St. Damien Chapel

Kalihi, Honolulu, Hawaii

June 21, 2026

Today’s pilgrimage was at the chapel of the Damien Memorial School in Kalihi. The school was founded in 1962, way before Fr. Damien was canonized, which was on October 11, 2009. His feast day is on May 10th. Truly a Holy Man, saint or not, how he strove and sacrificed for the lepers of Kalaupapa in Molokai deserved to be memorialized. Revered as the patron saint of outcasts, his legacy of radical compassion is deeply woven in Hawaii’s history. The Catholic Church is preparing to celebrate 200 years in Hawaii next year.

The little chapel looks serene inside in neutral wooden tones. There is a colorful picture of the Virgin Mary cradling baby Jesus in her arms. It was a reassurance that she is holding Lucas close to her heart as well. There is no greater love than that of a mother and we are all her children.

The school’s motto is “Viriliter Age” meaning to “Live Courageously”.

What brought us here today was the Diocese of Honolulu’s Office of Evangelization and Catechesis’ inaugural Diocesan Formation Institute. It is a week-long series of lectures for people to deepen their faith and become more effective disciples of Christ. It was a way for us to discover ways to meaningfully accompany others on their journey with Christ as we, at the same time, embark on our own journey. While we are not classroom catechists, we are all called to spread the good news of hope and salvation.

And, of course, the other reason we signed up was because our favorite “sinner priest”, Fr. Dario, was leading one of the lecture series entitled “Catechetical Accompaniment Practicum”.