In the US Capitol Building, every state is allowed to send two statues to depict people of significant relevance to the state. One of Hawaii’s statues is King Kamehameha, who united the Hawaiian Islands and became the first King of Hawaii. The other is St. Damien, patron saint of people with leprosy.
St. Damien, born Jozef De Veuster, was born in rural Belgium to a farmer. He had been sent to college, but during his time there believed God was calling him to be a priest. So entered the priesthood, taking on the name Damien after a martyr, despite fear that he lacked the education for it.
During Damien’s time in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, his brother had been selected to go to Hawaii, but was unable to make the journey. As a result, Damien went instead and arrived there where he was ordained as a priest in 1864. This would set him on a course that would change his life forever.
In 1873, he was chosen to serve as priest to the leper colony of Molokai by the Bishop of Honolulu. The bishop had approved four priests to do missionary work there and three returned. However, St. Damien volunteered to stay behind and provide services to those on the island.
Upon arrival, he started providing religious services toward the island. As time progressed though, the services he offered increased to include direct acts of charity as he began treating the works of the ulcers of the afflicted, building homes for those living on the island, and providing education that would greatly improve the livelihood of those living there. He became greatly respected by the people of Molokai as conditions and morale improved, resulting in him becoming greatly received by the people of the colony.
For his work, Fr. Damien received recognition from the Kingdom of Hawaii. King Kalākaua presented him with the “Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua,” which was given to him by Princess Liliʻuokalani. He also received international support from supporters around the world which spread the importance of the work he was doing to non-Hawaiians.
Unfortunately, this could not last. Despite care to avoid contracting the disease, Fr. Damien eventually caught leprosy after almost 12 years of service on the island. He did not allow this to stop him though as he continued working on other projects. He would eventually pass from the disease, but died happy that he did so with the people whom he was serving. In a letter to his brother, he said “I am gently going to my grave. It is the will of God, and I thank Him very much for letting me die of the same disease and in the same way as my lepers. I am very satisfied and very happy."
St. Damien is a hero because of not only the work he was willing to do, but for what he gave up doing that. In the process of providing well being to the people of Hawaii, he gave his life and brought greater attention to lepers and the needs of the region. So to this day, he deserves to be honored and remembered for the work he has done and the importance one person can have on the lives of others. So when one walks by the awesome statue of his in the capital building, let us never forget his work.
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