From 30-31 January 2020, Patrick Jaspers of the Damiaan Vandaag Center in Flanders (Belgium) and Fr. Lane Akiona sscc, responsible for the Mother Mariana and Damien of Molokai Educational Center of Honolulu (Hawaii) met with Éric Hernout SSCC General Archivist in the General House of Rome. The purpose of the meeting was to establish a partnership between these three institutions to exchange information and resources on Damián and initiatives inspired by him. A first step in this direction is to make available online writings and materials about Damien, among other things.
The program of the meeting included a visit to Anima Munda, the ethnographic and missionary section of the Vatican Museum that was recently opened to the public (October 2019). Fr. Éric had earlier contacted the director of this museum, Father Nicola Mapelli (of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions) and he kindly received the group of visitors which included Mrs. Luana Tarsi secretary of the General Archive, Andzrej Lukawski postulator and Alberto Toutin and accompanied them on a guided tour. He introduced the group to the different exhibits, among which are objects associated with Fr. Damien and to our missionary presence in the Magareva Islands and Easter Island.
02/01/2020