HR329

WHEREAS, the people of the State of Hawaii are proud to recognize those special individuals who selflessly utilize their God-given talents to faithfully serve the community and disseminate friendship, goodwill, and care giving to the people of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, although King David Kalakaua and church officials sent pleas throughout the United States and Canada for assistance in 1883 when leprosy was ravishing the Kingdom of Hawaii, no one came to the rescue of Hawaii's people, with more than 50 religious orders having already refused to help by the time a letter made its way to Mother Marianne Cope of the Sisters of the Third Franciscan Order in Syracuse, New York, who was so moved by the plight of the outcast lepers, she believed it was God's will to answer the call; and

WHEREAS, the SISTERS OF SAINT FRANCIS were willing to sacrifice their lives to come to Hawaii and care for the suffering people who were stricken with the devastating affliction; and

WHEREAS, Mother Marianne departed Syracuse with six Sisters, chosen from among the 35 who volunteered, first by train to San Francisco, then by ship to Hawaii arriving in Honolulu Harbor aboard the Mariposa on November 8, 1883, which marked the beginning of the Sister's rich legacy of caring and daring for the sake of Hawaii's people – a legacy that touches the lives of island residents even today; and

WHEREAS, soon after their arrival, the Sisters were assigned to the Government Branch Hospital, a receiving station in Kakaako for leprosy patients that was noted for being severely overcrowded and containing vermin infested mattresses, blood-stained walls and rotting flesh, doing what was needed to clean up the facilities including bandaging of the patients' sores; and

WHEREAS, in 1885, Kapiolani Home, an institution for the healthy daughters of patients with leprosy who had no place to live and one of the first of its kind anywhere, was established by the SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS; and

WHEREAS, accomplishing such a monumental task of bringing hope and dignity back into the lives of leprosy patients in so short a time, Mother Marianne was awarded the medal of the Royal Order of Kapiolani; and

WHEREAS, the tenacity and fearlessness of the SISTERS OF SAINT FRANCIS prepared them for their next major assignment of being sent to the colony of Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai in 1888, where more than a thousand people with Hansen's disease were exiled because the restrictive access afforded the area by the steep cliffs and rough ocean created a natural prison; and

WHEREAS, at Kalaupapa, Mother Marianne and two Sisters took charge of Bishop Home, a home for women and girls, restoring dignity and beauty to their lives, sewing dresses in the latest fashions for these individuals, and planting flower gardens and fruit trees bringing hope to the seemingly God-forsaken colony and its people; and

WHEREAS, when Father Joseph Damien De Veuster died from Hansen's disease in 1889, Mother Marianne succeeded him in running the home for boys at Kalawao, eventually building the Baldwin Home for boys in 1893; and

WHEREAS, Mother Marianne never returned to Syracuse and spent the last 30 years of her life at Kalaupapa, and when one wonders how the Sisters were able to do so much for so many people, one only need look at the life of Mother Marianne, a life dedicated to her faith in God and the sharing of God's love for people who suffer that was immortalized in her words, "My God and my all"; and

WHEREAS, following the footsteps of Mother Marianne, the SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS have always responded to the needs of the community, in the Franciscan way of "itinerancy" – going where the needs are and moving on as new needs arise; and

WHEREAS the fulfillment of this motto can be found in the many accomplishments of the SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, including the opening of Malulani Hospital, a badly needed general hospital on the island of Maui in 1884; the opening of Hilo County Memorial Hospital in 1915; the opening of Saint Francis Hospital in 1927 to care for sick individuals, many of whom were in dire financial need, an institution which over the years would pioneer services including: kidney dialysis; kidney, bone marrow, heart, liver and pancreas transplants; a center for emotionally disturbed children; an alcoholic treatment center for women; and more; and the opening of Saint Francis Medical Center-West in 1990 to meet the medical needs of the people in Leeward Oahu; and

WHEREAS, the accomplishments of the SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS go beyond the provision of just healthcare and include home care for the terminally ill and other programs geared to seniors, programs that continue throughout the Saint Francis Healthcare System; the establishment of Our Lady of Kea'au which provides outreach services to the homeless in Waianae; and the opening of the Franciscan Adult Day Center, formally known as the Sister Maureen Intergenerational Learning Environment in 1996 to improve the quality of life of frail elders and also to provide respite to family caregivers; and

WHEREAS, over the years, the SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS have also administered, operated, or taught at more than a dozen schools throughout the islands, educating and guiding thousands of Hawaii's youth to love and serve God, beginning with the first English speaking school on Maui – Saint Anthony School for Girls, which was opened in 1884, and including Saint Joseph School in Hilo, which was opened in 1900 and today is the only Catholic school on the Island of Hawaii and Saint Francis School on Oahu, which was opened in 1924 as a convent school to prepare young women for religious life and to continue to the work with Hansen's disease patients; and

WHEREAS, other schools where the SISTERS OF SAINT FRANCIS still have a presence today include Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Saint Michael's School, and Saint Theresa School on Oahu and in the past the SISTERS OF SAINT FRANCIS have also ministered as educators at Sacred Hearts School and Saint Theresa's Parish on Maui; and Our Lady of Good Counsel and Parish, Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of the Mount on Oahu; and

WHEREAS, the present SISTERS OF SAINT FRANCIS, as well as those who have come before, consider it an honor and a privilege to follow the Lord's work and minister to the health, education, and social needs of the people of our aloha state; and

WHEREAS, the SISTERS OF SAINT FRANCIS have begun a year-long anniversary celebration that includes activities on the islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Hawaii, culminating on November 8, 2008 when the Sisters will reenact their arrival, complete with the royal welcome and a horse-drawn carriage through downtown Honolulu to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace for the closing liturgy; now, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that this body hereby commends and applauds THE SISTERS OF SAINT FRANCIS for their outstanding achievements and expresses to them its warmest aloha and best wishes for continued success in all future endeavors.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

A Legacy of Caring and Daring for 125 Years

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	329
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII