Damian the Leper

Received the news today that Father Damian the Leper will soon be canonized a saint. I was able to see the beatification of Fr Damian when I was living in Europe in 1995. John Paul II beatified him during at trip to Belgium.

Josef Damian de Veuster (1840-1889) is one of the most famous heros of the United States. He was Belgian by birth: a missionary of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts who was sent to work in the Hawaiian Islands. After various initial apostolates, he was sent to work among the lepers of Molokai. He not only served the people, but he identified closely with them. In the end he contracted the disease. His last years were captured on film, and became instrumental in helping medical science find treatment for the disease. But great men of letters, such as Robert Louis Stevenson, also chronicled his life and made him known to the world beyond the confines of the leper colony of Molokai. This too became a way for Fr Damian to fight the injustice perpetrated against the poor and the undesireables of the Islands and of the world.

There are great studies done on Fr Damian. He was controversial in life and after his death… but he remains a hero despite the attempts of many to "debunk the Damian myth". In these years he is held up as a model of compassion and care for those who serve people living with HIV/AIDS.

So, the announcement came out of the Vatican yesterday. It has been announced that the canonization will take place on 11 October 2009. I might anticipate my return to Italy, but I am not sure if I can. The news is encouraging, certainly.