15/10/2009 By Karen and Geoff Warne

On Sunday October 11th 2009 at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI declared Father Damien of Molokai to be a saint. Saint Damien de Veuster, as he will now be called, is well-known especially among people involved with the disease leprosy. He has been an example to many of us because of his selfless service to people affected by leprosy, outcast from their communities, with whom he lived and served as priest on the island of Molokai in Hawaii from 1873 until his death in 1889.

Prayer vigil
We were privileged to attend two of the events that celebrated his sainthood. The first was a moving prayer vigil on the evening of Saturday October 10th at the ancient church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. This was organised by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the missionary order to which St Damien belonged. There was standing room only in the church, as the Congregation was joined by people from Belgium (Damien’s country of birth) and many other countries, to whom his life and service have been an inspiration. It was good to see a large group from Hawaii including several people in wheelchairs who had come from the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement.
The service included songs, prayers, reading of the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 53, and quotations from Damien’s letters. Here is one paragraph from 1885, after Damien found that he too had contracted leprosy – a disease for which there was no cure at that time.
Certain as I am of the reality of my infirmity, I nevertheless remain tranquil and resigned and am even happier among my people. God knows what is good for my sanctification, and with this conviction I say daily ‘Thy will be done’.
And this from two years later, when his disabilities and disfigurement from leprosy were much advanced:
As for me, I am very happy and completely satisfied with my lot.

Canonisation
The main event was the canonisation ceremony itself, at St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday October 11th. Both the magnificent church and the vast square outside were packed by thousands who had come to witness the canonisation of five people, including St Damien. We heard accounts of the lives of those being canonised, after which the service proper began at 10 am – a solemn celebration yet in a festive atmosphere.
Readings from the official record explained the basis for Damien’s sainthood. In the Roman Catholic Church, canonisation requires proof that the person lived and died in such a way that he or she is worthy to be recognized as a saint. It also requires evidence of a miracle, and in the case of Damien two miracles have been investigated and approved, one involving the healing from cancer of 81-year-old Audrey Toguchi, who was present for the occasion. In his homily the Pope spoke of the example set by Damien de Veuster and quoted from Mark 10:
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”

At the end of the service, following celebration of the Eucharist, the Pope came outside and addressed the crowd in St Peter’s Square, to huge enthusiasm.

Today ...
The Pope spoke against the discrimination that is still faced today by people affected by leprosy.
Just as St Damien spoke out for the rights of people with leprosy in his day, so today we in The Leprosy Mission take this opportunity to affirm the human rights of people affected by leprosy in our own generation – in particular, the right to a life of dignity.
Just as St Damien chose to work with the people of Kalaupapa, participating in their lives and community, so today we choose to work in partnership with people affected by leprosy.
He remains an inspiration for all of us who have followed the call to work towards the eradication of the causes and consequences of leprosy.