Education center will share the stories of Damien, Marianne and the people of Kalawao, Kalaupapa
HONOLULU — In search of a way to share the history of Hawaii’s two saints with the public — most of whom knew of Father Damien de Veuster and Mother Marianne but have never set foot in Kalaupapa — Rev. Lane Akiona, pastor at St. Augustine Church by the Sea in Waikiki, started with the idea to open a heritage center on the floor above the neighboring ABC Store.
“We knew that the process for Damien to be canonized was coming closer,” said Akiona. “And so the big question was, what do we have to provide for the public?” At the time, the church didn’t have money to build, so they utilized the existing space next door.
Though Father Damien was canonized on Oct. 11, 2009, and Mother Marianne on Oct. 21, 2012, many don’t refer to them as “saints.”
“When you look at people on the streets, they don’t understand saints,” said Akiona, who incidentally comes from Molokai. “But the names ‘Damien’ and ‘Marianne’ are recognizable, and that’s what you want.”
The Sacred Hearts Order to which Akiona belongs had archived pictures of the Kalawao and Kalaupapa settlements taken in the 1800s that had never been developed. There were photos of children, women, and the elderly.
