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Feeding Soulsby Danny O’Regan

The local government in Hawaii recently produced a 90-day plan to tackle the issue of homelessness in the Hawaiian Islands. The aims were to try to offer more help to those living in the parks and to entice them to move to shelters making better use of the services provided. Gov. Neil Abercrombie and former priest, Marc Alexander who heads the taskforce on homelessness, recently heralded the program a success in moving many off the streets into shelters and transitional housing. On the street itself, many are wary of the recent moves and see them fueled by the hotel industry and big business. An interesting moment came when an 8th grade student at St. Francis School in Manoa asked the visiting Governor about

feeding in the parks. His response was that those that feed aren’t helping - in his words “actually feeding people but not feeding their souls is actually working against them.”

Marc Alexander in a recent meeting went as far as to say that Church groups feed in the parks “let’s be honest, to feel good about themselves.”

I beg to differ, strongly. Randy, a local member of the Ala Moana community who comes to feedings on Saturday mornings in Kapiolani Park, as well as Ala Moana was incensed when he heard this. He responded by saying “Do these people even know what community is? There are people who are on the streets who survive knowing they are part of a houseless community that looks out for one another. I know many who suffer from various mental illnesses and isolation who have come to the feedings and established friendships and a positive change in thinking.”

I myself have seen the change in the people we serve - Food is always secondary to the love, compassion and the dignity that many feel when embraced and remembered. Souls are fed by allowing the Spirit of Christ to present itself in community, in our prayer together and the stories we share.

The danger is, statistics serve the powerful, the politicians and the bureaucrats. Governmental programs

do not aim to build communities. Where many have found community on the streets- we must be aware of not moving them back into isolation.

In November the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation will gather in Hawaii. As economic and presidential leaders from the pacific rim gather to discuss isues of trade and commerce, many on the streets feel they will be swept aside under the guise of security. Ironically it is those on the streets that are a reminder of the difficult economic conditions that exist on the Island. It is a reminder that the land upon which many of the guests will be staying, has some of the highhest real -estate in the world. It is a reminder that just and sustainable economic policies are very much needed and that corporate greed has had a devastating effect.

The issue of homelessness effects everybody - we are all responsible. In Hawaii as the issue increases, new measures are developed to try and make a difference, but suspiciously enough, they usually target Waikiki. The argument made is that people don’t escape to paradise expecting to see homeless people. The truth is there is nowhere to escape injustice, greed and poverty, but everywhere to experience Christ. The problem we face isn’t how to feed the souls of men, women and families on the streets, its how do we allow them to feed ours and in the process of tackling homelessness are we in danger of losing our own souls under the guise of security?

best charged with minor misdemeanors or go scot free.In brief, the charges against Aloun Farmsstem from their initially hiring a firm called Global Horizons Manpower to import labor from Thailand. These workers, many who paid for the privilege of working in Hawaii, where held against their will, had their legal documents taken from them, were not paid in full for their work, were underfed, and were required to sleep by the dozen in a small room or shipping container with no furnishings or beds, no sanitary facilities, and rats commonly ran over them as they slept on the floor. Few of these workers could communicate or understand English. Over time, the Aloun brothers dropped Global Horizons Manpower and imported their labor directly. Federal prosecution charges that the working conditions for the laborers did not change once the Aloun brothers took over. But this is not an isolated case for the large multi-national firm, Global Horizons Manpower. In 2011, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the EEOC) filed its largest lawsuit to date against Global Horizons Manpower and its executives including Kona resident, Sam Wongsesanit. Among the others also named for breaking federal human trafficking laws are six Hawaii farms: Captain Cook Coffee Company Del Monte Fresh Produce Kauai Coffee Company Kalena Farms MacFarms of Hawaii Maui Pineapple Farms

