HONOLULU (AP) — A Honolulu church has a $25 million project in the works that would expand its building to include a new museum honoring Hawaii’s two saints.
HONOLULU (AP) — A Honolulu church has a $25 million project in the works that would expand its building to include a new museum honoring Hawaii’s two saints.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports (https://bit.ly/25Fx9CY ) that St. Augustine Catholic Church was recently awarded a permit for the project to build the Damien and Marianne of Molokai Museum.
The museum will feature virtual and interactive exhibits that detail the stories of the two saints, who both served thousands of Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, patients quarantined in settlements at Kalaupapa, Molokai. St. Damien is a priest with the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who was canonized in 2009. The canonization of St. Marianne, formerly a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, took place in 2012.
To make space for the two-story building, the church’s parish hall and back parking lot will be demolished and replaced. Construction is set to start in 2017.
A new multipurpose building and parking deck for the church will cover a 17,775-square-foot area. The first three floors are designated for storage and parking. The fourth floor will house a new parish hall, a small stage, a large covered lanai, meeting rooms, offices, bathrooms and a kitchen.
Rev. Lane Akiona, who leads the Waikiki church, said members of the church, visitors and other supporters have raised enough money to pay for construction, but more funds are needed to complete work on the inside of the building and sustain the museum once it is up and running.
“We’re very blessed that donations have come in from many generous people who love the story of St. Damien and St. Marianne and want to see it become much more public,” he said.
The church will use museum donations and funds from renting space in its new multipurpose building to subsidize operations. It also will seek support from organizations around the world and parishes affiliated with the saints.
Sister Rose Annette Ahuna from St. Francis Convent in Manoa said the museum will serve as an education tool to young people who may not know about leprosy and its devastating impact.
“Many of us who are from the islands never even knew of Kalaupapa. Leprosy at the time was hush-hush,” Ahuna said. “I was shocked when I arrived and saw all the graves, thousands of them. I feel we should educate the youngsters. I’m glad the museum will be enlarged.”
Sister Frances Therese Souza, who spent more than two decades at the settlement nursing in the footsteps of St. Marianne, said she thinks the museum and the saints’ stories will serve as an inspiration to visitors.
“I think that’s the everlasting legacy that she and St. Damien left,” she said. “Anyone hearing about their story can be inspired to say, ‘I can do something positive in this world. Look at what they did and look at what they had to put up with.’”