After the party we thanked all of our new friends for coming to the ceremony and party, and said our Aloha's. Father Hendriks invited us to his house to watch a movie, so we walked to his house in the rain.

This is a photo of St. Francis Church, the Catholic Church that he has lovingly restored. To the left of the church is the Social Hall. To the left but forward about 40 yards is Father's house, so we didn't have far to walk.

We watched a movie about Father Damien and Kalaupapa (it was a good movie, but Peter O'Toole was a little over the top). Father Hendriks has about 14 photo albums full of newspaper clippings, photos, and postcards, all about Kalaupapa and Father Damien. We poured over them, amazed at the wealth of information he's collected. It seems he has been interested in Kalaupapa for many years, even visiting there from time to time since the 70's.

Father Joseph Hendriks was sent to Kalaupapa a few years ago at the age of 78 and has worked tirelessly to raise money to restore the St. Francis, which he has definitely accomplished, as you can see. The original church was called "Our Lady Health of the Sick Church" and stood from 1881 - 1900. It was replaced by a very large, elaborate (strange looking, really) building named after St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century saint who befriended leprosy patients. It burned down in 1906. The building you see here was built in it's place and has stood ever since, so you can imagine the wear and tear it must have sustained.

The statue in the foreground is of Father Damien and was a gift from some person or organization in New York. Father Hendriks is a dear, energetic man who always seems to be on his way somewhere. He has a very good sense of humor, reaaallllly cold milk, and delicious oatmeal butterscotch cookies: all in all, a wonderful host. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but it had been a big day for all of us and so we said our goodnights and headed back to the Visitor's Quarters.