BLESSED DAMIEN De VEUSTER

BLESSED DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI, Priest and Missionary

FEAST DAY: May 10th

CANONIZED A SAINT: Not yet canonized

DECLARED BLESSED (Beatified): In 1995 by Pope John Paul II

PATRONAGE: Those who suffer from leprosy

PRAYER

God of mercy,

you gave us Blessed Damien to proclaim the riches of Christ.

By the help of his prayers may we grow in knowledge of you,

be eager to do good, and learn to walk before you

by living the truth of the Gospel.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

SCRIPTURE READING

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke

On his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus passed along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. Keeping their distance, they raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he responded, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” On their way there they were cured. One of them, realizing that he had been cured, came back praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself on his face at the feet of Jesus and spoke his praises. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus took the occasion to say, “Were not all ten made whole? Where are the other nine? Was there no one to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner?” He said to the man, “Stand up and go your way; your faith has been your salvation.”

~Luke 17: 11 – 19

OUTLINE OF TEACHING

Joseph de Veuster was born in Tremeloo, Belgium in 1840, where he was raised in a pious family of farmers. He entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, taking the religious name, Damien and set off as a missionary for the Hawaiian Islands. Having worked nine years in Honolulu, he eventually traveled to MolokaiIsland, where the Hawaiian government sent those afflicted with leprosy. He spent nearly sixteen years of his life ministering to the physical as well as spiritual needs of his leprous flock. Blessed Damien died on April 15, 1889 after contracting the disease himself almost five years earlier.

BLESSED DAMIEN de VEUSTER,

Priest and Missionary

LEPROSY

The Book of Leviticus, chapters 13 and 14 address one of man’s oldest curses, leprosy. The disease of leprosy is a chronic, infective disease due to the leprosy bacillus. It mainly affects the skin, yet can cause internal damage as well. Those afflicted with the disease suffer from patches, nodules or ulcers of the skin, which usually causes loss of sensory perception in the limbs. The outer extremities, such as the nose, fingers, toes, hands and feet can be greatly affected by the disease, usually via partial or total paralysis. Moses and the Israelites could do nothing more than isolate those afflicted with the disease.

LEPROSY IN HAWAII

During the American Revolution, British sailors were the first Europeans to reach the island paradise. When the Europeans arrived on the island, it was estimated that there were over 300,000 inhabitants. A hundred years later, the total population dropped to around 50,000 due in large part to the introduction of leprosy as well as other diseases, such as smallpox, influenza, tuberculosis and venereal disease. Above the rest, leprosy was the most savage of all the above mentioned diseases. By the mid-1840’s Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hanson (leprosy is now also known as Hanson’s disease), a Norwegian scientist was successfully identifying and describing the bacillus of leprosy through the science of bacteriology. It is here that we begin our story of Blessed Damian de Veuster of MolokaiIsland.

MILES FROM HAWAII

Joseph was the name given him at his birth (Damien would be his religious name) on January 3, 1840, in Tremeloo near Louvain, Belgium. His parents, Frans and Anne-Catherine de Veuster were farmers on a small plot of land. Joseph was the seventh of eight children and the youngest son. His father was not overly pious and could be considered a nominal Catholic at best. His mother was more devout and raised her children accordingly. In her possession was an oversized book of the lives of the saints written in the Old Flemish language and printed in colorful, Gothic characters. The children loved the stories of the lives of the saints (early version of DTS) and were especially moved by the lives of hermits who turned their back on the world. Joseph’s parents must have done something right in the rearing of their children from a religious standpoint, as two of his sisters entered religious life and his older brother, Auguste entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary order Joseph would one day enter himself. By the time Joseph was thirteen years of age, he was pulled from school to help work on the farm. He worked for five years and grew into a strapping young man. All that he learned on the farm would one day serve him well. By the time Joseph was eighteen, it was decided that he should return to school in order to study agriculture, the thought being that it would better prepare him for taking over the family farm. It seems that Joseph as well as his heavenly Father had other ideas.

VOCATION TO RELIGIOUS LIFE

Joseph was not only inspired by the lives of the saints, he was also greatly influenced by the witness and example of his three older siblings who entered religious life and felt tugged in that very direction. At first, Joseph felt called to the monastic life as a Trappist monk, yet his older brother, Auguste, now Brother Pamphile encouraged him to join his order, which he did. On February 2, 1859 (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple), Joseph de Veuster took the name Brother Damien as well as the religious habit of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Brother Damien knew that he had many years of formation and studies ahead of him. He was a good student and a hard worker, which would again serve him well in his future endeavors. Brother Damien took to religious life quite nicely and even imposed penances upon himself, such as sleeping on the hard wood floor of his room as apposed to his own bed. On October 7, 1860, Brother Damien took his final vows. At his profession he laid prostrated on the floor in the form of a cross as a black funeral pall was placed over him, signifying his death to the world.

