President Obama signed major defense legislation at a White House ceremony on October 28, 2009. The bill includes key initiatives proposed by Neil. In the White House photo below, Neil (to the right of the President) looks on as Mr. Obama signs the bill.
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Working on U.S.-Japan relations
Above/Left to Right: California Rep. Mike Honda, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Neil, and Sen. Dan Inouye attend a reception at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. to meet with U.S. Japan Council members.
The Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. hosted a reception for the U.S.-Japan Council and House members in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus on October 19, 2009. Neil and Honda are members of the caucus. The U.S.-Japan Council is a new, non-profit, educational organization that seeks to establish a network of Japanese American leaders who are committed to maintaining a strong relationship between the United States and Japan. Working in collaboration with American and Japanese institutions and organizations, the Council will develop programs that give Japanese American leaders opportunities to add a unique perspective to this important relationship.
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Neil in White House delegation representing U.S. in Brussels, Belguim at national mass for Saint Damien
Top: Thanksgiving Mass for Saint Damien De Veuster at the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels, Belgium. Above: Neil, far right, and Rep. Mazie Hirono, second from right, attend the mass as members of the US Presidential Delegation. Other delegation members included Reverand Larry J. Snyder, president of Charities USA, left, and Joshua Dubois, director of The White House Office of FAith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. (Photos/US Ambassador to Belgium)
Neil accepted an invitation from the White House to travel to Brussels, Belgium, October 17-19, as a member of the United States Presidential Delegation to the Thanksgiving Mass for Saint Damien De Veuster. The delegation was led by U.S. Ambassador Howard Gutman. Other members of the group included Hawaii Rep. Mazie Hirono; Joshua DuBois, Director, The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; Father Larry SnyderPresident, Catholic Charities USA; and Father David O’Connell, President, Catholic University of America.
As part of the festivities, the delegation attended a "Father Damien Commemoration Walking Lunch" hosted by Ambassador Gutman at his residence. The delegation formed part of the receiving line to greet guests who included Belgium's national, regional, and local government officials.
Below, left: A Belgian television crew interviews Neil. Below, right: Neil and Hawaii Rep. Mazie Hirono meet with Belgian Cardinal Godfried Daneels at the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart after the Thanksgiving Mass for Saint Damien.
After the lunch, the full delegation departed the Ambassador's residence and traveled in a motorcade to the Brussels National Basilica of the Sacred Heart for the Thanksgiving Mass. Princess Astrid, Princess of Belgium, attended the formal Catholic mass which was given in Dutch, French, German, and Latin. Following the mass, the delegation was escorted to the lower level of the Basilica to meet with the Cardinal of Belgium, Godfried Danneels and other VIPs.
Below: Princess Astrid, Princess of Belgium, arrives inside the Basilica.
“The canonization of Father Damien completes his ascension to sainthood and gives universal veneration to a life of extraordinary commitment, charity, and faith. It has been more than 120 years since his death at Kalaupapa, Molokai, but Father Damien’s life continues to illuminate for all humankind the pathway of service to the needy," said Neil.
“Father Damien’s mission in life and the journey he took to fulfill it were inspired by a simple yet profound compassion, moral virtues and deep spirituality. He challenged the orthodoxies of his own church and the government to provide the needed resources to care for Hansen’s disease patients who had been banished to Kalaupapa—attracting worldwide attention to his demonstration of humanity. He lived, worked, and died in geographic isolation with the people he cared for, but his timeless teachings and inspiration have reached a vast congregation that reaches around the world without regard to time and place. Father Damien’s hope and devotion continue to strengthen all of us today, and his sainthood affirms this for eternity.”
Neil addresses a gathering at the residence of U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman and his wife, right. Rep. Hirono, left, was also part of the U.S. delegation.
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Belgian TV features Neil in Father Damien story
Above: Neil talks about the Kalaupapa photos by Jack E. Boucher that are displayed in his Capitol Hill office. The three framed black and white photos in the picture above show different historical sites and features at Kalaupapa National Historical Park. Neil's pointing to a photo of a statue at Kalaupapa. (Photo/CJ Obata)
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(October 1, 2009) In anticipation of Father Damien's canonization to sainthood at the Vatican on October 11, 2009, Belgian public television interviewed Neil on October 1, 2009 to talk about the upcoming event, in part, because of Neil's ties to the historical plight of Kalaupapa's Hansen's Disease patients on Molokai. A Belgian television program about Father Damien will air to coincide with the Belgian native’s canonization to sainthood by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome on October 11th.
Neil was a close friend and supporter of one of those patients, Bernard Punikaia, who recently passed away. For decades, Bernard was a strong advocate for the patients, and Neil--who joined Bernard to champion the cause of Hansen's Disease patients--eulogized him as "our brother, our hero" who" defended others with every breath he took."
Says Neil: Bernard "recognized Saints--he loved Kamiano, Father Damien. He lived his life as Damien would have wished him to do--uncompromising resistance to unjust authority. He never thought of himself and he never let the physical boundaries of self interfere with his life-long quest for recognition of the inherent dignity of Hansen’s disease patients."
Coincidentally, Neil is a member of the House Natural Resources Committee which oversees the National Park System and Kalaupapa National Historical Park.
Below, left: Neil was interviewed by RTV (Belgian Public Television) correspondent Greta De Keyser about Father Damien's lifetime of work with Hansen's Disease patients at Kalaupapa, Molokai and Father Damien’s legacy in Hawaii history. Below, right: The crew's videographer focuses on the Father Damien statue--one of Hawaii's two statues that are part of a national display in the U.S. Capitol. (Photos/CJ Obata)
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