The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-10-05
FATHER
DAMIEN
The Catholic News Has
an Article About
MoIokai.

Hl1dDildnIS We're almost exclusively
Protestants They had been told in
their homes and churches of the love
the ministers of their religion had for
them, but had never seen one of their
number follow the Divine injunction
to take up his cross and follow
: Christ Hawaii has been, since its
rediscovery by Capt. Cook, a great
Protestant missionary field. The fail
| ure of the experiment is written all
over Hawaii today, and if proof were
needed their empty churches and the
number of Catholics would furnish it,
| Molok;ii-Molokai the terrible-is, in
my opinion, the real cause of this fail
. ure. They erected a church and a Y.
M. C. A. hall there, but failed to find
a volunteer to take charge of them;
the congregational church, which has
no congregation, has a leper as its
pastor, and another of the unfortu-
mates is paid to care for the Y. M C.
| A. hall. This, of course, could not fail
to be noticed by the Hawaiian people;
son of the divinity of the Catholic
church, and no one will ever regret
it, outside of the Hydes, Brighams and
/ Ponds. 1t will not be out of place to
men who make a speciality of attacking
the memory of the martyr priest of
Molokai ever visited the leper settle
ment. And in the words of Mr. Michael
Myers Shoemaker we may we'll say to
them:
You who rebel at the sorrows and
sufferings which overtake you during
your journey of life, pause a moment
and contemplate this man! You are
perhaps brave, or think yourself so.
You would. if necessary, give your life,
for home and country, would not hest
tate to pass through fire to save those
whom you love; but could you face
a death like his? Could you calmly
and bravely enter yonder boat in the
fullness of perfect health, with a pos
sible long life if you turn back, and
passing over these blue waters which
would lead to freedom in any other
direction, enter that charnal house of
horrors beneath yonder mountain?
Could you face those horrors as he did ?
Could you live among the worse than
dead who dwell there? Could you daily
and hourly do your duty. and forgetting
all others, comfort those wretched be-
ings. while you watched for the first
signs of coming horror for yourself?'
And if you can not do you not see
that the first principles of decency, if
not shame. require your silence?
1t may be noted here that the COM
panion of Father Damien during his
trip around the Horn on his way to
leading an active and useful life. Fa-
Their Clement is no longer a young
man, as his venerable white hair tes-
titles, but this does not prevent him
chapels situated at the four corners
of the city of Honolulu. Morning and
evening his familiar figure may be
seen upon his horse, passing through
the streets of the city on his errands
of mercy and consolation. May God
grant that he may be spared to cele-
brate, four years hence, the golden
anniversary of his arrival in Hawaii. |
There are two Catholic parishes at
the leper settlement, Kalaupapa and
Kalawao. The former is in charge of
the Rev. Father Maxine, and includes
within it's limits the famous Bishop
Home which is under the supervision
of Mother Marianne and four Sisters,
from Syracuse, N. Y. st. Francis
church is magnificent church erected
by the predecessor of Father Maxine,
Father Wendelin, of Hilo. AT Kala-
wac Father Joseph is in charge of
'Kamilano's" church, in the shadow of
which the hero of Hawaii is buried.
Here also is the Baldwin Home, with
Brother Dutton, the faithful compan-
ion of Damien, at the helm. assisted
by four Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
Both parishes have fine brass bands,
which give concerts on the public
square every evening and play at
church on great religious festivals.
Their leader and teacher is a leper-a
white mana Catholic Brother of the
Order of the Sacred Hearts. Marie
Serapion Van Hoof is young man,
only thirty years of age, and has been
{ Molokai since 1895. The story has
already gone around the world and
na eds no repetition here. Suffice it TO
cay that when I saw Brother Serapion
at KaIaupapa a few months ago he
was at the head of his musicians, APP
parently cheerful and resigned to the
blow which has befallen him. He So
Iicits the prayers of all Catholics who
may happen to read these lines.
The Catholic Church may we'll be
proud of her representatives. priests,
Brothers and Sisters on the island of
Molokai. Without hope of temporal
reward or gain, they pursue their no
Die work, we'll knowing that the entire
Catholic world, through the Society for
the PrOpa CATION of Faith. will see TO