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Prologue
For centuries, people feared any disease that caused disfigurement. They lumped these diseases into one category—leprosy. Until this century, a person who had leprosy lived in exile, sometimes alone, sometimes in a leprosarium. Why? Because people feared infection. They feared those whom they felt to be unclean. But in the nineteenth century, one man did not fear leprosy. That man was Damien de Veuster.
In 1864, Damien—a young man of 24—left Belgium and sailed to Hawaii. There the bishop ordained him. For nine years, Father Damien worked among the people of Hawaii.
Then, in 1873, at the age of 33, Damien asked to be sent to the leper colony on Molokai Island. Because they knew that they would die of leprosy, the people there abandoned all law. They stole, murdered, and violated one another.
Then Damien came. For the next 11 years, he served the lepers as pastor, doctor, counselor, and undertaker. He also established laws for the colony and enforced them.
It is now 1884. My name is Leslie. I read about Father Damien in a book on Hawaii. So I’ve come to the leper colony this morning to find out what made him seek to be with outcasts and to care for them.
(It is Sunday morning. Father Damien and I are trudging through the sand on the way to the hut of a woman with leprosy.)
Leslie: What if Leilani can’t come to mass?
Damien: I’ll bring her the Blessed Sacrament afterward.
Leslie: You do a lot for these people.
Damien: They do a lot for me. But it’s true. I have been able to help a little. When I came eleven years ago they feared one another. They hurt each other and stole. The island had no laws. Now things are better. Thanks be to God!
Leslie: I understand that you’re the sheriff.
Damien: Yes.
Leslie: Do the people here wish you’d just go away so they could be lawless again?
Damien: No. Deep down, people want order. They like boundaries. They like to know what’s expected of them.
(We arrive at Miss Leilani’s hut. Father Damien knocks and she tells us to come in. I thought the hut might smell of disease and be dirty, but it is clean. Flowers stand in a vase on the table, and their perfume fills the air.)
Leilani: I knew you’d come! You always seem to know when one of us is too sick to come to mass!
Damien: Konane told me that you had a fever this morning.
(Father Damien lays his hand on Leilani’s forehead. His hands seem pale against the yellow and brown spots that mar her face. He smiles down at her, and she smiles back.)
Damien: Yes, I think you do have a fever. So stay in bed. I’ll bring you the Blessed Sacrament after mass.
Leilani: Thank you, Father.
(We leave the hut and walk back the way we’ve come. Along the way, we greet other members of the leper colony. Father Damien tells me that they are dressed in their Sunday best. Some of them have lost a nose or an ear because of the leprosy. But all smile at us.)
Leslie: Aren’t you afraid to touch people like Leilani? Aren’t you afraid that you’ll get leprosy?
Damien: I already have it.
Leslie: What? Is that why you came here, because you already had it?
Damien: No, I’ve been healthy for eleven years, but just yesterday, I realized that I’d finally been infected with the disease.
Leslie: How did you find out?
Damien: I was pouring hot water into a basin to wash myself. Some missed the bowl and spilled on my foot.
Leslie: Yes?
Damien: Well, I felt nothing. No pain. So my nerve endings have deadened. I have leprosy. I am a leper.
(In the distance, I can see the chapel Father Damien and the people of Molokai built. On the roof a gold crucifix gleams.)
Leslie: It’s unfair!
Damien: Why?
Leslie: Well, you come here to do good. And then you get sick. I’d think that God would want you to stay healthy for a long, long time so that you could continue to help the people here. What’s God thinking of!
(Father Damien laughs loud and long. The people passing by chuckle. It’s clear they’re used to hearing him laugh. