THE MAKING OF A SAINT

This is what I had hoped to post in Hawaii last week when technical issues occurred, most of which have now been solved. I returned to Rome on December 16.

THE MAKING OF A SAINT

Greetings from Honolulu, Hawaii!

My last post was a few days ago and at that time I explained I would be flying to Honolulu for a brief period of work. As I met people and they knew with my trip, they were astonished when I said I would be coming for work! Does anybody really go to Hawaii for work, I was asked. With a big smile, I then explained why I would fly halfway around the world to attend a three-day meeting about a possible new saint in the Catholic Church.

I arrived here the afternoon of December 7, settled in at a hotel where I have stayed previously, had a lovely dinner near my hotel, and retired a lot earlier than normal because of the fatigue of covering 12 time zones in my travels. Arriving in Hawaii on December 7, such an historic day, a day that history tells us  “will live forever in infamy,“ was quite special . I would not be attending any ceremonies on the anniversary of the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, but still, in my mind and heart, I was here in Honolulu, close to Pearl Harbor, on an extraordinarily historic day.

The next day, I was blessed to celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception with a number of my very special friends here in Honolulu. It was a wonderful morning that began with Mass at The Plaza, a retirement home for senior citizens where many of the very special Franciscan sisters that I have known since my first visit to Hawaii in 2008 were living. Msgr Robert Sarno celebrated Mass for us and his presence in Hawaii was one of the reasons I was also here.

We have known each other for many years. We first met in Rome when I was working at the Vatican, at the Vatican Information Service, and he was at the then Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He is, for all intents and purposes, retired, but is still helping out on several causes of canonization, one of which is for Servant of God Joseph Dutton. Dutton worked for 44 years with Saints Damien and Marianne Cope on the island of Molokai, caring for the hundreds of patients of leprosy who were exiled because of their disease to live on this handkerchief-size piece of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Msgr. also worked on their causes.

Every cause for canonization, among other things, will have two commissions that people will work on: the historical commission, and the theological commission. The work done by both of these commissions goes to Rome and Rome then decides if all the merits are there, if the person has lived heroic virtues so that cause may advance.

When the caused is opened within a diocese, people are appointed to various tasks regarding that cause, and the two commissions are set up to study the subject, the person, who is cause is being proposed. A number of years ago in the diocese of Honolulu, I was added to the Joseph Dutton Guild, the organization promoting Dutton’s cause, because of my extreme interest in and enthusiasm for the fascinating life of this man from Stowe, Vermont. Joseph Dutton was a veteran of the Civil War, and I will be telling his story very soon in this column , I have talked about him before and I have done radio shows and I will be featuring incoming days an interview with another member of the historical commission, Fr. John Paul Kimes, a professor of canon law at Notre Dame University. The third member of this historical commission is Pat Boland . Pat has lived in Honolulu for many years, and like the rest of us has a huge passion for the life and times of Joseph Dutton. His research has been beyond amazing, but in a way I also feel that is true about the research that fFr. Kimes did at the University of Notre Dame, and that I did in Rome .

When an historical commission has finished its work, the Vatican asks that all members meet within the diocese of the cause for canonization, and there is a specific agenda for that meeting, including the fact that each member of the commission presents a written report of their year or more of work on the cause, questions are asked of each one of us, and we must signea number of documents in the presence of the diocesan notary.

So in a nutshell, or perhaps a seashell, because we are in Hawaii, that is why I was in this magnificent land that the Lord created for several days of work. And if you have to work, try to make it in paradise!

As I write, I have two more days in Hawaii, I will try to enjoy every moment of this astonishingly beautiful place, a place where I could not be more relaxed and happy. I will be seeing friends again, I’ll probably be taking a walk or two along Waikiki Beach, and if I have time… who knows what can happen in paradise!

It is wonderful to have a few days to relax, after so many months, actually, a year, of research in archives in Rome on Joseph Dutton  The entire period was wonderful, happy, challenging, exhilarating, and very heady… To think of a role I may have as one of a number of talented people in helping the Church recognize a saint.