CALLED TO THE HAWAIIAN MISSIONS

The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary was determined to send a number of missionaries, both men and women of their order to the Hawaiian Islands as missionaries. In 1863, when the first wave of members of the congregation was set to leave, Father Pamphile was one of the members of the congregation chosen to set sail. He was unable to fulfill his mission as he contracted typhus. Brother Damien was sent in his place. Not necessarily realizing that he would never see his family again in this life, Brother Damien had a formal picture taken of himself in his habit, while holding a crucifix close to his chest. He had enough copies of the photo made in order that his parents and siblings as well as members of his congregation could have one to place in their prayer books.

TO HONOLULU AND THE PRIESTHOOD

Brother Damien and his fellow missionaries spent a total of 148 days at sea as they set sail from Bremerhaven to Honolulu. They were able to pray and celebrate Mass together everyday, which strengthened their bond with one another and their resolve to fulfill God’s will. When Brother Damien was not busy about the duties of the sacristy, he was busy being seasick. The three-masted R.W. Wood put into port in Honolulu on March 19, 1864. Brother Damien was ordained to the priesthood on May 21st of the same year. Sadly, none of his family members were able to attend his ordination or his first Mass. Father Damien would spend a total of nine years as one of the pioneer’s of Catholicism in the Hawaiian missions before being tapped to take his new assignment.

A BIT OF BACKGROUND ON MOLOKAIISLAND

Long before Father Damien and the other members of his congregation arrived in Hawaii, the Hawaiian government had an enormous leprosy epidemic on their hands. In a feeble attempt to deal with the contagious disease, once again, segregation was the only answer available. Government officials designated Molokai (the “land of great cliffs”) as their location of isolation. The island of Molokai was a near perfect spot to isolate the leprous population as it was nearly unapproachable, save by ship. At the first sign or even suspicion of leprosy, government officials would round up the victims, sometimes not even giving them a chance to return home to pack their belongings or say farewell to loved ones. They would be forced to board a ship with other unfortunates and would set sail from Honolulu or other ports to MolokaiIsland. As there were no ports and a huge rocky ocean bottom long past the beachhead, the victims would literally be thrown overboard. Those who survived had to swim in the salt water of the ocean, many of whom had open wounds and sores, just to make it to the volcanic rock that awaited them on the beach. Many drowned in the process of departure. For those who survived, there was no one to welcome or warm them. There was no food prepared upon their arrival. All were left to fend for themselves. Hopelessness and despair was the fare for those who survived the trek to hell. To alleviate sorrow and depression, many lepers began to engage in immoral behavior, such as drinking as well as illicit sexual activity.

SENT TO MOLOKAIISLAND

Father Damien was only 33 years old when he arrived on Molokai Island in early May of 1873, accompanied by Bishop Louis Maigret of Honolulu. The lepers of Molokai were thrilled to have their own pastor, who arrived with nothing more than his prayer book and Mass supplies. Earlier missionaries from Father Damien’s order had built a tiny church on Molokai and precious little more. The church was dedicated to Saint Philomena, an early virgin-martyr. Father Damien got to work right away, putting all of his skills acquired on the family farm to work. He built a rectory for himself as well as many other buildings, including housing for his flock, to replace the lean-to huts. Father Damien also worked to instill a sense of worth and dignity in each leper on the island. One of the first things that he did was to provide dignified Christian burials, organizing burial associations. Father Damien built coffins and fences around the cemeteries in order to keep wild pigs, dogs as well as other scavengers from digging up the graves.

MINISTERING TO THE SPIRITUAL NEEDS

Initially, Father Damien took necessary precautions to keep from being infected with the leprosy. He then came to learn that he was seen as the early Protestant ministers, who kept the lepers at arms length, while accusing them of contracting the disease through immoral behavior. Father Damien began to minister to the needs of the lepers in more personal, loving ways. At Mass, he no longer hesitated to put the Eucharist on the tongues of the communicants, nor did he refrain from physical contact through the anointing of the sick. He personally engaged in ministering to their physical needs, via cleaning wounds and changing bandages. In his homilies, Father Damien referred to his congregation as “we lepers” including himself, although he did not suffer from the disease. Father Damien even put a little bell in the poor box at the church in order that those blinded by leprosy could hear that their coins made it in. At times, the smell of the rotting flesh became so overwhelming for the priest that he began to make his rounds while smoking a pipe to help cover over the rancid odors. Father Damien, although very understanding and sympathetic to the plight of the human condition, did not hesitate to use even physical violence to break up immoral behavior. In remote areas of the island, drinkers and dancers would meet in what was called the “crazy pen.” Those who engaged in such behaviors were met by Father Damien and the end of his walking stick.