We must take a stand, we must act. In a recent New York Times article it was reported that: (a) numerous people including two past Governors of the State of Hawai‘i came out in support of the Aloun brothers; but (b) there was no aid for the victims of human trafficking. It is a disappointment that we heard none of this in our Churches or through the human service agencies to which we contribute. There was no cry for housing, food, clothing, bedding, or financial aid. No public discourse on what immediate or long-term medical or counseling services were needed for these victims found surviving among us. These voiceless, nameless people were not embraced or even assisted by the people of Hawai‘i. The public outcry was barely a whisper. We, in Hawai‘i, have a long history of immigrant labor. We are in need of small farms and small businesses. We live on islands physically distant from other populations. We need each other. We need to find ways of embracing our different contributions to the whole of society. Our island culture survives because we are able to live, work and play together. We are all responsible for finding ways to respect the human dignity that God places in each of us. We should be able, at the very least, to support local farms and local businesses without needing to support slavery. We, the people of Hawai‘i, need to recognize those people marginalized who may actually be victims of human trafficking. And, we need to stop the human traffickers from doing business anywhere in Hawai‘i. The State Legislature enacted and Governor Neil Abercrombie signed two human trafficking laws (HB 141 Labor Trafficking and HB 240 Promoting Prostitution Law Reform)

They went into effect on July 1, 2011. Hawai‘i became the 47th State to enact this legislation. This means that future activity in human trafficking may be prosecuted by the State. This is a positive step in removing slavery from our midst. We, however, can do more. We have purchasing power that can be applied to support those farmers and businesses that treat their laborers with common decency. When we are shopping, no matter where, each of us should be looking for and asking questions about how, where and by whom are these products produced. If Global Horizons Manpower is supplying the laborers, no matter how much an item is discounted, that item costs too much. Finally, we need to find our voices in our churches and in our homes in order to prevent slavery regardless of the purpose from being a part of our lives, our society or the world of which we are a part. We can seek out ways to provide aid and support for those victimized by human traffickers, we can become members of and support those organizations like the Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery (PASS), and live our daily commitment to God, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Anything less costs all of us way too much.

Human Trafficking in Hawaii: Forced Labor by Kristi Dinell

Human Trafficking is the current label for slavery. It is a thriving worldwide industry with annual profits in the billions of dollars. In the last decade it has become the second largest and most profitable criminal enterprise in the world. In absolute numbers there are more people held in slavery today than at any other time in human history. And, as we have learned over the last two years, Human Trafficking is being practiced here, in Hawaii. Human trafficking has three dimensions: (1) forced labor by a State or an armed force; (2) forced commercial sexual exploitation; and (3) forced labor for economic exploitation. Though there are active cases in both the second and third dimensions in Hawai‘i, in this article I am only addressing the third dimension. In 2009 the Aloun brothers pleaded “No Contest” to charges of Human Trafficking in Federal Court as a part of their plea deal. Throughout 2010 the Government and the Aloun brothers have been battling over who is or is not participating in good faith. Currently, the No Contest plea has been pulled and this case on Human Trafficking will begin in September 2011. Why is this case being prosecuted at the Federal level? It is because Hawaii was one of only four states with no human trafficking law. Victims of human trafficking who seek help are frequently arrested and prosecuted as either illegal immigrants or prostitutes while those who buy, use, transport, work, abuse, profit from, or sell these slaves are at

Art: Michelle Dick

From a Letter by St. Damien, 5 October 1885

I cannot go to Honolulu as the leprosy is too obvious. I imagine that my face will soon be disfigured. I am sure of my sickness, but I am still calm and resigned, in fact I am the happiest missionary in the

world.God knows what is best for my sanctification and with this conviction I say everyday: Fiat voluntas tua (Your will be

done).

From a Letter by St. Damien, 26 November 1885

I resign myself to Divine Providence and find my consolation in the only companion who does not abandon me: our divine Saviour in the Eucharist. It is at the foot of the altar where I often confess and where I seek relief from my

shame.

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Peter Maurin by Matthew Flynn

Peter Maurin is the often unheralded, unheard of founder of the Catholic Worker. The French peasant, illegal immigrant, laborer, and teacher was an avid reader, an intellectual, and a devout Catholic. His philosophy was both a cri-tique of the problems of society and a vision of what society could be, a sum-mation of Catholic social teaching and various strains of compatible social thought. But, above all, as Dorothy Day says, Peter was “holier than anyone we ever knew.”