In the meantime, go to josephdutton.org to learn more about this amazing man from Stowe, Vermont, this civil war veteran who may well one day be Blessed Joseph Dutton, and then, Lord, willing, Saint Joseph Dutton. If you have any special prayer intentions, please call on Joseph Dutton to intercede for you!

 

GREETINGS FROM HONOLULU!

GREETINGS FROM HONOLULU!

I spent a good part of my afternoon writing a very long column to which I intended to add a few photos but some technical difficulties have arisen that have made that impossible. I hope to remedy things tomorrow morning and thus tell you the great story of why I am here in Honolulu. When I told people I was coming for work, most replied, with a big smile on their face, “yeah, right!”

I wrote about my work on the Historical Commission for the cause of canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton on the column I posted last Tuesday before I left Rome for Hawaii so you can take a look at that. I also just posted a brief comment on my Facebook page.

Stay tuned…!  Thanks for understanding!

POPE TO DONATE GOLDEN ROSE TO ANCIENT ROMAN ICON OF BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

As you may know, I am on the Historical Commission for the Cause of Canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton who worked for 44 years on Molokai with Saints Damien and Marianne caring for the victims of leprosy. When such a commission closes its work, a meeting must be held in the diocese of the cause for canonization with all members present. This is required by the dicastery for the causes of saints to which we will send our report.

I leave tomorrow for Honolulu for several days of work with other members of the commission. I fly to Newark, spend the night and then take United’s 8:30 am nonstop flight to Honolulu – half way around the world from Rome – 12 time zones!

I doubt I’ll have time to post a blog, but you never know.! In any case, you might  check my Facebook and Twitter/X pages.

POPE TO DONATE GOLDEN ROSE TO ANCIENT ROMAN ICON OF BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis will pay homage to the Blessed Virgin Mary with a Golden Rose placed at the feet of the ancient Roman icon of ‘Maria Salus Populi Romani’.

By Vatican News

Pope Francis will venerate Our Lady with a Golden Rose for the Marian icon of the Salus Populi Romani in the Basilica of St. Mary Major on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

He will travel to the Basilica on 8 December to accomplish this historic gesture which has not been performed in 400 years.

In the afternoon, as is traditional, the Pope will perform an Act of Veneration to the Blessed Virgin Mary before the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome’s central Piazza di Spagna.

Just ahead of that visit, he will stop at the papal basilica of St. Mary Major with his gift for Our Lady.

An ancient gift
The Golden Rose has ancient roots, symbolising the papal blessing, and the tradition of this gift dates back to the Middle Ages. Over the centuries, it has been given to monasteries, shrines, sovereigns, and prominent personalities in recognition of their commitment to faith and the common good.

As explained by a statement issued by the Basilica, with the gift of the Rose to the Salus Populi Romani, “Pope Francis highlights the spiritual importance and profound significance that this icon holds in the life of the Catholic Church, as it is also the oldest Marian shrine in the West dedicated to the Mother of God.”

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-immaculate-conception-gift-golden-rose-salus-populi-romani.html

FYI: Here is a great piece from the University of Dayton on the fascinating history of the Golden Rose, : https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/g/golden-rose.php

HAPPY JULY FOURTH! – SERVANT OF GOD JOSEPH DUTTON: THE AMERICAN FLAG, AN HONORARY MEMBER OF FAMILIES, A TRUSTED COMPANION IN LIFE

HAPPY JULY FOURTH!

This will make your day like nothing else – The Singing Sergeants! (1) U.S. Air Force on Twitter: “”God Bless the U.S.A.” is one of America’s most iconic songs, featuring @TheLeeGreenwood, @HomeFreeGuys, & the Singing Sergeants. @USAFBand https://t.co/V4DDe5xs6S” / Twitter

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I first published the following piece on June 14 when the U.S. marks Flag Day. It seemed like a suitable occasion to publish Joseph Dutton’s essay on both the flag and the Leprosarium, two key components of his world on this handkerchief-size piece of land in the middle of an ocean. Today, July 4^th, independence day, also seemed like a more than appropriate day to publish his thoughts on the U.S. flag.

I found this document in my research on his life in the Rome archives of the SSCC fathers, the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. I was researching as a member of the Historical Commission of the Cause for Canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton. I especially loved the title ”A Great Uprising on Molokai, at Kalawao”!

 Vermont-born Servant of God Joseph Dutton was a companion for many years to Sts. Damien and Marianne Cope on the Hawaiian island of Molokai and a friend, helper and caregiver to the hundreds of leprosy patients who lived there in exile. Joseph served on Kalaupapa, Molokai, from his arrival on July 29, 1886 to his death at the age of 88 in 1931.

When Joseph Dutton arrived on Kalaupapa on July 29, 1886, Hawaii was a Kingdom. Kamehameha I, ruler of the island of Hawaii, had conquered and unified the other islands for the first time and established the Kingdom in 1795. It lasted until its overthrow in 1893, and was briefly a Republic until July 7, 1898 when U.S. President McKinley annexed Hawaii, creating the Territory of Hawaii. Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959.

As a U.S. citizen, Dutton always had respect for the U.S. flag. On a momentous day for the leper colony of Molokai, December 24, 1909, he wrote movingly about the flag as it was raised above the newly built, much-needed Leprosarium in a land now known as the U.S. Territory of Hawaii

P.S. There have always been 13 stripes on the U.S. flag for the 13 original colonies. In 1909, interestingly enough, there were 46 stars on the flag. The remaining 4 stars were added between 1912 and 1959.

SERVANT OF GOD JOSEPH DUTTON: THE AMERICAN FLAG, AN HONORARY MEMBER OF FAMILIES, A TRUSTED COMPANION IN LIFE

A Great Uprising on Molokai, at Kalawao

The Flag goes up,

The Leprosarium opens,

Uncle Sam is on deck.

December 24, 1909

Our flag-raising this day conforms to a time-honored custom among Americans of having the flag as a partner in the affairs of life. Looking backward along the vista, we see our faithful colors everywhere waving.

In each country, there is more or less respect for the flag of that country, but nowhere does any flag command greater affection than our own Star Spangled Banner in its native land. The American takes it into his family as an honorary member thereof, and it goes with him throughout life as a trusted companion. Our starry banner is sponsor for so many high ideals, for such a practical good: it is the expression of our hopes, it signifies national power, it inspires the patriot, defends the weak, and ever declares for justice, purity, and valor.

Today, we see it dedicated to the protection and furtherance of a great work for humanity, to combat a disease that for centuries has resisted every attack. While those former efforts have been earnest and widespread, this recently completed leprosarium, in our own leper settlement, comes into action on a scale, and within equipment far superior to anything of the past.

Authorized by our general government, the work of construction and outfitting has been carried on by the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service under Dr. Wyman, surgeon general. This has been accomplished in the most thorough manner, with careful attention to every detail. No expense has been spared. Every part of the elaborate and extensive work is of the best quality, and according to the highest standards of modern science.

It is a wonderful establishment, now dedicated to a noble purpose – to find a remedy for leprosy, this mysterious affliction that some of us have been associated with for so many years at the settlement on Molokai – one of the mid-Pacific Bouquet of Isles, now called Hawaii.

To the writer, trying from Father Damien’s time to help in various ways, including what might be termed “homemade doctoring,” the advance of science seems wonderful. Medical work under the territory, in recent years, has made a great advance. Now comes this latest marvel under the powerful protection of Uncle Sam!

Escorted through it recently by Dr. Hollmann, the writer was thinking of the extensive, but very crude plan for a bathing establishment, made in 1886 by Father Damien and the writer, the construction being intended to go on this very ground.

Wondering what Father Damien would say to this mighty work – a work so many times greater than anything he ever dreamed. Furthermore, as to just how much the various betterments of these later years have been furthered by the unique and noble service that he gave here at the settlement in those days when everything was crude.

The efficient and highly scientific U.S. service that carries on this new work, will be greatly honored and deserves it to be.

Our flag has hardly waived for a purpose more fraught with the interest of mankind. Success will mean a blessing for the ages to come and an honor to our whole country.