MINISTERING TO PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS

Not only did Father Damien concern himself with the spiritual needs of his flock, he also saw to their physical as well as emotional needs. Father Damien formed a choir at church as well as a small band. There were occasions when two lepers would play an instrument, such as the organ where two women, who together had ten fingers with which to play. The orphaned leprous children were cared for and engaged in many physical activities such as horse back ridding. Father Damien ran foot races, even though some of the lepers had no feet. The priest encouraged the men to build good roads throughout the villages, in order to instill dignity through work and to make travels on the island much easier.

STRUGGLES WITH DESPAIR

With all that Father Damien had to deal with, his greatest struggle was with himself. Like many saints before him, Father Damien fought his own horrors and feelings of despair through prayer and trust in the Divine Providence of God. One of the reasons Father Damien struggled so much with what he called his “black thoughts” was the lack of spiritual companionship. Father Damien especially missed not being able to go to confession on a regular basis. As there were strict laws concerning Molokai, it was difficult for people to come and go. On one occasion, Bishop Maigret came by ship with the intention to visit his island parish and pastor. The ship’s captain, mostly out of fear, refused to allow the bishop to disembark. Both the bishop and Father Damien were more than frustrated by the change of plans, as Father Damien was greatly looking forward to making a thorough confession. Undaunted by the captain’s decision, Father Damien, with the help of a couple leprous men, rowed a boat out to the ship. The captain, fearful of contagion, would not allow Father Damien to board the ship. In a touching moment of humility, Father Damien yelled to the bishop on the ship if he would hear his confession right in the open. The bishop agreed. In front of the men on the boat and the ship, Father Damien confessed all of his sins for all to hear, such was his desire to be healed spiritually through the grace of the sacrament. In one of the notebooks kept by Father Damien, he reminded himself of the following: “Be severe toward yourself, indulgent toward others. Have scrupulous exactitude regarding God: prayer, meditation, Mass, administration of the Sacraments. Unite your heart with God…Remember always your three vows, by which you are dead to the things of the world. Remember always that God is eternal, and work courageously in order one day to be united with him forever.”

DECORATED WITH THE CROSS OF LEPROSY

One of the most common symptoms of leprosy is a loss of feeling or sensation. While soaking his feet in hot water, Father Damien realized that he could not feel any sensation from the heat of the water. This took place in December of 1884, some eleven years after his arrival on the island. Father Damien began to work with a furry to complete some of the activities that he had begun, including some of the building projects, under way. Father Damien informed his superiors that he was going to need serious help and soon. There were leprous spots on his feet, legs and later on his hands and arms as well as his face. Help did arrive in the form of two lay men, one who would serve as a nurse for Father Damien. A source of great comfort for Father Damien was the arrival of Father Louis-Lambert Conrardy, a fellow Belgian, and a priest from the Archdiocese of Oregon City who arrived on Molokai in May of 1888. Father Conrardy was a hard working priest who had traveled throughout the rugged state of Oregon with Archbishop William Gross, who reluctantly gave his priest permission to assist the leprous priest. Early on, Father Damien told his superiors as well as his flock that “the Lord decorated me with his particular cross – leprosy.”

THE LAST AGONY

As Father Damien worked as hard as his leprous body would allow him to complete the many projects,to expand the orphanage as well finishing other buildings begun, his eye sight began to fail him. He was not able to sleep more than and hour or two per night as the disease began to invade his windpipes. His voice, once strong was nothing more than a whisper. The disease had spread to his throat, lungs, stomach and intestines. Leprosy was not only ravaging his outer body, especially the extremities of his face, the disease was attacking from within. Father Damien de Veuster departed this life on April 15, 1889 (Holy Week). He died just shy of being on MolokaiIsland sixteen years and a little over four years from the time that the first symptoms of leprosy appeared on his body. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Beatified in October of 2003) had strongly promoted the cause of canonization for Father Damien of MolokaiIsland, stating that “my people need one of their own to be a saint.” Father Damien was Beatified on June 3, 1995 by Pope John Paul II