“Damien celebration begins as group heads to Belgium - Honolulu Advertiser” plus 4 more

Damien celebration begins as group heads to Belgium - Honolulu Advertiser
3-day festival to celebrate Walkway opening - Poughkeepsie Journal
Rio wins right to host the 2016 Olympics - Poughkeepsie Journal
Rio de Janeiro wins right to host 2016 Olympics - WDBJ7.com
2016 Olympics go to Rio as Chicago is first city to be eliminated - Honolulu Advertiser

Damien celebration begins as group heads to Belgium - Honolulu Advertiser

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 10:30 AM PDT

Almost immediately after Father Damien's death 120 years ago, people around the globe were calling for his elevation to sainthood.

Yesterday, 351 Hawai'i residents some of whom were integral to Damien's canonization cause left for Belgium for the culmination of more than a century of work to honor the priest with the title "saint." They will spend four days in Damien's home country, visiting his birthplace and his tomb, as part of a pilgrimage that will end with Damien's canonization in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 11.

The group is among hundreds more Hawai'i residents traveling to Rome for the canonization.

Those on the pilgrimage include 11 Hansen's disease patients from Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, and Audrey Toguchi, the 'Aiea woman whose cure from an aggressive form of cancer after praying to Damien 11 years ago was the second miracle attributed to the Sacred Hearts priest, assuring his sainthood. Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva also will be on the trip, and will celebrate Masses with the group.

At Honolulu International Airport last night, there was plenty of excitement among those on the pilgrimage.

"It's finally happened!" said patient Pauline Chow, 75. "We're on our way."

But some also said the departure is bittersweet.

"I'm thinking about the people who didn't make it," said Clarence "Boogie" Kahilihiwa, 68, a Kalaupapa resident. Three well-known patients have died recently: Richard Marks, a patient advocate and successful businessman, died in December, and advocates Bernard Punikai'a and Ku'ulei Bell both died in February. "Hopefully, where we go, they'll be there in spirit," Kahilihiwa said.

Nicole Carroll, patient Gloria Marks' granddaughter, said she still can't believe she's heading to Belgium and Italy.

"I'm just really excited to be a part of this," she said. "I'm really excited to be living through this piece of history."

For many, Damien's canonization is long overdue.

Some have waited a lifetime to see Father Damien become "Saint Damien."

But others say the process illustrates the meticulous work required by the Roman Catholic Church for canonization.

And, they say, Damien passed the test.

"It is God's time," said the Rev. Herman Gomes, pastor at St. Ann's Church in Kane'ohe, who will attend the canonization.

exacting process

Since 1994, Gomes has been giving talks around the Islands on Father Damien. He instructs church and school groups on the protocols involved in the canonization process, while also talking to them about Damien's life and the horrors he faced at the Hansen's disease settlement in Kalaupapa.

Gomes said he suspects that part of the reason Damien's canonization took so long was because of an early controversy surrounding Damien, which erupted shortly after his death when a Protestant minister in Hawai'i questioned newspaper accounts lauding the priest and accused him of having "relations with women" and "vices and carelessness."

In a now-famous rebuttal, author Robert Louis Stevenson defended Damien.

Father Damien's formal cause for canonization was introduced in 1955.

He was beatified or honored with the title "blessed" 40 years later.

The Vatican spent 14 more years investigating Damien's cause before announcing in February that he would be canonized.

"One of the reasons it took so long is the church is very careful when it comes to the process," said Sacred Hearts Sister Helene Wood, who was the vice-postulator for Damien's cause. "The church takes a good deal of time investigating the life of the candidate to see that they have truly lived according to the tenets of the church. The person declared a saint needs to be an example of holiness."

Wood was involved in the tribunal that investigated Toguchi's cure from cancer.

She said she remembers learning about Father Damien as a student at Sacred Hearts Academy, from which she graduated in 1959.

Wood added that Damien's appeal to so many is his simple message of caring and compassion.

"Father Damien was a very down-to-earth person," she said. "He wanted to help people. That was the main reason that he had come to the Islands."

finally happening

Damien showed immense courage in going to Kalaupapa and staying, despite the suffering and death he saw there, Wood said. "Just his perseverance in a situation like that is certainly worthy of some kind of honor," she said.

Wood and eight other Sacred Hearts sisters from Hawai'i are headed to the canonization. She said the crowd at the ceremony will include hundreds of Sacred Hearts congregation members from around the world.

Pope Benedict XVI will elevate Damien to sainthood along with four others on Oct. 11.

Damien will be Hawai'i's first saint and the ninth person who has earned the honor for good works on what is now American soil.

Deacon Wallace Mitsui, the coordinator of events surrounding the canonization who serves at St. John's Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani, said he was drawn to find out more about Damien after converting to Catholicism in his 20s. Mitsui, 67, added Damien's canonization was "far away, thinking it might never happen."