Quick to see the good in other people, Peter believed Dorothy would be the next Catherine of Siena. Dorothy often referred to him as her teacher—when he met her, he took it upon himself to improve her Catholic education, which he found sadly lacking. He also espoused his program for building “a new society within the shell of the old,” a society “in which it is easier to be good,” and enlisted her cooperation, thereby founding the Catholic Worker Move-ment.

Peter was in many ways ahead of his time: he believed in doing things locally instead of being dependent on the gov-ernment and large institutions, and he promoted simple, functional living and a return to the land as opposed to an economy based on greed and an over-reliance on industry. He also warned of the spiritual dangers of materialism and sought “to foster a society based on creed instead of greed, on system-atic unselfishness instead of systematic

selfishness, [and] on gentle personalism instead of rugged individualism.”

In order to bring about a transformation of society, Peter advocated conversations for the clarification of thought so that people could understand both the prob-lems facing them and how to bring about a new social order. He promoted “houses of hospitality for the immediate relief of those who are in need” and “farming com-munes where each one works according to his ability and gets according to his need.”

These farming communes, or “agronomic universities,” would help people unlearn the “ideal that working with your head is superior to working with your head and your hands” and teach them a new philoso-phy of work that valued workers as artists and creators, responsible for their products, and not merely parts of a giant machine.

But what sets Peter apart is that he was not just a philosopher as we think of philosophers: he did not merely claim to know some truths and spout ideas about

them, but rather he lived them fully and completely, so that one could understand what he meant not just by listening, but by watching as well. As a personalist, he followed his own definition of personal-ism—“be what you want the other fellow to be”—by living his philosophy and religion.

Robert Coles said of him: “it was almost as if one of the many poor and ragged and unassuming men who frequented the Depression era streets has suddenly become possessed by God and turned into a ragged disciple.” Peter lived in poverty to be in solidarity with the destitute: he did not have a second coat, seldom had his own room, often gave his bed to others in greater need, did not have his own desk, and was buried in a donated grave. As Dorothy writes, “Peter not only had no place to lay his head but had no place for his books and papers—aside from his capa-cious pockets. He had no chair, no place at table, no corner that was particularly his. He was a pilgrim and stranger on earth.” All this fit with his insistence that the Works of Mercy and philosophies of poverty and work must be lived “at a personal sacrifice.”

Peter lived the last five years of his life unable to think, the victim of a stroke. According to Dorothy, “He had stripped himself throughout life; he had put off the old man, to put on the new … He had stripped himself, but there remained work for God to do … He took from him his mind, the one thing he had left, the one thing perhaps he took delight in.” Indeed, Peter was poor, and he showed “us the way, with his poverty and works of mercy, and that way is Christ.”

Bernard Punikai’a by Wally Inglis

If Bernard Punikai’a were alive today, he would be thrilled that a Catholic Worker community has been launched in Hawaii and named in honor of his beloved Father Damien.

Bernard, who died at the age of 78 on Ash Wednesday in 2009, was a familiar figure in our islands for many years, known principally as an activist who advocated fearlessly for the dignity and rights of people with Hansen’s Disease. He was also a highly respected leader in the interna-tional leprosy community. Upon this death, Congressman (now Governor) Neil Aber-crombie said: “Bernard was my brother, my hero, a hero to everyone who loves justice, humanity, compassion. He is a giant. No one can ever replace him.”

Bernard, born in Honolulu in 1930, was taken from his family at the age of six and admitted to a leprosy facility in Kalihi. When he was eleven, he and other young patients were moved to Kalaupapa, Molo-kai, due to safety concerns on Oahu fol-lowing Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. It was here--where he went to school and worked as a Department of Health (DOH) employee—that he learned about and was inspired by the heroic work of Father Damien, whose home was Kalaupapa during the last years of his ministry.

It was during the 1970s that I first met Bernard. He was then living in Pearl City at Hale Mohalu (“House of Comfort”)—

a former military facility that had been turned over to the DOH as a residence for Hansen’s Disease patients. While it may have been a “hospital” in the eyes of state health officials, it was home for Bernard and others who needed to be closer to ser-vices more available in a big city than in the

rural seclusion of Kalaupapa. By the middle of the decade, the word was out that the DOH, rather than make necessary repairs to a deteriorating facility, was planning to send residents to Leahi Hospital in Kaimuki. The immediate response from Bernard and other like-minded resisters was: “We ain’t movin’!”

