Star of the Sea Catholic Church
The Star of the Sea Painted Church in Kalapana, Hawai'i was built in 1927-1928 under the direction of the Belgian Catholic missionary priest Father Evarist Gielen, who painted the upper section of the church interior. In 1941, George Heidler, an artist from Athens, Georgia, painted the lower panels to complete the church interior. These paintings tell the story of Father Damien (of leprosy fame), who arrived in the Kalapana area of Puna, Hawaii in 1864, shortly after his ordination. In 1990, the church was moved to its present location just ahead of an advancing lava flow. It is located on Highway 130 between mile marker 19 and 20, and is open to the public without charge seven days a week from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. 1
The first Catholic priest resident in the Kalapana Puna area of the Big Island was Father Damien de Veuster, known world-wide as the Apostle of Moloka'i Leper Settlement. He arrived shortly after his ordination in May 1864, established himself in Kapaahuela, about 2 miles distant from Kalapana, where he lived in a grass hut and conducted a school. His successor, Father Clement Evrard, built a stone church on the site of Father Damien's temporary bamboo structure. In 1908, Kapaahuela was abandoned and a church erected on the Kalehuloa property closer to Kalapana. 2
In 1927-28, Father Evarist Gielen caused the present Star of the Sea Church to be built. It was he who painted the upper section of the Church, working at night by the light from an oil lamp. Father Evarist was changed to the Island of Lanai in 1941 where he is still active today. In 1964, Mr. George Heidler, an artist from Athens, Georgia, found his way to Kalapana. He conceived the idea of painting the unfinished lower panels and the altar section. He also fashioned the 14 stations of the Cross and the outdoor shrine of beach glass. In his work he included Paao who seems to have been a priest. Old Spanish documents afford evidence of a priest landing on the Puna Coast near Kalapana in the year 1755. 2
You will NOT need to disturb the church or the nearby memorial to find this cache! Please be respectful! The church information is included to give you a history of the area, nothing more! Well, other than maybe you'll need to pray for guidance to find it! :)
Father Damien or Saint Damien of Moloka'i, SS.CC. (Dutch: Pater Damiaan or Heilige Damiaan van Moloka'i; January 3, 1840 – April 15, 1889), born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious institute. He won recognition for his ministry to people with leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease), who had been placed under a government-sanctioned medical quarantine on the island of Moloka'i in the Kingdom of Hawai'i. After sixteen years caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those in the leper colony, he eventually contracted and died of the disease, and is widely considered a "martyr of charity". He was the tenth person recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church to have lived, worked, and/or died in what is now the United States. In both the Latin Rite and the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church, Damien is venerated as a saint, one who is holy and worthy of public veneration and invocation. In the Anglican communion, as well as other denominations of Christianity, Damien is considered the spiritual patron for leprosy and outcasts. As the patron saint of the Diocese of Honolulu and of Hawai'i, Father Damien Day is celebrated statewide on April 15. Upon his beatification by Pope John Paul II in Rome on June 4, 1995, Blessed Damien was granted a memorial feast day, which is celebrated on May 10. Father Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday October 11, 2009. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls him "the Apostle of the Lepers", and elsewhere he is known as the "leper priest". 3
(Click on any of the following images to view larger versions)
Here's the trick to caching in Hawaii... pretend you are taking pictures (or take them)!! The majority of locals won't even notice you there if you are taking pictures and the ones that do will simply shake their head and mutter "Tourists, they'll take pictures of anything!" We have to have MINIMUM speed limits here because visitors tend to go too slow while looking at everything!
Includes a log sheet but you'll need to BYOP!
Counter Added 7/12/2012 |
1 Wikipedia Web Site - Star Of The Sea Painted Church
2 Sign at the Church
3 Wikipedia Web Site - Father Damien