I propose this sentiment:

“The Leprosarium and the Stars and Stripes” forever.

Very sincerely,

Joseph Dutton

SERVANT OF GOD JOSEPH DUTTON: THE AMERICAN FLAG, AN HONORARY MEMBER OF FAMILIES, A TRUSTED COMPANION IN LIFE

Vermont-born Servant of God Joseph Dutton was a companion for many years to Sts. Damien and Marianne Cope on the Hawaiian island of Molokai and a friend, helper and caregiver to the hundreds of leprosy patients who lived there in exile. Joseph served on Kalaupapa, Molokai, from his arrival on July 29, 1886 to his death at the age of 88 in 1931.

When Joseph Dutton arrived on Kalaupapa on July 29, 1886, Hawaii was a Kingdom. Kamehameha I, ruler of the island of Hawaii, had conquered and unified the other islands for the first time and established the Kingdom in 1795. It lasted until its overthrow in 1893, and was briefly a Republic until July 7, 1898 when U.S. President McKinley annexed Hawaii, creating the Territory of Hawaii. Hawaii became the 50^th U.S. state on August 21, 1959.

As a U.S. citizen, Dutton always had respect for the U.S. flag. On a momentous day for the leper colony of Molokai, December 24, 1909, he wrote movingly about the flag as it was raised above the newly built, much-needed Leprosarium in a land now known as the U.S. Territory of Hawaii. A loved the title ”A Great Uprising on Molokai, at Kalawao.”

Today the U.S. marks Flag Day. It seemed like a suitable occasion to publish Joseph Dutton’s essay on both the flag and the Leprosarium, two key components of his world on this handkerchief-size piece of land in the middle of an ocean

P.S. There have always been 13 stripes on the U.S. flag for the 13 original colonies. In 1909, interestingly enough, there were 46 stars on the flag. The remaining 4 stars were added between 1912 and 1959.

SERVANT OF GOD JOSEPH DUTTON: THE AMERICAN FLAG, AN HONORARY MEMBER OF FAMILIES, A TRUSTED COMPANION IN LIFE

A Great Uprising on Molokai, at Kalawao

The Flag goes up,

The Leprosarium opens,

Uncle Sam is on deck.

December 24, 1909

Our flag-raising this day conforms to a time-honored custom among Americans of having the flag as a partner in the affairs of life. Looking backward along the vista, we see our faithful colors everywhere waving.

In each country, there is more or less respect for the flag of that country, but nowhere does any flag command greater affection than our own Star Spangled Banner in its native land. The American takes it into his family as an honorary member thereof, and it goes with him throughout life as a trusted companion. Our starry banner is sponsor for so many high ideals, for such a practical good: it is the expression of our hopes, it signifies national power, it inspires the patriot, defends the weak, and ever declares for justice, purity, and valor.

Today, we see it dedicated to the protection and furtherance of a great work for humanity, to combat a disease that for centuries has resisted every attack. While those former efforts have been earnest and widespread, this recently completed leprosarium, in our own leper settlement, comes into action on a scale, and within equipment far superior to anything of the past.

Authorized by our general government, the work of construction and outfitting has been carried on by the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service under Dr. Wyman, surgeon general. This has been accomplished in the most thorough manner, with careful attention to every detail. No expense has been spared. Every part of the elaborate and extensive work is of the best quality, and according to the highest standards of modern science.

It is a wonderful establishment, now dedicated to a noble purpose – to find a remedy for leprosy, this mysterious affliction that some of us have been associated with for so many years at the settlement on Molokai – one of the mid-Pacific Bouquet of Isles, now called Hawaii.

To the writer, trying from Father Damien’s time to help in various ways, including what might be termed “homemade doctoring,” the advance of science seems wonderful. Medical work under the territory, in recent years, has made a great advance. Now comes this latest marvel under the powerful protection of Uncle Sam!

Escorted through it recently by Dr. Hollmann, the writer was thinking of the extensive, but very crude plan for a bathing establishment, made in 1886 by Father Damien and the writer, the construction being intended to go on this very ground.

