SAINT PHILOMENA CHURCH

The church of St. Philomena is located in Kalawao. One of Father Damien's first tasks in Kalaupapa was to repair the roof of this church, which has since undergone many transformations. Strangely enough, the story ends where it began, as Father Damien's grave is located nearby. It is not, however, where the priest rests, even though he was first buried there. His body, exhumed in 1936 and repatriated to Belgium, his country of origin, was buried in the cathedral of Louvain, to the dismay of the inhabitants of Kalaupapa.