Presented to River Street Cafe, 16 September 2016
Read Matthew 16:24-27
In
1865, the Kingdom of Hawaii quarantined lepers, requiring the most serious
cases to be moved to settlement colonies. Kalawao County, where the two leper villages
are located, is separated from the rest of the area by a steep mountain ridge.
Even in the 21st century, the only land access is by a mule trail. About 8,000
Hawaiians were sent to the peninsula for medical quarantine.
The Catholic Church realized that the
lepers needed a priest to assist them and that this assignment had high risk.
They did not want to send anyone "in the name of obedience". They
asked for volunteers.
Father Damien was the first priest to
volunteer and, on 10 May 1873, he arrived at the settlement, where 816 lepers
then lived. Damien worked with them to build a church and establish the Parish
of Saint Philomena. While serving as a priest, he dressed residents' ulcers,
built a reservoir, built homes and furniture, made coffins, and dug graves. Six
months after his arrival at Kalawao, he wrote to his brother, Pamphile, in
Europe: ‘...I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.’
And then - In December 1884 – he did.
While preparing to bathe, Damien inadvertently put his foot into scalding
water, causing his skin to blister. He felt nothing and realized he had
contracted leprosy after 11 years of working in the colony. Residents said that
Damien worked vigorously to build as many homes as he could and planned for the
future of programs he had established.
Father Damien was a catalyst for a
turning point for the community. Under his leadership, shacks were upgraded and
improved as painted houses, farms were organized, and schools were established.
It was only after he contracted leprosy that many people came to the Kingdom of
God from the Kingdom of Hawaii to receive eternal life.
In the waning days of the Kingdom of
Hawaii, before it was overthrown by the United States, King David Kalākaua
bestowed on Father Damien the honor of "Knight Commander of the Royal
Order of Kalākaua"
Father Damien is still remembered for his
work for the gospel today. May it be so with us that we put the Kingdom of God
and our neighbour before ourselves; so that we two may see the world
transformed.
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