‘Faith’ showcases Kalaupapa through rare photos, poetry

The Damien and Marianne of Molokai Heritage Center in Waikiki has mounted an exhibit featuring portraits taken in the early 1900s that offers a rare and compelling glimpse of life on Molokai’s remote Kalaupapa peninsula for the banished victims of leprosy.

Called "Absolute Faith: Saint Damien, Blessed Marianne and the People of Kalaupapa," the free exhibit includes many historic, never-before-seen prints, contemporary photographs, quotations and poetry, according to a news release by Father Lane Aki­ona of St. Augustine-by-the-Sea Church. The center is next to the church at 130 Ohua Ave.

The exhibit, which opened in the spring, heralds the canonization of Mother Marianne Cope on Oct. 21 — following closely upon the sainthood of Damien in 2009 — for their dedicated care of leprosy patients, Aki­ona said in a news release.

It is believed that the photographs — whose original glass-plate negatives were long forgotten in storage — were taken by Father Paul-Marie Juliotte and Brother Aloysius Leissen, who belonged to the same religious order as Damien, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts United States Province.

The exhibit also features contemporary photographs of the people and places of Kalaupapa and neighboring Kala­wao, taken over the past 30 years by acclaimed photographer Wayne Levin.

The Heritage Center is above the ABC Store; it has a gated entryway on Kalakaua Avenue. A lift is available for those with special needs. Hours of operation are Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon and 6 to 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 7 a.m. to noon.

There is no admission or parking fee, though offerings are accepted. For more information or to make reservations for groups of 20 or more, call 922-3121 or go to www.staugustinebythesea.com.