Wondering what Father Damien would say to this mighty work – a work so many times greater than anything he ever dreamed. Furthermore, as to just how much the various betterments of these later years have been furthered by the unique and noble service that he gave here at the settlement in those days when everything was crude.

The efficient and highly scientific U.S. service that carries on this new work, will be greatly honored and deserves it to be.

Our flag has hardly waived for a purpose more fraught with the interest of mankind. Success will mean a blessing for the ages to come and an honor to our whole country.

I propose this sentiment:

“The Leprosarium and the Stars and Stripes” forever.

Very sincerely,

Joseph Dutton

VATICAN INSIDER: SERVANT OF GOD JOSEPH DUTTON: HAWAII’S THIRD SAINT?

As you may already know, the Vatican websites have been up and down for several days, and are down, in fact, as I write this column. vaticannews.va is down but vatican.va is up, although the English language site has not been updated since November 30.

A Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said Wednesday that the Holy See had taken down its main vatican.va website amid an apparent attempt to hack the site.  Without expanding on what caused the problem, he said, “Technical investigations are ongoing due to abnormal attempts to access the site.”  Numerous users online, in fact, noted that the site was unavailable as of Tuesday morning. The sites have been up and down since Wednesday afternoon, with many attempts producing “404” error messages.

The link you see below has nothing to do with what I normally bring you daily in this column but the World Cup is on, and it’s hard to ignore stories related to this global event that, every four years, mesmerizes most of the world’s population for a month!

I saw a story today that I found to be very interesting – all about the traditional Arab headgear that is taking the games by storm. It quotes one Swiss fan as saying he has “been surprised by how indulgent Qataris — and others from across North Africa and the Middle East — have been when it comes to foreigners adopting and appropriating local customs and clothing, something that is generally seen as disrespectful in Europe and North America.”

Being an American who lives in Europe, it was that soccer fan’s statement that drew my attention. I think you’ll enjoy this piece and perhaps even learn something new. It’s the World Cup’s Hot Accessory. But Should Fans Wear It? – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

VATICAN INSIDER: SERVANT OF GOD JOSEPH DUTTON: HAWAII’S THIRD SAINT?

This week, in what is normally the interview segment, I’ve prepared a Special Report on Joseph Dutton. The past two weeks, you heard Fr. John Paul Kimes of Notre Dame University, which has a large archive on Dutton, speak about this Servant of God, and I take another look at Dutton’s life this weekend.

This layman, born in Stowe, Vermont, came to the island of Molokai at the age of 44 and then for 44 years worked alongside Sts. Damien and Marianne Cope caring for the victims of leprosy who had been exiled to live here by the King of Hawaii.

As you know I am an official member of the Historical Commission for Dutton’s cause for canonization and have been doing research here in Rome in the archives of the SSCC Fathers, priests of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the Order to which St. Damien and all his successor on Kalaupapa have belonged.

The Dutton Guild ordered holy cards with a third class relic to be made in Rome.

As you can see, if you ask for and receive a favor or miracle through the intercession of   Servant of God Joseph Dutton, please write to The Joseph Dutton Guild, P.O. Box 3344, Honolulu, Hawaii 96801 (USA)

Formerly known as the Sandwich Islands, the name was changed to Hawaiian Islands in 1840. It was a kingdom under Hawaiian rulers for just over 80 years, starting in 1810. Hawaii became a U.S. State in 1959. Hawaii now has two saints. Will she soon have a third in Joseph Dutton?

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

 

VATICAN INSIDER: FR. JOHN PAUL KIMES, NOTRE DAME AND JOSEPH DUTTON (PART II) – MY THANKSGIVING PRAYER…

I will be enjoying several days off – Thanksgiving Thursday and “Black Friday” – EWTN’s gift to staff members at this time of year. Just another reason to be both happy and grateful!

I will remember all of you – my blog readers, TV viewers and radio listeners – at Mass tomorrow, praying for your health, happiness, spiritual well-being and special prayer intentions.

Below you will find my personal prayer of thanksgiving – I hope you might see yourself in my words!

