This is one of an ongoing series of articles about Blessed Damien who will reach the ranks of sainthood on Oct. 11

Damien, in the words of those who knew him well

By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald

Joseph Manu My Spiritual Father and My Friend Here is an excerpt from chapter 4 of “Father Damien … ‘a Bit of Taro, a Piece of Fish, and a Glass of Water.’” Joseph Manu met Father Damien in 1873 when he was about 16 years old. At the age of 81, some 49 years after Father Damien’s death, Joseph Manu described his friend’s simple lifestyle and great devotion to God and the people of Kalawao: “He was poor but he never complained about it. Father Damien used to come to our house in Pelekunu. When we asked him if he wanted something special to eat, he answered: “Do not disturb yourself. I will eat what you have.” He was satisfied with a bit of taro, a piece of fish and a glass of water. He never wasted food nor would he see others waste it. I and others of my family helped Father Damien as he was poor. We gave him food as we knew he was in need. He didn’t eat too much, but cooked taro, the principal food of the Hawaiians. Sometimes I asked Father Damien, “Is the food enough?” He answered, “Even too much! Look I have some taro and some fish.” I sometimes said to the Father to throw something away as it was old. He answered, “No, it is still good for me.” Father Damien warmed up his food a few times to make another meal rather than throw anything away.”

A new book about Father Damien being published next month offers a rare portrait of the priest through the voices of native Hawaiians who knew him.

“Father Damien … ‘a Bit of Taro, a Piece of Fish, and a Glass of Water’” was written by Anwei Skinses Law and her husband Henry G. Law, both who have long ties to Kalaupapa and its people.

“This book is part of a larger effort to include the voices of the people of Kalaupapa, past and present, in their own history,” Anwei told the Hawaii Catholic Herald in an e-mail message earlier this month.

Some of those people are Joseph Manu, Ambrose K. Hutchison, David Kamahana, Mele Meheula, Pohaku Melemai, Malie Kauluwela, David Ilihia and John Puaina Wilmington — mostly unfamiliar names.

They were patients, friends, helpers, Molokai residents, “all of whom knew Father Damien personally,” Anwei said, and who were “valuable witnesses and participants in Kalaupapa’s history.”

The 150-page book, which is generously illustrated with fascinating old photos, also touches on the relationship the Belgian missionary had with the people of Topside Molokai, outside the leprosy settlement, which he also served as priest,

Damien is portrayed as a simple, hardworking man, accustomed to adversity, who did not impose his wants on others, who did not complain, who did not waste food, who liked to teach children how to pray, who had a deep affection for the Hawaiian people, admiring their simplicity and their hospitality and generosity, and who seemed very much to be like the Hawaiians themselves.

Coupled with an intense commitment to his religious mission, Father Damien’s love for and close identity with his people led him to be their strongest advocate and defender.

The authors’ sources include witness testimonies gathered by the Catholic Church, primarily in 1938, the unpublished memoirs of Ambrose Hutchison, who lived in Kalaupapa from 1879-1932 and who worked closely with Father Damien for 10 years, letters written to Father Damien from his former Big Island parishioners, and Father Damien’s own letters.

Anwei said she hopes their book will bring fresh understanding to “the remarkable relationship, past and present, between Father Damien and the people of Kalaupapa.”

“We believe that this relationship is at the heart of who he was and why he is being canonized,” she said.

She said the relationship provides “an important model” for a modern world seeking justice for its poor and forgotten people.

Anwei Law first visited Kalaupapa in 1968 at the age of 16. Since then she has extensively researched the history of leprosy in Hawaii. In 1989, she published “Kalaupapa: A Portrait” with photographer Wayne Levin. She is currently working on a detailed history of Kalaupapa entitled “Ka Hokuwelowelo: A Collective Memory of Kalaupapa” to be published by The University of Hawaii Press.

Henry Law first came to Kalaupapa in 1977 as part of a National Park Service planning team prior to the peninsula being designated a National Historical Park in 1980. He became the first National Park Service employee at Kalaupapa in 1982 and in 1984 was named the first superintendent of Kalaupapa National Historical Park.

Anwei and Henry are the first Damien historians who have lived in Kalaupapa for extended periods of time.

Both Anwei and Henry work with IDEA (International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement), the largest international advocacy organization by and for individuals who have faced the challenges of Hansen’s disease. Anwei is IDEA’s international coordinator.

IDEA is the publisher of “Father Damien … ‘a Bit of Taro, a Piece of Fish, and a Glass of Water.’”