On January 22, after a week of intense work, the participants of the Council of the Congregation made a pilgrimage to Kalaupapa. The sisters from the Pacific/Hawaii Province had prepared this event with much love and care. We did not want to live it as a tourists, but as a pilgrimage in the footsteps of our brother Damien. Helene Wood sscc, and a Franciscan sister, who are part of the diocesan commission of Saint Damian and Saint Marianne, along with our brother Pat Kilillea, guided us in this marvelous experience, as we stopped and prayed in the places that were significant.
Arriving at Saint Philomena, we had the celebration of the Eucharist, presided over by Xavier Quinzá. In his homily he reminded us the transformation undergone by Damian, not only physically, but above all, in his heart, to become one with the lepers. We had time to pray at his grave, remembering all those for whom he gave his life and all the sisters and brothers of the Congregation.
In the evening we had the opportunity to go to the Polynesian Cultural Centre where we saw a spectacular presentation of the Polynesian Islands, Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti through dance and music that introduced us to the heart of the islands and the appreciation of the different ways in which they celebrate important moments of life, from birth to death and at the same time encountering the birth of new life.
01/26/2016