Saint Damien of Molokai: Apostle of the Exiled

A missionary to Hawaii, Damien soon volunteered to become the permanent chaplain to Molokai. There, victims of horrible disfigurement with the promise of a lingering death, the lepers led a harsh existence. Father Damien became their caregiver, companion and champion. though his selfless ministry, he brought hope to the hopeless, ironically losing his own life to leprosy.

Azure skies, lush vegetation, and sugar-white beaches: Hawaii brings such idyllic scenes to mind. But hell invaded paradise when the incurable disease leprosy was discovered there. An 1865 law segregated lepers by forcibly exiling individuals - even children - to the island of Molokai. It was onto these forlorn shores that Father Damien de Veuster stepped in the spring of 1873.

In an age when an ever-increasing number of people suffer their own personal exile on account of illness, handicap, or emotional distress, the shinning example of Father Damien shows the true power of one person and how, when anchored in God's love, one person can impact individual lives - and indeed the world.

"The world can boast of very few heroes who compare with Father Damien of Molokai."

~ Mohandas Gandhi