Father Damien becomes a Saint today!

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God Bless the wonderful Father Damien as he enters into Sainthood today. The ceremony is on EWTN right now…!

**An incredible man. **

Quoted from here.
"Born Joseph De Veuster, he took the name Damien when he joined the Sacred Hearts order, the name of a 3rd-century doctor who was martyred because he was Christian. He came to Hawaii in the place of his ailing brother and served on Hawaii island for nine years as pastor and builder of churches. He volunteered to serve as pastor at Kalawao, the place of banishment for leprosy victims on the Kalaupapa peninsula. He died of the disease in 1889 after 16 years of service.

The Rev. Javier Alvarez-Ossorio, leader of the Sacred Hearts congregation worldwide, said canonization celebrates God, “the spirit that created such a masterpiece as Damien from human clay.”

Alvarez-Ossorio said that instead of an artist’s interpretation of Damien, they chose to use a photograph showing the ravages of the disease on his right hand and face for the banner flying overhead. “The hand of Damien is shown here; in Kalaupapa it was the hand that helped, blessed people, building churches and houses,” said the priest at a earlier news conference.

The bones of the hand, encased in a metal box, were buried in Damien’s grave on Molokai.
“What I’m feeling is happy and proud to see the first saint in our congregation,” said the Rev. Franz Gorissen, provincial of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in Belgium. He said Damien took care of all leprosy victims in Kalaupapa, “an example of solidarity for all people. Today we have to cross the borders of religion and culture and look to the person.”
 
Hawaii’s Catholics are ecstatic, proud, grateful, honored. I had the priviledge of spending a week in Kalaupapa with the Sacred Hearts nuns doing charity work a few years ago. It was difficult to leave. One can feel the holiness there. It overtakes you, envelopes you. It’s so hard to describe.

Damien deserved sainthood and we are so grateful to God, to the Pope. Many blessings to everyone who prayed so hard for this miracle.

Aloha
 
CBS Sunday Morning’s Charles Osgood actually did a piece on Father Damien, his canonization and leprosy this morning. I was surprised and pleased.
 
I was there!

It was awesome.

…and I don’t actually have much to add to that. Except, of course: St. Damien, pray for us!
 
Fantastic! I’ve always found Fr. Damien’s life very inspiring. :clapping:
 
A 19th-century priest whose courageous work with leprosy patients in Hawaii has been likened to the efforts of those battling the stigma of AIDS was elevated to sainthood Sunday by Pope Benedict XVI, along with four other Catholics he hailed as heroes of holiness.
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Among the 10,000 pilgrims packing St. Peter’s Basilica was Hawaii resident Audrey Toguchi, an 80-year-old retired school teacher whose recovery from lung cancer a decade ago stunned her doctor and was ruled a miracle by the Vatican. Toguchi has credited her survival to praying to Belgium-born Jozef De Veuster, also known as Father Damien, who himself died from leprosy in 1889 after contracting the disease while working with ostracized patients living on Molokai island.
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Some 40,000 faithful who couldn’t fit inside the vast church filled St. Peter’s Square on a warm, sunny morning. Many women from Hawaii wore headpieces made of roses and large beaded necklaces over floral-print loose gowns. Among the five Benedict added to the church’s roll call of saints is French nun Jeanne Jugan, who helped the elderly, including some abandoned by their families. Jugan, also known as Marie de la Croix, was “an authentic Mother Teresa ahead of her time,” Vatican Radio said. Her Little Sisters of the Poor order of nuns today runs homes for impoverished old people worldwide. She died in 1879.
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Toguchi and her doctor, Walter Chang, joined in one basilica procession, and two leprosy patients participated in another.
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More: npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113711211
 
priest at our neighboring parish worked on Fr. Damien’s cause, per local newspaper article, first I had heard of this
themonitor.com/articles/edinburg-31464-pope-attends.html

also in Rome for the canonization are two of my fellow Benedictine Oblates who were attending the worldwide congress of oblates and extended their stay for this event

Fr. Damien has been a hero since childhood. He is so revered in Hawaii, where we have family, and it was from a great-aunt, who is not Catholic but worked on behalf of the Molokai colony all her life, who first told me about him.
 
St Damien of Molokai, pray for us :crossrc:

I saw a movie based on his life some time ago - absolutely beautiful and inspirational. Definitely on my special list of heavenly ‘friends’ and intercessors now that he’s officially joined the club. 👍
 
I caught the tail end of news feature on him yesterday morning and it was awesome! I had never heard his story before, but he was an awesome witness to the faith and it looks like he is now very busy in heaven do more good.

St Damien of Molokai, pray for us!
 
There are a couple of books out on Fr. Damien’s life. It’s a fascinating, fast read. The Honolulu Diocese was not very kind to him at all and yet he persevered.

Another great and very interesting person to read about is Mother Marianne who lived and ministered to the people, especially the girls in Kalaupapa during Damien’s time. She is high on the list for consideration of canonization. We are just awaiting a miracle from her. Pray to her as well. These were two individuals who literally left posessions and family behind, took up their “crosses” and followed Christ.

Aloha and God’s blessings to all.
 
There was a very reverent, and informational documentary on EWTN recently regarding Father Damien that was a pleasure to watch. I was shocked that Robin Williams was the narrator…and pleased. The more respectful,media “celebrities” ,that our Faith can attract the better, in this age of open defamation and calumny by those in charge of disseminating thought in our culture. He did a wonderful job. Father Damien’s struggle informs all of us that our faith comes with a cost.
 
My dh visited Fr. Damien’s settlement on one of his trips to Hawaii. He was very moved.
 
HolySpirit08 said:
There are a couple of books out on Fr. Damien’s life. It’s a fascinating, fast read. The Honolulu Diocese was not very kind to him at all and yet he persevered.

Another great and very interesting person to read about is Mother Marianne who lived and ministered to the people, especially the girls in Kalaupapa during Damien’s time. She is high on the list for consideration of canonization. We are just awaiting a miracle from her. Pray to her as well. These were two individuals who literally left posessions and family behind, took up their “crosses” and followed Christ.

Aloha and God’s blessings to all.
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I watched a majority of the canonization Mass on EWTN-I was away for the weekend and saw it on the TV in my motel room. I don’t get EWTN at home.

I cried with joy when I heard St. Damien’s name, and raised a hand crucifix and a Rosary when I heard his name or saw the banner with his likeness on the loggia of St. Peter’s.

Blessed Mother Marianne Cope is from my hometown! She came here with her family from Germany when she was little, and was here till she entered the convent at 24. She had to work in a factory to support her family when her father became ill.

She went to Hawaii in 1885, and joined St. Damien on Molokai in 1888. She remained there till her own death in 1918. She was beatified in May 2005, a month after the election of Benedict XVI.

I am very proud of the fact that Blessed Marianne lived in my hometown, just as all Hawaiians are proud and happy that St. Damien is ‘their Saint’!

St. Damien of Molokai, pray for us!
 
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