And so began the struggle to “Save Hale Mohalu,” capturing the energies and imaginations of a good number of commu-nity supporters. Had our Catholic Worker

group been in existence at the time, its mem-bers would surely have been among the first to rally to the call. The strong spirit of solidarity among residents and supporters—strength-ened through weekly protests at the capitol and Sunday morning liturgies at the Pearl City site—grew into the Hale Mohalu ‘Ohana. It was at one of these Sunday gatherings that my daughter was baptized and given a Hawaiian name by her godfather, Bernard Punikai’a.

In 1978 the DOH made good on its threats by issuing eviction notices to Hale Mohalu residents. A number of the more frail and elderly among them opted for the move to Leahi Hospital. Bernard and others renewed their determination to stay. Soon meals and medical services were taken away—and even-tually the water and electricity were turned off. The residents were reduced to camper status in their longtime home. The ‘ohana was quick to respond with food and supplies, and Mayor Frank Fasi proved to be a valuable ally by restoring water service and a generator for emergency power.

For five long years, the “occupation” of Hale Mohalu continued until the DOH finally lost patience and issued an ultimatum resulting in the forced removal and arrest of Bernard, Clarence Naia and sixteen supporters. On that same day—September 21, 1983—the state sent in bulldozers to reduce Hale Mohalu to rubble.

The good news is that today, through the persistent efforts of the ‘ohana, 210 units of affordable senior housing have been built on the site of the old Hale Mohalu. Three of the buildings are named for residents who passed away during the years of struggle; another is named for Father Damien—or “Kamiano,” as he

was known to his fellow leprosy patients. Earlier this year, ground was broken to construct more housing on the remain-ing vacant land. Until his death, Bernard Punikai’a was Chairman of the Board of the Coalition for Specialized Housing, the nonprofit organization responsible for the new construction.

Bernard was an activist, to be sure, but so much more than is implied in that char-acterization. He was a singer-songwriter, with more than thirty compositions to his credit—the best known of which are musi-cal tributes to Kalaupapa, his “Hometown”, and to Hale Mohalu, his home away from home. He was also committed to public service—running as a Molokai candidate for the state House of Representatives and serving on the state Board of Health by gubernatorial appointment.

There is more that can or should be writ-ten about this remarkable man, whom I am proud to have known as friend and mentor. However, I will end this brief sketch with Bernard’s own words that speak of his devotion to the saint whose name appears on this paper’s masthead:

“The person that I am today has

been formed by many things:

by the people who guided me

during my ‘growing-up years,’

my religion, and Makua Kami-

ano, better known to the world

as Father Damien.”

Bernard’s name in Hawaiian is Ka’owakaokalani – which means “bright light across the sky”

Our next Catholic Worker evening will be on October 6th from 7pm-9pm at the Newman Center (University of Hawaii)

1941 East West Road.Soup and Bread will be provided as we gather in prayer to discern, talk story

and invite you to learn more about the movement here in Hawaii

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Reflections on Dorothy Day by Martha Hennessy, Dorothy’s Granddaughter

“ I do believe every soul has a tendency toward God.” Reading these words in “Con-fession”, Dorothy Day’s introduction to her autobiography; The Long Loneliness, I’m given both comfort and a challenge from her, in her words to the world, and in my memories of her as a grandmother.

My earliest memory of her is sitting on her lap as a very young child with my ear pressed against her chest. She had just arrived or was leaving from a family visit, this transition always being a moment of tension for us. She was telling a story of course, and her voice resonated in the deepest recesses of my mind, catching me in its strength, incomprehensible at the time. When some fifty years later, a spiritual director suggested that I write down all the times in my life that I thought God was speaking to me, this was the first moment.

