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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Father Damien Churches

About Father Damien Churches
Father Damien Churches are some of the oldest structures on Molokai. Located throughout the island, these Molokai churches are symbols of Father Damien's legacy and influence on Molokai. Some of the churches are still used for worship today.
One church in particular was built in 1876 and is formerly known as St. Joseph's Church. It is the second oldest of the Father Damien Churches, and is still open for worship. A small statue of Father Damien stands outside the church. Visitors often leave flowers and leis and honor his compassionate work for others. Nestled near the base of Molokai's southern cliffs, this may be the most serene of all Father Damien Churches.
History
Father Damien, now known as Saint Damien, Apostle to the Exiled, was an influential figure in Hawaii since he first arrived in 1864. Born Jozef De Veuster in 1840 in Belgium, he traveled to Hawaii as a Catholic missionary and was ordained into the priesthood shortly after arriving in Honolulu.
Father Damien volunteered in caring for those forced into exile because of their Leprosy. Forming a colony on the isolated Kalaupapa Peninsula, his work to build not only a community but a sense of community in a place known for despair is a true sense of his character. Constructing churches, care homes, schools, Father Damien's commitment to helping others is nothing short of selfless.
Father Damien eventually contracted Hansen's disease himself and died in 1889. He was buried in the Kalaupapa colony, but his remains were later moved back to his homeland in 1936 at the request of the Belgian government. After years of caring and building with his very own hands, his right one was returned to Hawaii and interred once again at his original gravesite in the place he loved most.

Facts & Trivia
How long we stop here on tour: Approximately 30 minutes
Location: In Kamalo, east of Kaunakakai, Molokai
Insider Tip: Be sure to get a picture of Father Damien's statue next to the church. Often people leave flowers and leis to honor his compassionate work to those who were afflicted with Hansen's disease (Leprosy).
Fun Fact: Hawaii is the only state with a canonized saint. Hawaii will have a second canonized saint soon as Mother Marianne Cope who continued Father Damien's work after his passing will be ordained by Pope Benedict XVI in October of 2012.
What To Expect: A quaint church in a quiet part of town where a relaxing view of the sea meets the splendor of Molokai's emerald mountains.
Pop Culture: In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI canonized Father Damien as Saint Damien of Molokai, Apostle to the Exiled.
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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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