Your gift is important and we are grateful for your kokua (support). With your generosity, we will be able to create more than just a building. The Damien and Marianne of Molokaʻi Education Center will serve as a legacy for generations to come, inspiring all who visit on the virtues of compassion and resilience.
For one time gifts or pledges, please “click” on the DONATE button to begin.
All gifts are welcome, in any denomination.
Aloha Kakou!
It’s been more than 150 years since Hawaii passed a law in 1865, authorizing the isolation of people diagnosed with leprosy, now known as Hansen’s disease, to the remote Makanalua Peninsula on Molokaʻi, commonly known as Kalaupapa. The Damien and Marianne of Molokaʻi Education Center will tell the story of the people of Kalaupapa, Saint Damien De Veuster, ss.cc. and Saint Marianne Cope, o.s.f., starting with the 1866 arrival of the first patients in Kalawao – the first settlement on the eastern side of the peninsula. It’s a story of forced segregation, it’s a story of the human resilience of heart and spirit, and what can be achieved by ordinary people with extraordinary compassion and dedication to helping those in need. The two-story, 5,900 square foot Education Center will feature a temperature controlled environment for the preservation of historic displays and artifacts and the comfort of our visitors; video presentations; a reflection chapel; a meditation garden with plants from Molokaʻi; and a gift shop featuring thoughtfully hand-made items from Molokaʻi artisans. Located on Kalakaua Avenue across the street from Waikiki Beach, the Education Center wil be one of Hawaii’s largest and most comprehensive museum-like facilities dedicated to the people of Kalaupapa and the Saints who answered the call to serve those in need. Please come and visit.
(Photos courtesy of the Congregation of Sacred Hearts U.S. Province)
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Recent News
Tours of the New Damien and Marianne of Moloka’i Education Center Building – Sunday March 8
The building of the new Damien and Marianne of Education Center has been completed. Tour of the completed building will be held this coming Sunday March 8 and next week Sunday March 15 at 11:30 a.m. Please contact our parish office at 808 923-7024 for more information.
We are excited to be in the final stages of setting up the exhibits. The center is slated to open in the latter part of 2020.
Historic Pillars
Our Meditation Garden links our past to the present with the placement of two historic St. Augustine Church pillars — both dating back to the mid-1800’s.
Concrete pour at Meditation Garden
C oncrete pour and design techniques being done at our Meditation Garden. Which do you prefer — the broom or rock salt finish?
Rock Salt Finish 
Broom Finish
Front Door
A view from the front. Utilizing sponge painting techniques on our front doors, teal over gold.
The Chapel is Close to Completion
Our chapel is nearing completion with the installation and painting or our pews, decorative railings and lighting.
Blessing and Installation of Lauhala Etched Tile
Fr. Lane Akiona, ss.cc. held a blessing in our Education Center as workers installed a lauhala etched tile, paying tribute to our kupuna and St. Damien De Veuster, ss.cc., who slept under a lauhala tree his first night in Kalawao. Fr. Lane leaves today for Belgium to represent Hawaii at St. Damien’s 10th anniversary festivities, marking 10 years of becoming Hawaii’s first saint.
Interior and exterior construction on the building is moving quickly!
The walls and flooring are complete, on both the first and second floors. We’ve installed a beautiful metal front door and our chapel altar is ready for the finishing touches. Our second mosaic was completed by local artist Leah K. Rigg and installed near the front entrance. Our Remembrance Tiles will frame these one-of-a-kind tile mosaics. Be sure to check back for more updates!
Bringing Kalaupapa to the world
BY HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD 08/22/2019
The under-construction Damien and Marianne of Molokai Education Center on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. The project is the vision of St. Augustine Parish and its pastor, Sacred Hearts Father Lane Akiona, pictured standing towards the right of the construction wall.
Construction News
Construction on the building is progressing on schedule, with the concrete poured on both floors, electrical and plumbing installed and the roof recently placed on top of the building. Building construction is expected to be completed in November 2019, with interior design and exhibit installation to follow.