VATICAN INSIDER: FR. JOHN PAUL KIMES, NOTRE DAME AND JOSEPH DUTTON (PART II)

Join me this weekend on Vatican Insider for Part II of my off-the-cuff interview with Fr. John Paul Kimes, Canon law professor at the university of Notre Dame and member of the Historical Commission for the cause of canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton. Dutton, a layman was companion, caregiver and friend for 44 years, alongside Sts. Damien and Marianne Cope, to the victims of leprosy on Kalaupapa, a peninsula of the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

Father John Paul and I spoke after a recent event in Honolulu for this cause of canonization, a gala, fund-raising luncheon that brought together just under 500 people from several Hawaiian islands. He gave an over-the-top keynote address at that event! This took place during a week in Hawaii in which I was also sworn in as an official member of the Historical Commission, a huge honor!

Father Kimes, a riveting storyteller, tells us about the link between Notre Dame University and Joseph Dutton and explains what he has learned of Dutton by researching the university archives on this Servant of God. You’ll love every minute of our conversation!

Fr. John Paul had arrived in Honolulu the night before the luncheon and had to get to the airport almost immediately afterwards for his return flight so finding time – and a place! – to have this conversation was a real blessing, almost a miracle.

The only available space, in fact, was in a small hallway off the main hallway not far from the room where our luncheon was. A table and two unoccupied chairs seemed to be waiting just for us. Not an acoustically perfect setting, however, so you’ll hear some faint background conversation as people walk by in the main hall but Father John Paul is such a great storyteller that you may not even note it!

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

MY THANKSGIVING PRAYER…

Dear Lord, how have you blessed me? Let me count the ways…..

My wonderful family, my beautiful faith, my ocean of friends, the friends throughout your great universe whom You have brought into my life.

Does a day pass that You do not bring some unique, new person into my life? The newest member of my wonderful, large family? A friend from another country? Another wonderful seminarian or priest added to the many who have made my life and my faith so fulfilling? The list is so very long!

Does a day pass that I am not enriched and blessed by some amazing event that You placed in my path as a learning moment, a time of prayer, a period of silent Thanksgiving? You blessed me at my baptism when You brought me into your beautiful Catholic Church and a faith to which I have always tried to be faithful.

You have blessed me by enriching that faith over the years, allowing me to work for You every day, to bring Your Word and Your teachings and Your Truth to so many. My words, by comparison, are very insignificant but truly heartfelt.

I am filled with both thanksgiving and joy as I write these words, as my mind’s eye overflows with images of each family member, of friends here in Rome and around the globe, of the magnificent events that daily fill my life.

I sign most emails and letters with “God bless,” and below that, my name “Joan” – but I read it silently as “God bless Joan.” And, Lord, You HAVE blessed me! Heartfelt Thanks!

VATICAN INSIDER: FR. JOHN PAUL KIMES, NOTRE DAME AND JOSEPH DUTTON

For the latest in papal interviews: Pope: peace between Russia and Ukraine is possible, don’t forget the poor – Vatican News

VATICAN INSIDER: FR. JOHN PAUL KIMES, NOTRE DAME AND JOSEPH DUTTON

What an exciting guest I have this weekend and next on Vatican Insider! I feature an off-the-cuff interview with Fr. John Paul Kimes, Canon law professor at the university of Notre Dame and member of the Historical Commission for the cause of canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton. Dutton, a layman was companion, caregiver and friend for 44 years, alongside Sts. Damien and Marianne Cope, to the victims of leprosy on Kalaupapa, a peninsula of the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

Father John Paul and I spoke after a recent event in Honolulu for this cause of canonization, a gala, fund-raising luncheon that brought together just under 500 people from several Hawaiian islands. He gave an over-the-top keynote address at that event! This took place during a week in Hawaii in which I was also sworn in as a member of the Historical Commission, a huge honor!

Father Kimes, a riveting storyteller, tells us about the link between Notre Dame University and Joseph Dutton and explains what he has learned of Dutton by researching the university archives on this Servant of God. You’ll love every minute of our conversation!

Fr. John Paul had arrived in Honolulu the night before the luncheon and had to get to the airport almost immediately afterwards for his return flight so finding time – and a place! – to have this conversation was a real blessing, almost a miracle.