Mitsui is on the pilgrimage that left yesterday, and he said the group is a mix of Catholics and non-Catholics. That highlights how Damien's story has touched so many, he said, regardless of their faith.

Of Damien's canonization, he added, "I never thought in my own lifetime it would happen. It's just really a blessing."

Advertiser Staff writer Mary Vorsino will be following 11 Hansen's disease patients from Kalaupapa and hundreds of other Hawai'i residents as they travel to Father Damien's birthplace in Belgium before heading to Rome for the canonization on Oct. 11 of Hawai'i's first saint.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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3-day festival to celebrate Walkway opening - Poughkeepsie Journal

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 10:23 AM PDT

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For people traveling to Poughkeepsie by Metro-North Railroad, "walking from the train station to the Walkway is the fastest route," Merritt said. Otherwise, they can walk from the station to Main Street or Davies Place and look for a shuttle bus sign, he said.

City employees, who can be identified by their bright orange shirts or jackets, and will be "glad to help," he said.

It's also important to note commuters will still use the train station's parking on Friday night.

"Everyone is encouraged to use the downtown lots instead of trying to get down to the river," he said.

Bus schedule altered

The city's regular bus service will be changed this weekend because of the events. The city's Poughkeepsie Galleria run will be canceled for Saturday. The Main Street south-side and north-side routes are only running from 8 a.m. until noon. All buses will be free, he said.

On the west side of the river, Saturday's Highland Hudson Fest will feature food vendors, artists, community booths and activities for children.

Several wineries will offer wine tasting, and local farms will set up stands with fresh produce, said Eric Norberg, co-chairman of the Highland Hudson Fest.

The fest, which will open at noon, will be held on Vineyard Avenue between Milton Avenue and Main Street, and on Main Street between Vineyard Avenue and Church Street. At 6 p.m., the fair will change over to a block party that will go until 10 p.m., said Claire Costantino, a vice chairwoman for Walkway Over the Hudson.

"It should be a fantastic day," she said.

Four municipal lots will offer free parking. Shuttle buses will go from the designated lots to Hudson Fest from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday. Once the Walkway opens at 3 p.m., the shuttle buses will go to both Hudson Fest and the Walkway entrance until 10 p.m., Norberg said.

Fireworks planned

Friday's fireworks will be visible from both sides of the river. The best viewing location in Highland is on Oakes Road.

On Sunday, there will be activities at the new Highland Landing Park from noon to 6 p.m. Activities include live bluegrass music and a puppet theater, Costantino said.

"I wish the weather was cooperating a little better, but here's hoping," Norberg said.

He estimated that a few thousand people would come to the Highland festivities.

"I think it's going to be a big weekend," he said.

The weekend forecast calls for scattered showers Friday afternoon, with more rain and a possibility of thunderstorms at night. On Saturday, rain and a thunderstorm are possible before noon, with more rain continuing until midnight, the National Weather Service in Albany said.

Extra police, fire and medical responders will be on hand to handle emergencies.

In the event of severe weather, "we'll use every public media and information disseminating tool in our power to tell people of any change," Densmore said.

"Lightning is one of our greatest concerns," he said. "We're going to use good judgment. We don't want anyone to get hurt.

"We're hoping for the best," he said.

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Rio wins right to host the 2016 Olympics - Poughkeepsie Journal

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 10:23 AM PDT

COPENHAGEN Finally, South America gets an Olympics. The 2016 Games are going to Rio de Janeiro.

In a vote of high drama, the bustling Brazilian carnival city of beaches, mountains and samba beat surprise finalist Madrid, which got a big helping hand from a very influential friend.

Chicago was knocked out in the first round in one of the most shocking defeats ever in International Olympic Committee voting. Even Tokyo, which had trailed throughout the race, did better eliminated after Chicago in the second round.

Rio spoke to IOC members consciences: the city argued that it was simply unfair that South America has never hosted the games, while Europe, Asia and North America have done so repeatedly.

It is a time to address this imbalance, Brazils charismatic president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, told the IOCs members before they voted. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country.

The bearded former union leader disappeared into a huge group hug with the joyous Rio team after IOC president Jacques Rogge announced that the city won. Football great Pele had tears in his eyes.

Madrids surprising success in reaching the final round came after former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch made an unusual appeal for the Spanish capital, reminding the IOCs members as he asked for their vote that, at age 89, I am very near the end of my time.

Samaranch ran the IOC for 21 years before Rogge took over in 2001.

Chicago had long been seen as a front-runner and got the highest possible level of support from President Barack Obama himself. But he only spent a few hours in the Danish capital where the vote was held and left before the result was announced.

Former IOC member Kai Holm said that the brevity of his appearance may have counted against him.

The short stopover was too business-like, Holm said. It can be that some IOC members see it as a lack of respect.

Senior Australian IOC member Kevan Gosper surmised that Asian voters may have banded together for Tokyo in the first round, at Chicagos expense.

