A Saint from Vermont?

Monsignor Peter Routhier, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe, has been invited to be a keynote speaker in Honolulu at the second annual Damien and Marianne Catholic Conference (dmcc.org) Oct. 5 to 7. St. Damien and St. Marianne also served the leper colony.

One of the conference objectives is to investigate Brother Dutton’s worthiness to be the third saint of Molokai.

Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe was built in 1949 on the farm where Brother Dutton was born. His family soon after moved to Wisconsin. The Stowe church, however, was dedicated to Brother Dutton because of his extraordinary service to “the least of God’s people.”

French artist Andre Girard painted 12 panels on the sides of the Stowe church that tell the story of the leper colony and Father Damien, Brother Dutton and Sister Marianne Cope serving on Molokai. The artwork is the connection between these servants of Molokai and several generations of worshipers at Blessed Sacrament Church.

Monsignor Routhier will show a short film at the conference, “Remembering Brother Dutton,” that captures the essence of Brother Dutton’s service through the artwork on the church exterior.

Heath Eiden of Stowe Media Group created the video. The viewer is led to Brother Dutton’s service through Girard’s art by Matt Strong, the Stowe craftsman who recently completed the restoration of the 12 panels; and by Josephine Belloso, a Girard student who did the restoration 30 years ago.

The message is very simple: We are all here to serve our neighbor, and some serve with saint-worthy distinction.

The Blessed Sacrament Church art and history is captured in the beautifully illustrated book “Painting on Light” (paintingonlight.com). The book, written by Josephine Belloso, details the restoration of 36 six windows and the 12 exterior panels. Stowe publisher Desktop Miracles, Barry Kerrigan/Del LeMond, produced the book. “Painting on Light” is available after Mass and at the church office for a $50 donation to the Art Restoration Fund.

Matt Strong examines and repairs the exterior panels periodically to keep the panels in good condition in spite of the Vermont weather.

Monsignor Routhier will bring several pilgrims to Honolulu in October. The four parishioners are Mary Skelton, Lynn Altadonna, Mindy Parisi and Denise Cope Parry. Denise is a great-great-niece of St. Marianne Cope. The group will also visit the leper colony on Molokai.

The cause to recognize Brother Dutton has been a passion for many here in Stowe, especially Gerry Kirchner, who made several visits to Hawaii and received the Dutton Award for Service in 2008. The travelers will bring the vibrant spirit of Blessed Sacrament Parish and the Stowe community to those honoring Brother Dutton in Hawaii.