 |
Rev. Patrick Killilea sscc leaving Fairhaven, Mass. for Molokai.
Photo: JOHN SLADEWSKI/The Standard-Times |
FAIRHAVEN May10th 2012 — The Rev. Patrick Killilea (from Co. Galway, Ireland) always imagined he
would live in the SouthCoast of Mass until the end of his career. Killilea, affectionately
known as Father Pat among his parishioners, has spent the past 13 years in
Fairhaven and has only had two assignments outside the area since he was
ordained in 1969.
"I was always glad to come back home," Killilea said while
sitting in the rectory conference room Tuesday.
But a trip to a former leper colony on Kalaupapa, Hawaii,
in 2004, changed everything. Killilea, who is now 68 but "only admits to 48
publicly," couldn't imagine not returning.
"I just got a feeling during Mass there, completely out of
the blue, that there was a calling for me to stay," he said. "I had never
anticipated that level of flashbacks and excitement even for a year after I
returned. It was a heavenly call from God to go back." Killilea had returned to Kalaupapa once before in 2006 as
the parish's fill-in pastor for three months. In July, Killilea will be leaving his post as pastor at the
Sacred Heart Congregation's St. Mary Church on Main Street to return as the
permanent pastor at the St. Francis Parish in Kalaupapa.
Most learn about leprosy's disfiguring effects in tales of
biblical times. In previous eras, those with leprosy, also called Hansen's
disease, were sent to secluded colonies in order to avoid infecting others. In
Hawaii, the infected were sent to Kalaupapa, an isolated peninsula on the island
of Molokai. Today Hansen's disease, a bacterial infection that damages
the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes, is treatable with antibiotics, saving patients
from disfigurement. Because of this, Kalaupapa has not been used as a colony
since 1969 and is now a national park. Fewer than 20 patients, most of them
elderly, still live in Kalaupapa, along with national park workers.
"Some of the patients there have visible disfigurements but
others received medicine in time and just look like you or me," Killilea said.
"Now a big problem they face is that their immune system has been compromised so
they are vulnerable to other diseases." The island is also the spot where one of Killilea's role
models, St. Damien, also a father for the Sacred Heart Congregation, first
settled in 1873. Damien lived in Kalaupapa for 16 years caring for those with
Hansen's disease until he succumbed to it himself. "Now it's much different than in St. Damien's times," said
Killilea. "The patients there chose to be there and are well taken care of, but
it is still very isolated."
Sharp volcanic cliffs separate the Kalaupapa peninsula from
more populated portions of the island of Molokai. Hiking to town would take up
to two hours, and the peninsula is otherwise only accessible by a lone airstrip,
which brings the peninsula supplies. Killilea's passion for his future assignment is visible as
he draws a map of the "shark-shaped island." He leans forward and speaks quickly
as he describes the many mongooses he saw during his last visit to
Kalaupapa.
The wildlife and year-round 80-degree weather are far from
the only differences Killilea will experience once he moves. "I don't expect to have many people in church, but I will
help build morale," Killilea said. Kalaupapa is a low-income community, and most
who grow up on Molokai eventually leave to seek more employment opportunities on
other islands or in the mainland United States. "I'll miss the sacramental celebrations like baptisms and
weddings," he said. "But I won't miss shoveling the snow."
Killilea will, of course, also miss the people of Greater
New Bedford, who have been his congregation for the past 13 years. And
parishioner Charlie Murphy, a town selectman, will miss him, too. "We won't know how much we miss him until he's gone,"
Murphy said. "But for years, it has been his dream to live in the land of
Damien, so we're happy for him." Killilea's leaving does not mean goodbye forever. In
October, Murphy will lead a trip with 15 Fairhaven pilgrims to Hawaii to learn
about the history of St. Damien's association with the island and, of course, to
visit Killilea. Referencing the Hawaiian word that means both goodbye and
hello, Murphy vowed that Killilea's leaving "isn't farewell." "It's aloha," he said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Mozlink’ for any or all of the articles/images placed here. The placing of an article does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Mozlink
No comments:
Post a Comment