The only available space, in fact, was in a small hallway off the main hallway not far from the room where our luncheon was. A table and two unoccupied chairs seemed to be waiting just for us. Not an acoustically perfect setting, however, so you’ll hear some faint background conversation as people walk by in the main hall but Father John Paul is such a great storyteller that you may not even note it!

Here we are with Msgr. Robert Sarno who worked for 38 years in Rome at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

ALOHA FROM HONOLULU! – THE INCREDIBLE LIFE OF JOSEPH DUTTON, A SERVANT TO THE SAINTS AND SOULS OF HAWAII

ALOHA FROM HONOLULU!

It was a long weekend of travel but I am in Honolulu, half way around the world from Rome!

I am here for a big fund-raising event on November 9 for the cause of Servant of God Joseph Dutton. I will be meeting my colleagues of the Joseph Dutton Guild of which I am a member and, in fact, this afternoon I will have the honor of being sworn in a member of the Historical Commission for the cause of canonization of Joseph Dutton. I have been doing research for months in the archives of the order of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the order to which Fr. Damien belonged and the order that today still has priests on Kalaupapa where Damien, Marianne and Dutton heroically served victims of leprosy for decades.

To learn more, read the story below that I wrote a year ago for Our Sunday Visitor. In addition, for even more info about the Guild, the cause and Dutton, go to www.josephdutton.org

Stay tuned – I’ll be back in a day or two.

THE INCREDIBLE LIFE OF JOSEPH DUTTON, A SERVANT TO THE SAINTS AND SOULS OF HAWAII

Those who know me well know of my love for the magnificent land that is our 50th state, Hawaii. I have developed a true Hawaiian “ohana,” a family, on my 10 trips to this paradise, and we all have two things in common: our love for Hawaii’s two saints, St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope, and our hope for a possible third saint.

On my first two trips to Hawaii in 2008 and 2012, I researched both future saints before their canonizations — Damien in 2009 and Marianne in 2012. I visited all the sites linked to their lives and read whatever I could, especially personal writings and diaries. Theirs were such courageous stories — years dedicated to ministering to the victims of Hansen’s disease (leprosy) who lived in exile, mostly in unspeakable conditions, on a handkerchief-sized piece of land in the Pacific.

I also heard the stirring story of a layman, Joseph Dutton, who spent the last 44 years of his 88 years of life caring for the exiled and abandoned leprosy patients, assisting Father Damien in his last days on Kalaupapa, a peninsula on the island of Moloka’i, and then working with Mother Marianne and her Sisters of St. Francis for 30 years. Kalaupapa is where the victims of leprosy were exiled for life because of a law enacted in 1865 by King Kamehameha V and the Hawaiian legislature. More than 8,000 people are buried here, though many tombstones were washed away a long time ago in a tsunami.

During their fall assembly in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops will be presented with an update on Dutton’s canonization cause, which was initiated by the Diocese of Honolulu.

But who was Joseph Dutton, called “Brother Joseph” by St. Damien, “because you are like a brother to everyone here”?

Born Ira Dutton in 1843 to Protestant parents in Stowe, Vermont, some of his early years were spent in Janesville, Wisconsin, where he joined the Janesville Zouaves who later became the 13th Wisconsin Infantry in the Civil War. Dutton attained the rank of second lieutenant and received impressive assignments at a very young age, lauded for “his self-reliance, his initiative, and his ability to get willing service out of others.” One brigadier general said of Dutton, “He can be trusted in any position.” These qualities, along with “his confidence and thoroughness in everything he undertook” would serve him well in his later decades on Kalaupapa.

Dutton’s post-war years were traumatic times, “dark years” and “the degenerate decade” in his words. They were years when drinking became his nemesis. He even wrote at one point that “only God and I know what really happened in those years.”

However, Ira Dutton had an epiphany, a moment of awakening that he wrote about: “I lived for some years a wild life and felt that I should make some sort of reparation for it. … Throughout my life I was a firm believer in thoroughness in everything, and so I decided that my penance should be thorough; in other words, that the remainder of my life should be devoted to that, and to nothing else.”

