People from Hawaii and Syracuse will have parts to play in the Vatican beatification ceremony of Mother Marianne of Molokai.

According to the director of her cause, Sister of St. Francis Mary Laurence Hanley, beatification pilgrims will sing in a choir, serve as readers and participate in the offertory procession.

Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, will preside at the liturgy which, as of May 2, was to be either on May 14 or 16. The location of the ceremony was not confirmed at that date.

To get ready for the ceremony, which was originally to be held on May 15 in St. Peter’s Square, Sister Mary Laurence Hanley and assistant minister of the Sisters of St. Francis Sister Grace Anne Dillenscheider had visited the Vatican, March 16-20, for a briefing.

They discussed and planned the event with Jesuit Father Peter Gumpel, an official of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the postulator for Mother Marianne’s cause Franciscan Father Ernesto Piacentini and Vatican liturgical official Msgr. Giulio Viviani.

Here are some of the ways Syracuse and Hawaii pilgrims will participate:

-- A choir of Franciscan Sisters and lay people from Hawaii and Syracuse will sing two hymns -- “Makalapua,” a song in Hawaiian honoring Queen Liliuokalani, and the standard American hymn “How Great Thou Art.” “Makalapua” is said to be one of Mother Marianne’s favorite songs.

-- Three readers will quote from Mother Marianne’s own words and a 1918 Honolulu newspaper editorial written at the time for her death praising her heroism.

-- Sister Grace Anne of Syracuse will give the second reading during the Mass itself.

-- Hawaii-based Franciscan Sister Davilyn Ah Chick will read one of the prayers of the faithful “for the poor and suffering, especially those affected with leprosy whom Mother Marianne served …” Sister William Marie Eleniki, also of Hawaii, will read a Hawaiian translation of the petition.

-- Three of the Mother Marianne contingent will carry up gifts at the offertory. They are Kalaupapa resident Winnie Harada who will carry the communion bread, a Sister of St. Francis who will present a set of priest vestments, and retired Diocese of Honolulu employee Norman Nakamoto, representing the Royal Order of Kamehameha, who will offer a maile lei.

According to Sister Mary Laurence, a set of vestments is a customary and useful gift at the Vatican where hundreds of priests celebrate Mass regularly.

Nakamoto will represent the Hawaiian people and the fact that Mother Marianne was invited to Hawaii when it was still a monarchy. The dark green lei made from the fragrant maile vine is traditionally given to important people on special occasions.

Also being prepared for the beatification is a program booklet for those attending which will include a two-page biography of Mother Marianne written in several languages and a photo.

A tradition at beatification ceremonies is the display of large banners depicting those being beatified. Mother Marianne’s banner will feature a reproduction of a photograph of her colorized by artist Louise Lutz.

Mother Marianne religious medals are also being designed and produced.

Sister Mary Laurence said that beatification ceremonies usually have a procession of “first class” relics of the one being beatified. A first class relic is a part of the body. The Franciscan sister said that all of Mother Marianne’s remains, exhumed in the week of Jan. 24, were permanently sealed in a coffin, and therefore no first class relics are available.

However, the Franciscans may present soil from the burial site which is likely to contain minute fragments of the beatified nun’s remains.

The date of Mother Marianne’s liturgical feastday has yet to be decided. The first choice would be the day of her death which is Aug. 9, but that day is also the feast of Saint Edith Stein, a European saint with some American devotees. The second choice would be her birth date, Jan. 23, which Sister Mary Laurence said would be acceptable to the Franciscan Sisters.

The dates would need the approvals of both the dioceses of Syracuse and Honolulu, and also of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints.