The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1884-01-26
DEDICATION OF ST. PHILEMoN's.

Z
An interesting and impressive ceremony was
performed at the Branch Hospital for lepers
last Monday morning. This was the dedication of
the Roman Catholic chapel, which forms part
of the building devoted to the use of the Sisters
of Mercy. This chapel is so arranged as to be
only divided by folding dooEs from much larger
room erected as house, of worship for the
lepers. When the doors open, the two
apartments form the nave and chancel of a
church The doors being closed, the larger
apartment, which is unconsecrated, remains
available for the services of other religious de-
nominations, and the chapel which dedi-
Gated, remains secluded for the sacred exercises
of the Sisters of st. Francis.
About A. NJ crowd of lepers was assem-
bled in the large room There were also present
Her Majesty the Queen, attended by Mrs.
Iaukea, the President of the Board of Health, and
Mrs. F H. Hayselden, the Mother Superior
and Sister Theresa, of the Sisterhood OF the
Sacred Heart. The clergy present were the
Lord Bishop of Olba, and Fathers Damien,
Clement, Sylvester Leonor and Bouchard.
Before the ceremony commenced, Mr.. Gibson
addressed few words to the lepers, who had
assembled to listen to it. He said that ''it had
been the earnest desire of Their Majesties and
of the Government to devise and carry out
measures to alleviate their sufferings. Hence
skilled physicians had been sent for, and ladies
who devoted their lives to the nursing and care
of the sick and suffering, had come across the
seas to minister to their wants. They could
joice at the presence of these worthy Sisters,
who had already entered upon their work. On
this occasion the Ministers of the Sisters
icio boA tp re q Of ha
building where the sacred Offices of that
ligon might be performed. They had cham
Gel, which constituted IN fact part of the
dwelling of the Catholic Sisterhood. The place
they were in woud afford opportunity for in
struction to be impaired to them by the fathers
and teachers of other creeds. Here they might
listen to the Protestant, Anglican, or other
ministers who may desire to impart consolation
and instruction to them. Ministers OF all
ligions had been invited to and make use
of this hail, devoted to religious instruction and
worship. This morning Her Majesty, their
good Queen was present having come to mani
fest sympathy and rejoicing with any and every
effort that made to promote the health and
welfare of the people and to the Sisters, he
would say, that they had all great reason to be
thankful that these nobe-hearted ladies had
left home and duties elsewhere to come and
devote themselves to the care of the sick poor of
this Kingdom"
The doors were then thrown open and His
Majesty and the other invited visitors took
their seats in the chancel with the Sisters. The
steward Mr.. Van Giesen, proclaimed aloud, the
object of the assembly. The Bishop and other
clergy and acolytes. then issued in procession
from the chancel passing down the main aisle
ol,a fba
hymn. They passed outside and round the
structure returning to the altar where pontificnl
high mass was celebrated. After the kyrie and
gloria had been chanted by the choir (Which is
chiefly composed of lepers) Bishop Hermann
put on the Pontifcal robes and addressed the
congregation. His Lordship was 'visiby
moved by the solemnity and popularity OF the
occasion that the audience also deeply af-
fected. Our present tells US g 1t was solemn
moment-tears flowed from the Bishops eyes,
and there hardly dry eye to be seen-a
/ spectacle to be forgotten After cor
trolling his emotion, the Bishop proceeded with
his address g This is supreme moment in
my life, were his first words. He proceeded to
describe the mission for which the Sst ers had
arrived, and then pronounced the chapel to be
dedicated to Saint Philemon. He exhorted the
patients to make proper use of the privileges
that were now offered to them, which were with
out precedent in the history of this Kingdom.
Four baptisms were then performed. and the
service was then concluded by the singing of the
/ Sa,ctas and agnes, from Mozart's fourth
! Mass,
The choral part of the service was unexpect-
edy pleasing. Mr.. Van Giesen presided at the
piano. After the sermon a little leper girl
! eight or nine years old, named Rebecca Puma,
! sang the solo part of hymn very sweetly, in
| which the full choir joined in the chorus.
When Her Majesty drove away, after the con-
! clusion of the ceremony, she cried out to the
/ assembled patients, 'Aloh0 nui 0ukOu >
/ which greeting replied to with loud and
unanimous aloha ~ from these poor victims
! of living death.