Although I did not grow up Catholic, one figure who inspired me during my childhood in Hawai‘i was Father Damien, writes Father Kyle Shinseki, SJ, pastor of Saint Mary Student Parish in Ann Arbor and a native Hawaiian, upon the Feast of Saint Damien of Moloka‘i (1840 — 1889), May 10. Father Shinseki continues:
This Belgian missionary dedicated most of his priestly life to serving those with leprosy. In the late 1800’s, thousands of people diagnosed with the then incurable ailment were forcibly taken from their homes and sent off to the desolate peninsula of Kalaupapa.
Saint Damien volunteered to serve patients at Kalaupapa with festering wounds and missing limbs. While other priests left in tears, he asked to stay, where he built homes and orphanages, formed sports teams and music ensembles, and brought dignity to patients’ lives. He began each day with adoration and Mass, saying, “Without the Blessed Sacrament a position like mine would be unbearable. But, having Our Lord at my side, I continue always to be happy and content.”
Last summer, I had the privilege to make a pilgrimage to Kalaupapa and celebrate Mass at a wooden altar Saint Damien built with his own hands. Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, Saint Damien advocated fearlessly for his patients and always treated them as fellow children of God, embracing them, treating their wounds, and giving each one a dignified burial.
Saint Damien of Moloka‘i, pray for us!