Damien de Veuster SSCC - Leper Priest of Molokai (1840-89)

Fr. Damien, born 1840 in Tremeloo, Belgium. He joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts volunteering for the mission to the Hawaiian Islands. In 1873 he went to work as a priest in a leper colony on the island of Molokai. He died from leprosy in 1889 aged 49. The testimony of the life he lived among the lepers of Molokai led to an intensive study of Hansens disease, eventually leading to a cure. Pope John Paul II beatified Damien in 1995. He was named a saint on Oct 11th 2009.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Molokai Hansen's patients hope to see Cope canonization

It was just three years ago, when Hansen's patients made the long journey from Kalaupapa, Molokai to Rome, Italy for Father Damien's canonization. Now, they're hoping to do it again, for blessed Mother Marianne Cope. "I'd like to think that God arranged it that way so the patients from Kalaupapa could enjoy the canonization of these two people that meant so much to them," says Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva. Sister Marianne answered a call from the King and Queen to minister Hansen's patients in Kalaupapa in 1888, earning a reputation as 'mother of outcasts." "They're not just there to die. They're people, souls of Christ, that really needed to be cared for," said Sister Damien Lau of the Order of Saint Francis. There are now about 20 surviving patients. "The youngest is 68 the oldest is in her 80's." The trip will be tough on them physically, but they wouldn't miss it. Only money stands in their way. A fundraiser dinner will be held at the convention center on August 4 to raise money to send the patients and their caretakers to the Vatican. In October, Bishop Larry Silva will lead a pilgrimage tour from Hawaii to Mother Marianne's shrine in Syracuse, New York where she entered the sisters of Saint Francis. The tour ends with the canonization by the pope October 21. A relic of Saint Marianne's will tour Hawaii after that. The celebration will cost an estimated $200,000. For the patients, it will be a priceless experience, that's amazingly come around twice in their lifetime. Hawaii events related canonization of Mother Marianne Cope
•August 4, 2012: "Mother Marianne Cope, A Legacy of Love and Service," Fundraiser for the Canonization, sponsored by the Diocese of Honolulu, Hawaii Convention Center ,Saturday, August 4, 2012 4-9 PM
•Table sponsorships are available at $5,000 and $3,000 for tables of 10 and $2,000 for a table of 8. Individual seats are $250 each. Donations are being accepted too.
•For more information, contact Sister Alicia Damien Lau at 348-7701 or Deacon Wally Mitsui at 341-1385. •Donations by check can be made payable to the Diocese of Honolulu/Mother Marianne and mailed to 1184 Bishop Street, Honolulu, HI 96813-2859. [Oct. 21: Canonization in Rome]
•October 21 – November 4, 2012: Veneration Pilgrimage of the Relic of Saint Marianne Cope in Hawaii – Oahu, October 21-26; Big Island, October 27-28; Kauai, October 29; Maui, October 30; Lanai, November 1; Topside Molokai, November 2; Kalaupapa, November 3
•November 4, 2012: Mass of Thanksgiving, Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, noon, Bishop Larry Silva presiding; procession to Iolani Palace with relic of St. Marianne for civic/interfaith ceremony on palace grounds; procession back to the Cathedral for Evening Prayer
•November 16, 2012: "November Song," one-person drama about Mother Marianne, 8 PM; November 17, 3:30 PM and 8 PM, Sacred Hearts Academy Auditorium
•January 12, 2013: Celebration in Kalaupapa, Mass and Luau
Copyright 2012 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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Statistics of Patients on Molokai 1866-1908

Fr. Damien - SSCC Missionary (Damien's Writings)

In 1990, Fr. Patrick Bradley ss.cc., the then Superior General of Damien's Congregation, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, wrote a circular letter to all the members of the Congregation entitled: "Fr. Damien - SS.CC. Missionary" with some perspectives on the future of mission. Fr. Bradley's circular gathers together many of Damien's writings, which provide valuable insights into Damien's own life, motivation and work as a missionary. Over the course of the coming weeks, I hope to reproduce this publication which you can read by clicking on the link below.

See document - click here >>>>>>

Did You Know?
Father Damien's life and death among his people at Kalaupapa focused the attention of the world on the problem of leprosy and the plight of its victims. After Damien's death in 1889, the people of England established a fund and a commission for the scientific investigation of the disease.
Mother Marianne Cope nursed those suffering from leprosy in Hawai'i for 35 years. She arrived at Kalaupapa in 1888. Her philosophy of personal dignity in the face of death came almost a century before its adoption as the foundation of the hospice movement.
Sea cliffs rise two thousand feet above the peninsula and ocean separate Kalaupapa from the rest of the island of Moloka'i. In 1972 this area was designated as the North Shore Cliffs National Natural Landmark, recognized as a significant example of sea cliffs in the nation's natural heritage.

Bl. Damien de Veuster

Feastday: May 10th.

The Leper Priest, the Hero of Molokai. Born in Tremelo, Belgium, on January 3, 1840, he joined the Sacred Hearts Fathers in 1860. He was bomn Joseph and received the name Damien in religious life. In 1864, he was sent to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was ordained. For the next nine years he worked in missions on the big island, Hawaii. In 1873, he went to the leper colony on Molokai, after volunteering for the assignment. Damien cared for lepers of all ages, but was particularly concerned about the children segregated in the colony. He announced he was a leper in 1885 and continued to build hospitals, clinics, and churches, and some six hundred coffins. He died on April 15, 1889 on Molokai. Slandered by a Protestant minister, Mr. Hyde, Damien was defended by Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote an impassioned defense of Damien in 1905. He was declared venerable in 1977. Pope John Paul II declared him beatified on June 4, 1995.

Bibliography:

1. "Damien of Molokai." Anderson, Gerald H. Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions. New York : Macmillan Reference USA; London : Simon & Schuster and Prentice Hall International, 1998.
2. Daniel-Rops, Henri. The Heroes of God. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1965, 1958.
3. Farrow, John. Damien the Leper. Garden City, New York: Image Books, 1954.
4. Stevenson, Robert Louis. In the South Seas. New York: Scribners, 1911.

Edward Clifford. Father Damien: A Journey from Cashmere to His Home in Hawaii. London and New York: Macmillan. 1889. 352pp.
Piers Compton. Father Damien. London: Alexander Ouseley. 1933. 196pp.
Gavan Daws. Holy Man: Father Damien of Molokai. New York: Harper & Row. 1973. 293pp.
Charles J. Dutton. The Samaritans of Molokai: The Lives of Father Damien and Brother Dutton Among the Lepers. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1932. 286pp.
Omer Englebert. The Hero of Molokai: Father Damien, Apostle of the Lepers. St. Paul Editions. 1962. 364pp. Translation of Le pére Damien.
Hilde Eynikel. Molokai: The Story of Father Damien. Hodder & Stoughton. 2001. 324pp.
John Farrow. Damien: The Leper. Sheed & Ward. 1937. 230pp.
Vital Jourdan. The Heart of Father Damien, 1840-1889. Guild Press. 1960. 500pp. Translation of Le père Damien de Veuster, apôtre des lépreux.
Ann Roos. Man of Molokai: The Life of Father Damien. J. B. Lippincott. 1943. 254pp.
Philibert Tauvel. Father Damien: Apostle of the Lepers of Molokai, Priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. Art and Book Co.. 1904. 206pp.