Father Damien – Hawaii’s first Saint

Recently canonized by Pope Benedict XVI, Father Damien is now Saint Damien. Born in Tremelo, Belgium in 1840, Saint Damien lived with and ministered those with leprosy quarantined on Hawaii’s island of Molokai in the nineteenth century.

Saint Damien went to the island of Molokai where the Hawaii government’s leper colony was located in 1873.  Soon, Saint Damien decided to stay permanently and dedicated himself to caring for the people in the colony. He contracted the disease in 1888, and after 16 years of selfless service, died in 1889. On October 11, 120 years after his death, Father Damien was elevated to sainthood in Rome.

If you get the chance to visit the island of Molokai, the Aqua Hotel Molokai offers affordable, oceanfront bungalows on Kamiloloa Beach, adjacent to Hawaii’s only barrier reef – a perfect location to explore all Molokai has to offer including the site of Saint Damien’s work.

If you are on Oahu, there is also a special exhibition in downtown Honolulu: