By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The two months left before the May 15 beatification of Mother Marianne Cope in Rome does not leave much planning time for those who would like to attend.
Even if you can get off work and scrape up the money, hotel rooms in Rome are disappearing fast, according to Franciscan Sister Marie Jose Romano who is organizing travelers from Hawaii with the help of Seawind Tours and Travel.
Mother Marianne will be one of 10 Pope John Paul II will beatify that day. Followers and devotees of the other nine, all 20th century men and women, will also be streaming into the Eternal City that Pentecost Sunday weekend.
Sister Marie Jose said her group will include Sisters of St. Francis, Kalaupapa residents and others.
According to Alan Tamai of Seawind Tours, the itinerary, price and the hotel destinations are still being finalized. Besides Rome, tour is scheduling stops in Florence and Fatima, he said.
According to the office of the diocesan administrator Father Thomas Gross, neither he nor his delegate Father Joseph Grimaldi will be attending the beatification.
Tamai said his company is planning for a group of 20, but Seawind will be able to accommodate more if necessary.
Another Hawaii group is being organized by Franciscan Sister Florence Remata from Kauai where she works as the religious education director for Immaculate Conception Parish in Lihue.
Her group will also number about 20, mostly lay Franciscan associates.
She said that because of the lack of hotel space, her mainland travel agent is arranging lodging at a “pensione,” a hostel run by a religious order. She estimates the entire package as costing around $2,000.
Sister Florence’s group plans to leave Hawaii on May 11 and return on May 20. Their trip would offer side trips, including one to Assisi.
At least one group will also go from Syracuse, where the Sisters of St. Francis are headquartered. There the order has organized a “lottery” to decide which sisters will attend.
Franciscan Sister Mary Laurence Hanley, the Sisters of St. Francis director of the cause of Mother Marianne, will go to Rome on March 16 with Sister Grace Anne Dillenschneider, assistant general minister of the Sisters of St. Francis, to meet with officials at the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints to make preparations for the beatification.
Among the arrangements they have to make prior to the event is choose an image of Mother Marianne to be reproduced on the large traditional banner traditionally unfurled at a beatification. The image may be a photograph or artwork with the subject facing forward, not in profile, Sister Mary Laurence said. She said the sisters will most likely choose a photo.
The sisters also have to prepare a "two- or three-page" biography of Mother Marianne to be included in the beatification program booklet and compose prayers to be used in liturgies in her honor.
Sister Mary Laurence said that while in Rome they hope to learn more about the beatification ticketing process, what roles the Sisters of St. Francis will have in the actual ceremony, and how much the event will cost her order. She said that the Vatican actually sends out invoices to the sponsors of beatification candidates to cover the costs of certain aspects of the ceremony, such as the printing of the program.
Those interested in attending the beatification from Hawaii may call Alan Tamai at Seawind Tours and Travel, at 949-4144, (toll free for neighbor islands) 1-800-424-3324, or Sister Marie Jose Romano at 687-3420, or Sister Florence Remata on Kauai at 245-2432.