Another prominent damien was father damien of hawaii, who died while establishing leper colonies there. Outside the church graveyard, it is a quite sight where father damiens monument is located and his right hand is buried, the view of kalawao original place where patients were left is nice from st. Father damien grave, kalaupapa, molokai usa stock photo. Father jean berchmans velghe served only a few years at the south kona sanctuary, but long enough to do extraordinary things as an untrained. Father damiens crypt leuven 2020 all you need to know. A bronze monument to father damien, apostle of the lepers was erected in louvain, belgium. Over the years he had done nothing to separate himself from his people. Normally a saints feast day is the day of his death. He was buried in the shade of the puhala tree under which, 16 years earlier, he had spent his first night on molokai. In 1995 the relic of damiens right hand was returned to kalawao and reburied in the original grave. Father damien remained with the people there and eventually contracted the same disease of the people he worked with.
Father damien is the 19th century priest who worked among the lepers of the still rural hawaiian island. He asked people to come together to build houses and schools and eventually the parish church, st. In 1884 he contracted leprosy and refused to leave for treatment. He died in 1889 and his body was brought back home in 1936 and buried here the 5th of may 1936 in the saint antonys chapel. The people of kalawao had lost their strongest voice. The original spit holes for the very ill patients are still intact in the church that father damien built. Father damien timeline the honolulu advertiser hawaii. As he had prophetically proclaimed, he became one of them and then died with. Damien dedicated his life to working with the lepers of this community in the last half of the 19th century. Honolulus damien memorial high school carries his name, while the damien museum located on the grounds of st. Although the disease is not highly contagious, damien had not been careful about hygiene. The painted churchs colorful past and present hawaii.
Based on the true story of a priest who risked his life in order to help people no one else would touch a wager he would eventually lose, father damien. Frequently asked questions kalaupapa national historical. Father damien was originally buried on molokai and his grave there is a site of devotion. During the first six years, there were 1,600 of these. His religious symbols are a tree and a dove and he is a spiritual patron for people living with hiv. Damiens story was powerfully shared with the world in the 1999 film molokai. Augustine church in waikiki is a popular destination of visitors who continue on to molokai to see where father damien lived and worked. Honoring father damien molokais beloved priest dedicated his life to helping many people throughout the hawaiian islands. The son of welltodo parents, he entered the sacred hearts congregation at louvain in january 1859 and five years later was ordained a priest in the cathedral of our lady of peace in honolulu. The shrine of father damien is the most revered christian site on the hawaiian islands.
After her first profession on march 7, 1953, her first assignment and the highlight of her life was to be one of the staff nurses for mother mary joseph. Father damien day in the united states time and date. I can almost hear father damien chuckling in heaven. Father damiens whole life as a hero of charity had deeply impressed me when i was still a little girl. Pope john paul ii beatified damien in 1995, and part of father damien s body his hand was returned to hawaii after his beatification. Anthonys chapel where the bodily relics of father damien was buried. The bishop who is so considerate relates with damiens provincial that there is a report about the father describing him the christian hero by the prime minister. The suffering and faith of saint damien of molokai. Father damien was beatified in 1995 by pope john paul ii and was later canonized as a saint. Often the dead were not buried deeply enough, and at night wild pigs would dig open the graves and eat the rotting flesh. Damien of molokai january 3, 1840 april 15, 1889, was a missionary of the congregation of the sacred hearts of jesus and mary who is.
Father damien brought law and order to the lives of the patients and the family members who accompanied them. Here is a look at damiens path to sainthood, and the story of how he dedicated his life to an entire community of hawaii residents cast away from the populace because of their illness. Sr maureen damien mcguane 19251994 find a grave memorial. Damien saw to it that each victim who died was buried in a proper coffin and given a funeral. Damien was buried in leuven, the historic university city close to the village where he was born. Father damien kalaupapa national historical park u. After two days of public mourning, he was buried in the graveyard behind the.
Damien s life of sacrifice turned attention to caring for these unfortunate men and women all around the world. Interestingly enough, may 10 is his feast day even though damien died on april 15, 1889. He was buried, according to his wishes, under the same pandanus tree beneath which he slept on his first nights at molokai. Father damien will be canonized in rome on october 11, 2009 and lucky severson tells his story. It was transported aboard the belgian ship mercator. Today, father damien is the patron of lepers, outcasts, hivaids and the state of hawaii. Father damien found a situation where drinking and promiscuous sex were rampant, where the dead were not always buried, and where life was not valued.