Dutton realized he had to do penance for his past, and he saw that as happening in the Catholic Church.

Ira Dutton became a Catholic on his 40th birthday in April 1883 and took the name of a saint he loved: Joseph. He joined a Trappist monastery in Gethsemani, Kentucky, where he remained for 20 months. He left without taking vows, and on a visit to New Orleans, he read an article in a Catholic newspaper about Father Damien’s work with victims of leprosy in the Hawaiian islands.

According to Joseph: “It was a new subject and attracted me wonderfully. … After weighing it for a while I became convinced that it would suit my wants — for labor, for a penitential life and for seclusion as well as complete separation from scenes of all past experiences.”

Joseph now knew what he would do with the rest of his life. He took a train to San Francisco, a boat to Kalaupapa, and when he met Father Damien, who was always in port when a ship arrived, he told him: “I know what you do. I am here to help.”

And so he did, for more than 40 years. Wherever he saw a need, he rolled up his sleeves and helped out as cook, gardener, a sometimes doctor, carpenter, pharmacist, stonemason, accountant and secretary. He changed bandages on lepers and soothed fears. Joseph was a prolific writer — not only diaries but letters to anyone in the world (literally) who might be able to help the outcasts of Kalaupapa, from royalty to U.S. presidents to well-known authors. He became known worldwide for his humanitarian work.

“Brother Joseph” was loved by all for his constant smile, his ever-present serenity and his unfailing optimism.

He was Father Damien’s shadow until the saint’s death in 1889, as he was for 30 years afterwards with Mother Marianne. At one point, Mother Marianne helped him become a Third Order Franciscan.

As one Dutton prayer says, it was God’s grace that “raised him from the darkness of war, betrayal, addiction and despair to the liberating joy of charity in the service of the abandoned and isolated chronically ill.”

Today, with his cause for canonization underway, he is not just “Brother Joseph,” he is a Servant of God.

 

VATICAN INSIDER: WILL HAWAII HAVE A THIRD SAINT?

VATICAN INSIDER: WILL HAWAII HAVE A THIRD SAINT?

Welcome to Vatican Insider at this halfway point of May! This week, in the interview segment, I’ve prepared a Special on Joseph Dutton, called Brother Joseph by St. Damien of Molokai, and later by St. Marianne Cope. This layman came to the island of Molokai at the age of 44 and then for 44 years worked with Fr. Damien and later Mother Marianne caring for the victims of leprosy who had been exited there by the King of Hawaii.

At Mass in Honolulu’s cathedral on May 10, Bishop Larry Silva formally opened the Diocesan Inquiry Phase of the cause of canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton.

In a letter to the diocese before the Mass, Bishop Larry wrote: “On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, I will celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at 6:00 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.   It is the Memorial of St. Damien DeVeuster. At the end of the Mass, there will be a short ceremony to formally open the Diocesan Inquiry Phase of the cause of Servant of God Joseph Dutton.The members of the Joseph Dutton Guild will be present, and the officials who will play various roles in the investigation of the cause will take their oaths of office.”

Several years ago I was asked to become a member of that guild for the cause of canonization of Joseph Dutton. It has been a joy to work with the incredible members and to have reached such a high point as the May 10 Mass. I usually attend one guild meeting a year in person but Covid, and some restrictions in Hawaii, kept me from visiting in 2020 and 2021. I am hoping to remedy that this year!

Bishop Larry also wrote: “It should be noted that beatification and canonization in the Catholic Church is a rigorous process, and there is no guarantee that the process will finally result in Joseph Dutton’s beatification or canonization. Nevertheless, many of the faithful in the Diocese of Honolulu and in other parts of the world have spoken favorably and are hopeful that Joseph Dutton’s holiness of life will be deemed by the Church to be worthy of public veneration and imitation. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide this process to its completion according to the will of God and for the good of his holy Church.”

So tune in to that wonderful story after the news segment of Vatican Insider!

(I did post most of this information on my May 10 blog if it seems familiar!)

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