Granny, as we nine grandchildren called her, made many trips to our small farm in Vermont. When we were older we visited her in New York City, exciting for us country kids, and we spent summers at the Tivoli Farm on the Hudson River. Two of my sisters lived at Tivoli; one of my nieces was born there in the old mansion that looked out on the river with the Catskills beyond. Growing up in a big family was like living in com-munity, and staying at the Catholic Worker certainly formed in me an early awareness of community life. What fun we had, with-out much responsibility into our teen years. But I do remember my older sisters working in the daycare the farm provided for the migrant workers in New York State in the late 1960s. Seeing mothers leave to work in the fields and orchards, their babies staying

behind for the day left a sad impression on me.

Granny was always busy but she found time to enjoy her family and her help was crucial. When I was around ten she stayed with us for four months while my mother studied nursing in Brattleboro Vermont, an easy commute by today’s standards but not back then. My mother was rather per-missive in my childhood and it was a rude awakening when Granny made us wash the dishes after meals! Once when Granny was visiting us she was standing out in the yard watching three of us climbing in our favor-ite apple tree. She complained that it was too stressful for her to see us all piling on the same branch and announced she was going in the house. No sooner did she go through the kitchen door then we all came tumbling down on a broken limb and she was spared the sight. We always seemed to escape any serious injury what with her good prayers.

As a child I received many gifts from my grandmother. She gave me books, scarves, rosaries, icons, necklaces from Africa, beau-tiful things handed to her that she handed on in turn. A book by Leo Tolstoy called Sto-ries and Legends, she inscribed “for Martha who loves the beautiful”. She gave each of us such warm confirmation.

In my mid teens I began to realize the immense workload that both Dorothy and my mother Tamar carried with the demands of the Catholic Worker movement. Their love for each other was incredibly strong and they endured separations that made them both ill at times. Yet they did this

gracefully and without complaint. And the work brought them great joy as well. We met so many dear friends and acquaintances; the names ran though my life in a constant flow of conversa-tions, phone calls, and visits. Dorothy had a talent for making and keeping long-term connections with a great variety of people. I now understand better both the strains and comforts received by my mother and grandmother through all those years. Reading Dorothy’s diaries in “The Duty of Delight” and her letters with “All the Way to Heaven”,” edited by Robert Ellsberg often brings me to tears. She wrote about my brother’s last night home before going to the induction center, in few words but with intense feelings behind them. I was fourteen when he went to Vietnam.

I have come to recognize how Granny scat-tered her tiny seeds of faith throughout all my life, seeds waiting for the water that would grow them and bring me to God. My coming to Hawaii in 2005 helped me to take the initial steps on this pilgrimage. As an occupational therapist I worked with small children on Maui and what a blessing it was. I arrived knowing no one, having left my home and family for the first time in my life. My landlady brought me to Mass despite my being out of the Church all my adult life. I wept in this place of exquisite beauty and sorrow, surrounded by the pounding ocean. I was caught by surprise over the sheer power of my conversion, tangled up in the geography and people of these distant Pacific islands. I later returned in 2007 only to meet by providence Jim Albertini who in his own fashion practices the works of mercy in Puna. South of Hilo this is one of the more impover-ished areas of Hawaii.

My story has come full circle in that I now spend half my time living and working at Maryhouse in New York, where Dorothy lived her last five years

and died with my mother at her side. I am learning to walk in the way of the Catholic Worker. I rejoice in the amazing Gospel example envisioned by Dorothy and Peter Maurin as practiced through providing hospitality to the homeless, sharing daily prayer, working with humility, and resisting violence. I can feel Granny’s presence in certain moments now, while serving soup, kneeling in church, or being led away in handcuffs. I depend on her guidance, along with the members of my family and community, in trying to follow the way of Christ.

It is such happy news that Honolulu now has a Catholic Worker community in the name of St. Damien.

Mahalo to you all and may St. Joseph provide you with a house soon!

My dear grandmother and I at the Tivoli farm in New York, 1972

Mission Statement

The St. Damien Catholic Worker is committed to living the radical Gospel of

Jesus in Hawaii.

Following in the footsteps of St.Damien, we are called to serve our neglected and

marginalized neighbors.

Following in the footsteps of Dorothy Day, we are called to welcome our

brothers and sisters with hospitality and solidarity.

