Thursday, January 20, 1944
"The decks were swabbed extra early that morning. Sister Raymond and I got out as soon as possible to see everything. There were red and green lights twinkling from all the ships of our convoy - almost like a set of Christmas trees bobbing up and down in the darkness. (I forgot to mention that the evening before, at about 6:00 P.M. the Captain pointed out Hawaii in the distance - the Big Island. He used the usual 'Follow my finger' technique with the result that after ten minutes or more of acute eyestrain, we did make out a vague outline off on the horizon which could just as well have been a cloud - but we figured the Captain knows, so went down to pack. Our suitcase looked like something Macbeth's witches had been stirring around - an unholy mess!)
"So, back to Thursday morning, when it began to get light! Molokai lay alongside us. Looking back we could see the outline of Haleakala on Maui. We cruised along Molokai for some time, but not on the Settlement side. It looked bare and uninhabited in the faint light, and we found out later that it is comparatively so.
"By now the waters were gorgeous - blue, green of various shades and hues. Fishing boats were passing us, and by ten or so, we were in sight of Oahu, heading for Honolulu Harbor. The Island looked so hilly that it was hard to believe there was enough level land for a city. Many of our passengers were coming Home (had been stranded on the coast) and were eagerly pointing out Diamond Head Punchbowl, and as we came nearer, even buildings of the city.
"There seemed to be a lot of ships in the Harbor, several immense troop ships - filled. The G.I.'s on one of them kept chanting, 'You'll be sorry!' as we pulled in. But we never were! (Except to leave)
"Cecil, our cabin boy, had brought our suitcases up from our cabins to the deck, but from there on it was 'carry your own, or the same shall not leave the Permanente.' It must have been at least one o'clock when we finally walked down the gangplank, but not to any welcoming group of Sisters such as everyone else has had, not to be snowed under with leis, but just to plow through mountains of trunks, potatoes, onions, all already unloaded from the hold of the Permanente. We had caught sight of two priests, one wearing a bit of purple, but by the time we navigated a circuitous route through the trunks, potatoes, onions, the Purple had been ordered off the Pier. Yep, even the Bishop didn't rate in war time. So, only Father Gienzer, Superintendent of Schools, was left to greet us - because he had a Port Chaplain card.
"However, once we reached the street, we were all (priests and sisters) whisked off to the Cathedral by the priests of different parishes. There we were met by a large group waiting to take us all to our various missions. Mother Virginia [Becker] had come for us four. The journal which she wrote later will give some of the details. The Te Deum she mentioned was not a success! The Bishop did intone it in Latin. We who say it weekly in Latin had our books packed away and were a bit timid about carrying on a-four. The Maryknolls had their books because they say it daily, but in English! So the Bishop finally had to carry on alone.
"Our greeting at St. Theresa's was grand - at last we each received a lei.
"The most welcome word spoken after the greeting and a cold drink was Bath! After eleven days it was like heaven, and so were the clean clothes.
"In the evening most of the neighboring priests dropped in to meet the 'New Sisters.' In fact, it was quite a while before we stopped feeling like goldfish.
"Mother Virginia's letter can fill in from here.
"I have just one more word to say - I'd go back gladly any day!"
Memories of Sister Mary Aloysia Dugger (Sister Virginia) of the St. Louis Province of The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet who was one of the four Sisters missioned to Hawaii during the war in 1944. She wrote this last entry on December 6, 1953 since "There were so many things to do and see the last day that this was put aside and never finished. Thursday, January 20, was landing date, and here is some of it."
"The decks were swabbed extra early that morning. Sister Raymond and I got out as soon as possible to see everything. There were red and green lights twinkling from all the ships of our convoy - almost like a set of Christmas trees bobbing up and down in the darkness. (I forgot to mention that the evening before, at about 6:00 P.M. the Captain pointed out Hawaii in the distance - the Big Island. He used the usual 'Follow my finger' technique with the result that after ten minutes or more of acute eyestrain, we did make out a vague outline off on the horizon which could just as well have been a cloud - but we figured the Captain knows, so went down to pack. Our suitcase looked like something Macbeth's witches had been stirring around - an unholy mess!)
"So, back to Thursday morning, when it began to get light! Molokai lay alongside us. Looking back we could see the outline of Haleakala on Maui. We cruised along Molokai for some time, but not on the Settlement side. It looked bare and uninhabited in the faint light, and we found out later that it is comparatively so.
"By now the waters were gorgeous - blue, green of various shades and hues. Fishing boats were passing us, and by ten or so, we were in sight of Oahu, heading for Honolulu Harbor. The Island looked so hilly that it was hard to believe there was enough level land for a city. Many of our passengers were coming Home (had been stranded on the coast) and were eagerly pointing out Diamond Head Punchbowl, and as we came nearer, even buildings of the city.
"There seemed to be a lot of ships in the Harbor, several immense troop ships - filled. The G.I.'s on one of them kept chanting, 'You'll be sorry!' as we pulled in. But we never were! (Except to leave)
"Cecil, our cabin boy, had brought our suitcases up from our cabins to the deck, but from there on it was 'carry your own, or the same shall not leave the Permanente.' It must have been at least one o'clock when we finally walked down the gangplank, but not to any welcoming group of Sisters such as everyone else has had, not to be snowed under with leis, but just to plow through mountains of trunks, potatoes, onions, all already unloaded from the hold of the Permanente. We had caught sight of two priests, one wearing a bit of purple, but by the time we navigated a circuitous route through the trunks, potatoes, onions, the Purple had been ordered off the Pier. Yep, even the Bishop didn't rate in war time. So, only Father Gienzer, Superintendent of Schools, was left to greet us - because he had a Port Chaplain card.
"However, once we reached the street, we were all (priests and sisters) whisked off to the Cathedral by the priests of different parishes. There we were met by a large group waiting to take us all to our various missions. Mother Virginia [Becker] had come for us four. The journal which she wrote later will give some of the details. The Te Deum she mentioned was not a success! The Bishop did intone it in Latin. We who say it weekly in Latin had our books packed away and were a bit timid about carrying on a-four. The Maryknolls had their books because they say it daily, but in English! So the Bishop finally had to carry on alone.
"Our greeting at St. Theresa's was grand - at last we each received a lei.
"The most welcome word spoken after the greeting and a cold drink was Bath! After eleven days it was like heaven, and so were the clean clothes.
"In the evening most of the neighboring priests dropped in to meet the 'New Sisters.' In fact, it was quite a while before we stopped feeling like goldfish.
"Mother Virginia's letter can fill in from here.
"I have just one more word to say - I'd go back gladly any day!"
Memories of Sister Mary Aloysia Dugger (Sister Virginia) of the St. Louis Province of The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet who was one of the four Sisters missioned to Hawaii during the war in 1944. She wrote this last entry on December 6, 1953 since "There were so many things to do and see the last day that this was put aside and never finished. Thursday, January 20, was landing date, and here is some of it."
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