He was buried in the cemetery next to his church, st. Inside the chapel, you will read and learn the story of father damien and his charity works. Christian father damien the grave now with the body of damien removed of father damien, on the kalaupapa peninsulara, molokai. On october 11, 2009 pope benedict xvi raised father damien to the rank of sainthood. I think if theres a modern way to understand what the passion of jesus is all about, it is to be found in the story of father damien. At the outset of his mission damien aimed to restore in each leper a sense of personal worth and dignity. He finds it very difficult to adjust with the church but fr. Pope benedict xvi will officially declare him a saint on 11 october 2009. It was damiens wish to be buried among his people at kalawao. His body was buried in molokai, but in 1936, at the request of the belgian government, it was exhumed and returned to his homeland.
The hawaii state capitol building has a statue of father damien, and a replica is displayed in the united states capitol. I first read about him in the childrens britannica that my parents bought for me. In 1995, father damien was beatified by pope john paul ii in brussels. His older brother had been chosen for the voyage, but he fell ill with typhus.
He provided nursing help, spiritual care and consolation to the living, and he buried his parishioners when they died. Saint damien is the patron saint of people suffering from leprosy. Father damiens life is significant for anyone living in hawaii. Father damien was a roman catholic missionary who helped lepers on the. Pope john paul ii beatified damien in 1995, and part of father damiens body his hand was returned to hawaii after his beatification. Father damien was constantly requesting more supplies to improve the standard of living in the colony. Those that died were buried in shallow graves because if you are sick. Peters basilica in rome, pope benedict xvi canonized blessed damien and declared him a saint. Countless books have been written and a full length feature film on his life story is in the making.
Damien realized the people needed leadership, so he provided it. He provided medical care for the living and buried the dead. Philomena stands in homage to damien the blessed, the priest from belgium. Father damien s life and work influenced many regardless of religion, including robert louis stevenson and mahatma gandhi. In 1995, father damien was beatified and the remains of his right hand were returned to his original grave on molokai. The catholic church will officially recognize hawaiis beloved priest as a saint during a canonization ceremony in saint peters square in vatican city. A black, concrete cross marks father damiens grave site at kalawao.
Upon his death in 1889, he was buried on the spot where he first slept when he came to molokai. Shrine of father damien the complete pilgrim religious. The day of his passing, april 15, is a minor statewide holiday in hawaii. His father, a small farmer, sent him to a college at brainelecomte, to prepare for a commercial profession. Damien of molokai, was born in rural belgium, on january 3, 1840. He was originally buried at the colony, as he requested, but his remains were. Mary entered maryknoll on september 6, 1950 and at her reception in 1951 received the name, sister maureen damien, because of her devotion to father damien. Scroll down and check out his short and medium hairstyles. The tomb or the crypt is quiet and sacred so respect and silence is encouraged.
He was recognized for his ministry, which he led from 1873. About father damien and leprosy in hawaii homeyhawaii. Damien was 49 years old when he died april 15, 1889, at kalawao with mother marianne at his bedside. Originally from belgium, he came to serve the outcasts of the leper colony for sixteen years until 1889 when he too died of their disease, and has been adopted as. In 1936 his body was exhumed and taken to belgium where he was reburied in louvain. It was a place of utter despair, but one man was to change all that. He made sure that the graves were dug deep enough to be safe from wild animals.
But what was essential is that he simply loved them. Father damiens coffin was carried by eight white lepers. I have shared parts of this story before, but i share it again in the context of one who has known our griefs and borne our iniquities. While in kohala, father damien wrote to the father general that many of his parishioners had been. His grave became an overnight pilgrimage destination, visited by many who came to. Outside the church graveyard, it is a quite sight where father damiens monument is located and his right hand is buried, the view of kalawao original place. Father damien had lived in kalawao 12 years when it was confirmed that he had contracted hansens disease. He struggled to preserve them from the physical and moral corruption of molokai. At father damiens death he was buried next to his church, saint philomena, at kalawao.