Following in the footsteps of Peter Maurin, we are called to advocate for

the respectful use of the land and sustainable farming and to foster

dialogue for a greater understanding of the problems facing Hawaii and the

world.

Following in the footsteps of the non- violent Jesus, we are called to seek peace,

justice and an end to oppression and militarism in all their forms.

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Contact UsSt. Damien Catholic Worker

P.O. Box 75503Honolulu, Hi

96836-0503

www.stdamiencatholicworker.wordpress.com

“I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions”

Dorothy Day

The Military Big Lieby Jim Albertini

Dr. Lorrin Pang, MD (retired Army Medi-cal Corps) to determine the full extent of radiation contamination at PTA, Makua Valley, and Schofield Barracks. Finally, our organization does not appreciate your attempt to pit one island’s opposition against another. “Pohakuloa expansion (on Hawaii Island) is crucial to sacred (Makua) valley preservation (on Oahu).” The newest high-altitude training proposed for Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa is all part of U.S. train-ing for imperial occupation and what the Nuremberg trials following WWII called the Supreme War crime --waging wars of aggression. We want to stop all these crimi-nal wars, In Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Paki-stan, Yemen, Somalia, etc. We do not want the U.S. training anywhere to do to others what the U.S. has already done to Hawaii: overthrow and occupy its government and nation, desecrate its sacred sites, and con-taminate its air, land, water, people, plants, and animals with a wide range of military toxins. We want the U.S. to stop bombing Hawaii and clean up its opala (rubbish). Bombing the ‘aina and training for war on

the slopes of Hawaii’s Sacred Mountains -- Ke Akua weeps!

Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & ActionP.O.Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai’i 96760phone: 808-966-7622email: JA@interpac.netwww.malu-aina.org

Why not be a beggar?by Peter Maurin

God wants us to be

our brother’s keeper.

To feed the hungry,

to clothe the naked,

to shelter the homeless,

to instruct the ignorant,

at a personal sacrifice,

is what God

wants us to do.

What we give to the poor

for Christ’s sake

is what we carry with us

when we die.

As Jean Jacques Rousseau

says:

“When man dies

he carries

in his clutched hands

only that

which he has given away.”

People who are in need

and are not afraid to beg

give to people not in need

the occasion to do good

for goodness’ sake.

Modern society

calls the beggar

bum and panhandler

and gives him the bum’s rush.

The Greeks used to say

that people in need

are the ambassadors of the gods.

We read in the Gospel:

“As long as you did it

to one of the least

of my brothers,

you did it to me.”

While modern society

calls the beggars

bums and panhandlers,

they are in fact

the Ambassadors of God.

To be God’s Ambassador is something

to be proud of.

An often repeated statement by the U.S. military goes something like this: “...no significant direct, indirect, or cumula-tive impacts on natural resources...” The above most recent quote comes from an Environmental Assessment (EA) for military helicopter high-altitude landings and train-ing on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. WHO SAYS there are NO impacts? The people, plants, animals, the aina, air, water, etc. are all interconnected. What affects one affects all. The impacts are not just physical, but cultural, psychological, and spiritual. Lt. General Francis J Wiercinski, Commanding General U.S. Army Pacific was quoted in a June 18, 2011 Associated Press story: “I don’t think anybody does it better than us when it comes to protecting the environ-ment and being cognizant and protective of cultural sites.” General Wiercinski knows the art of propaganda very well: “When one

lies, one should lie big, and stick to it ... even at the risk of looking ridiculous.” Someone needs to tell General Wiercinski that he looks ridiculous. In truth, the U.S. military is the world’s largest polluter and destroyer of the environment and culture the world has ever seen. U.S. military documents say over 14 million live rounds are fired annually on Hawaii Island at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) alone, including the past use of Depleted Uranium (DU) rounds. Hundreds of thousands of acres in Hawaii are littered with live explosives. The military secretly tested chemical and biological weapons at various sites, including deadly Sarin nerve gas in the city of Hilo’s watershed. And General, please explain how bombing the land and waging wars for oil is protecting the environment. General Wiercinski, if you want to be taken seriously, our organiza-tion challenges you to support and fund comprehensive, independent testing and monitoring with citizen oversight led by