Dr. Edith Breburda DVM, PhD
Pictures of Lahaina are all over the place. Tragic stories fill the internet about the horror unfolded before our eyes. People walked through Hell in Paradise.
It is a dram for everybody to visit Hawaii once in a lifetime. We are familiar with the historic town of Lahaina. A place the apostle of Charity, Saint Damian de Veuster, well known for his work among the lepers in Hawaii, often visited. The harbor of Lahaina is the closest to his island of Molokai. Many times, he was in the Catholic Church, Maria Lanakila.
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| © Edith Breburda |
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| © Edith Breburda |
Our Lady of Victory, the Catholic Church not far from the Harbor, honors Saint Damian with a Mosaic. It was a vibrant catholic community. Sisters have had a little mischief bookstore, where they sold Rosaries. Cats present during the services made people smile.
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| © Edith Breburda |
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© Edith Breburda |
But today, we are heartbroken about Lahaina. Devastating pictures and stories describe the unthinkable, happened to the peaceful island.
Unintentionally, we start to look for the side of this beautiful church. In amazement, we notice her, seemingly untouched from the surrounded debris. It looks like this one building in the town survived.
Magnification Patrik T Fallon/AFP/Getty
It would not be the first time a Church survives a great fire. We are reminded of the National Shrine of our Lady of Champion, approved, and recognized as the Shrine of our Lady of Good help, by bishop David L. Ricken in 2010. (1)
Adele, a Belgian-born third order Franciscan, has had apparitions of our Lady in October 1859. She reported seeing a woman clothed in white, surrounded by a bright light and a crown of stars above her head; standing between the trees. Her message was, “I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same.”
During the night of October 8, 1871, a firestorm began near Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Strong winds consumed most parts of Door Peninsula at Lake Michigan. The little chapel was direct in the path of the flames. But Adele refused to leave and organized processions, to beg the Virgin Mary for her protection. The surrounding land was destroyed by the fire. However, the chapel did not engulf in the fire that consumed 1,200.000 acres (4,900 km2 ). Additionally, the people who had taken refuge there, survived. It was the deadliest recorded fire disaster in US history.
It was estimated that 1,200-2,400 people died. The exact number is unknown. Also in Lahaina, people have been unable to outrun the flames. Many, who have been able to do so…jumped into a burning Ocean. The historic town of Lahaina was overnight destroyed. So far, the death toll is listed with 53 people. As it seems, Our Lady of Victory is still standing. May we support the victims of Lahaina by prayers to Saint Damian de Veuster, a Belgian immigrant, like Adele.
References:
https://championshrine.org
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