One of an ongoing series related to Blessed Damien’s elevation to sainthood on Oct. 11 in Rome

Home page of www.fatherdamien.com

fatherdamien.com

New diocesan website provides wealth of canonization information

By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald

A Google search of “Father Damien” pulls up 876,000 hits. On May 29, there will be one more — the new Diocese of Honolulu Damien canonization website, www.fatherdamien.com.

The website has been designed to be the “go to” place for Damien canonization essentials. There are biographies of Blessed Damien in English, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Spanish and Hawaiian. There are also Damien-related prayers, homilies, essays and speeches, schedules, canonization travel details, photo galleries, fact sheets, resource lists, music, videos, contact information, things to buy, and ways to make donations.

The site is designed by Mardie Torres who has created websites for the diocesan Office of Vocations and the diocesan capital campaign. He was assisted by a small volunteer committee of local communication professionals.

In the opening page, a photo of Bishop Larry Silva glides into place next to a short message text that announces the canonization and provides a few words about Damien’s service in Hawaii and why he is being made a saint.

“Through his great love for God and his abandoned brothers and sisters, Father Damien transformed Kalawao into a community of respect and dignity,” the message states.

The bishop concludes, “We pray that Father Damien will inspire us all to reach out to those most in need, to make a real difference in their lives, and to serve them with the love of Christ.”

Fatherdamien.com uses a liberal amount of color, photos, art and graphics that move into place as the site visitor clicks from page to page. Its uncluttered, clean design is a breeze to navigate.

The 11 pages in addition to the home page allows for leisurely browsing through informative background articles and archival photos, and catching up on the latest canonization-related events.

Three new songs about Blessed Damien, composed and performed by island entertainer Glenn Medeiros, are also available for free downloads.

Site visitors can also buy a reproduction of a new Dietrich Varez “Damien” print, a pocket-sized biography of the soon-to-be saint, or, for the kids, a Damien coloring book.

Links lead to the official canonization travel website, the Kalaupapa National Historical Park website, and other sites that would be of interest to those wanting to learn more about Damien and Kalaupapa.

Torres described his design as fresh, but simple and friendly.

“We tried to be in touch with web trends when we use different light colored-palettes,” he said. “The simple yet striking effects of colors give the impression that the site sets a happy, friendly and safe mood.”

“The site is not a print imitation,” Torres said.

Vincent R. Linares as Father Damien

Maui professor offers ‘Damien’ on the stage

As a way to celebrate Father Damien’s canonization this year, Vincent R. Linares, an English professor at Maui Community College, is offering to perform “Damien,” the one-man play by the late Aldyth Morris, in Hawaii parishes and other venues.

All he requires is airfare for himself and his tech-audio assistant and a place for them to stay.

The play is about an hour long with a 15-minute intermission between acts.

Linares has taught at Maui Community College for 34 years. He first saw the play on stage when it was initially produced by the University of Hawaii in Manoa more than 30 years ago. The actor has performed the Morris play more than 70 times since 2000, mostly on Maui but also on the mainland and in Europe.

The Maui performances were primarily benefits for parishes, schools and cultural and social service organizations. According to Linares, they have raised more than $40,000 for Maui non-profits.

Vinares has been associated with at least 50 stage productions on Maui as producer, director, performer, or behind the scenes since moving to the island from Honolulu in 1975.

His company, Oh Boy Productions, produces “Damien” in affiliation with the Maui Academy of Performing Arts.

A 2000 review published in the Maui News described Linares’ interpretation of Morris’ work as a “bravura performance.”

“Linares’ Damien is an emotional powder keg full of energy only slightly tempered when he is being his most introspective,” the newspaper said. “Damien performed by Linares is more than theater. It is an affirmation of how powerful devotion can be.”

Though he does not accept a salary for his performances, Linares asks that the modest production and royalty costs be covered, and that an admission fee be charged for “some worthy cause.”

“I consider my production, my time, and the effort to perform my community service — as well as an honor to introduce Damien’s amazing story to the public,” he said in an e-mail message to the Hawaii Catholic Herald.

“Given the current excitement over his sainthood, I have tried to expand the production to a wider audience if good venues can be secured and my modest costs covered,” he said.

“It’s an act of love for the most part. And I like my performing space to be very intimate if possible,” he said.

Linares said that he is free to offer performances “most of September, part of October and on through Dec. 15.” He requests at least two weeks advance notice.

“Damien” was first performed as a stage play in 1976 at the University of Hawaii and then broadcast nationally on PBS in 1978 as a television special directed by Nino J. Martin and starring Hawaii’s Terence Knapp. It has won several national awards including the George Peabody award and the Christopher award.

Linares can be reached at linares@hawaii.edu.