The Brave Leper Priest – Feast of Father Damien

8. Father Damien – Pater Damiaan – Le Père Damien – Ojciec Damian
Originally uploaded by Rudi Roels

“Without the Blessed Sacrament a position like mine would be intolerable.”

Father Damien

Father Damien has always been a favorite in my family. When Calvin was preparing for his confirmation, I read Father Damien’s story to him. He was captivated by his story as a youngster. Later, he chose the name, Damien, for confirmation. It was Father Damien’s simple and determined bravery that my son admires so.

Who was Father Damien?

Jozef Damien De Veuster, was born at Tremelo, Belgium, on January 3, 1840. When he began his novitiate in 1859, he took the name Damien.

Damien had a devotion to St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionaries. In 1863, Damien’s brother was preparing to leave on a mission trip to Hawaii, but he became sick and was unable to make the journey. Because preparations were already underway, Damien volunteered to go in his brother’s place. He made it to Hawaii on March 19, 1864, and was ordained a priest on May 21.

Hawaii had a policy of strict containment for its leper citizens. Maybe this is something else we can have a bit more insight into having lived through the pandemic a few years ago.

All lepers were sent forcibly to live on the island of Molokai. The bishop was very concerned that there was no one there to minister to the people. Father Damien stayed on the island and ministered to the sick and the dying. His ministry lasted for 16 years, until he succumbed to the disease at the age of 49.

Stories of Father Damien

Father Damien wanted to go to Hawaii, but he was also very sad to leave his mother behind in Belgium. Their goodbye truly was goodbye forever. In this day of e-mail, telephone, and cell phones, it is hard to imagine being so out of touch with the son you birthed and fed from your body, and raised from infancy to manhood. I have often wondered what kind of woman Father Damien’s mom must have been to raise such a selfless son. And I admit I cried for her, and for the loss, she must have felt, intermingled of course with humble pride for her son. Since this feast falls just before Mother’s Day this year, I ponder that even more.

The other story of Father Damien that touches my heart is how he participated in his Catholic faith even when it was not always easy to do so. One time a priest came to Father Damien’s island to hear confessions, but the captain of the ship would not even allow Father Damien to board. Father Damien, knowing he needed the graces of confession for the difficult work he was doing, humbly sat in a little boat at the side of the bigger ship, and shouted his confession for the priest to hear it. I’m not sure that I would want my sins broadcast like that. What a humiliation for this holy man to endure. Yet endure he did. He made his confession despite this hardship. Maybe some of us can identify with that, thinking back to the difficulties of going to confession during the pandemic.

Father Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict on February 21, 2009.

More blogs about Father Damien’s.
Find Father Damien on Facebook!
Catholic Fire
Legacy of Father Damien

Ward Wide Web shared a letter from Robert Lewis Stevenson, defending the good priest after his death!
Science, Religion and Miscellaneous Babble

Gabe dressed as Father Damien for All Saints Day a few years back.