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Rio de Janeiro wins right to host 2016 Olympics - WDBJ7.com

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 10:23 AM PDT

COPENHAGEN (AP) -- The 2016 Olympics are going to Rio de Janeiro, putting the games in South America for the first time.

Rio beat surprise finalist Madrid in the last round of voting. Chicago was knocked out in the first round -- in one of the most shocking defeats ever handed down by the International Olympic Committee -- and Tokyo was eliminated in the second round.

Rio had played heavily on the fact that South America has never previously hosted the games, while Europe, Asia and North America have done so repeatedly. Now, only Africa and Antarctica remain as continents that have not been awarded an Olympics.

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Gibbs: Obama 'disappointed' at losing Olympics

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) -- President Barack Obama's spokesman says Obama is "disappointed" that Chicago lost out on getting the 20016 Olympics but not sorry he went to Copenhagen to personally appeal for the Games.

Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One as Obama and his wife Michelle flew back to Washington Friday, Robert Gibbs said that Obama "feels obviously proud of his wife for the presentation that she made." Mrs. Obama had gone to Copenhagen ahead of her husband and had lobbied hard for the Summer Games to be brought to her hometown.

Asked if Obama was glad he'd gone there to make a personal pitch for the athletic competition, Gibbs said" Absolutely." He said that the president "would never shy away from traveling anywhere, talking to anyone about this country."

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COPENHAGEN (AP) -- The race for the 2016 Olympics has came down to just Rio de Janeiro and Madrid, with the International Olympic Committee eliminating Chicago in a stunning first round of voting.

Tokyo was knocked out in the second round. That left just Rio and Madrid still in the mix. The IOC voted again to separate the two and elect a winner, which will be announced by IOC president Jacques Rogge later Friday.

Madrid's surprising success in reaching the final round came after former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch made an unusual appeal for the Spanish capital, reminding the IOC members as he asked for their vote that, at age 89, "I am very near the end of my time."

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COPENHAGEN (AP) -- Chicago is eliminated in first round of voting for the 2016 Olympics.

Tokyo eliminated in 2nd round, leaving Rio, Madrid as 2 final candidates for 2016 Olympics.

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2016 Olympics go to Rio as Chicago is first city to be eliminated - Honolulu Advertiser

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 10:01 AM PDT

COPENHAGEN The 2016 Olympics are going to Rio de Janeiro, putting the games in South America for the first time.

Rio beat surprise finalist Madrid in the last round of voting.

Chicago was knocked out in the first round in one of the most shocking defeats ever handed down by the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo was eliminated in the second round.

Chicago had long been seen as a front-runner and got the highest possible level of support from Obama himself. But he also only spent a few hours in the Danish capital where the vote was held and left before the result was announced. Former IOC member Kai Holm said that the brevity of his appearance may have counted against him.

The short stopover was "too business-like," Holm said. "It can be that some IOC members see it as a lack of respect."

The European-dominated IOC's last two experiences in the United States were marred by controversy: the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics were sullied by a bribery scandal and logistical problems and a bombing hit the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

Obama told the IOC earlier today that "visitors from all around the world feel welcome and will come away with a sense of the incredible diversity of the American people."

Now, Chicago can only rue what might have been. And Obama's gamble of expending his own political capital on the bid failed.

The last U.S. city to bid for the Summer Games, New York, did scarcely better. It was ousted in the second round in the 2005 vote that gave the 2012 Games to London. The U.S. Olympic Committee has had a testy relationship with the IOC, including recent flare-ups over revenue sharing and a USOC TV network.

Tokyo did better than many expected by reaching the second round. It had offered reassurances of financial security, with $4 billion already banked for the games.

But the fact that the Olympics were held only last year in Asia, in Beijing, handicapped the Japanese capital's bid.

Its plans for a highly compact games, sparing athletes tiring travel by holding all but the shooting within 5 miles of the city center, were technically appealing. But the bid failed to generate real enthusiasm, even in Japan. Tokyo had the lowest public backing in IOC polls.

Tokyo's final presentation today to the IOC, while smooth and heartfelt, lacked the buzz that the Obamas and Rio generated. In short, Tokyo was simply overshadowed, failing to convince IOC members that it really wanted or needed the games.

In Chicago, thousands of people gathered downtown stood in stunned silence after watching the IOC choose someone else.

The vote was carried on huge television screens in the Daley Center, set up to carry what many had hoped would be approval of Chicago to host the games.

Instead, Chicago was bounced in the first round of voting. An audible gasp could be heard from the crowd. Many stood for a few minutes, staring at the screen, and at least one flung his hands into the air in a crude gesture toward the TV screen.

Within seconds, people began filing out of the plaza.

The city was eliminated so quickly that some of the would-be revelers weren't sure what had happened. Some started asking if they had heard what they thought they heard.

"I've never really had a disappointment like this," said Ken Rudd, a 33-year-old salesman from Evergreen Park. "This is one of the saddest things I've ever seen."

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Travel and Leisure

Friday, October 2, 2009