Fr. Brian Guerrini, ss.cc., spent a month at Kalaupapa (Molokai, Hawaii) filling in for Fr. Pat Killilea, ss.cc., who traveled to Ireland on vacation. Far from quiet, the month was marked by an intense daily rhythm and numerous visits.
The daily routine included Mass at 5:50am Monday through Friday, 7:00am on Saturdays, and Sunday Mass alternating between St. Francis and St. Philomena churches. Every Sunday, Fr. Brian brought communion to the two remaining leprosy patients living at Kalaupapa: Winnie, 96, blind and in a wheelchair, and John, 102, who still drives and lives in his own house. Only four leprosy patients remain in the world today, out of the thousands who once lived at Kalawao and Kalaupapa.
The month brought a steady stream of visitors: a group of diocesan priests celebrating their tenth ordination anniversary, the Bishop of Evansville, Indiana, accompanied by a priest from the Diocese of Joliet and a couple from Mililani, and, toward the end of the stay, a delegation led by Fr. Lane, Provincial of the West Region, the Papal Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Caccia, the new Bishop of Honolulu, Michael Castori, SJ, and a Tongan priest from Australia.
The month also brought a sad moment: the death of Bailey, Fr. Killilea's cat, whom Fr. Brian buried beside the rectory steps after a short prayer.
The article also points to uncertainty about the settlement's future: following the death of Auntie Meli Watanuki, who had led tours to Kalawao, and with only two patients now living in Kalaupapa, Hawaii's Department of Health, Hawaiian Home Lands, and the National Park Service will need to decide what happens to the historic settlement once the last patients pass away.
08/03/2026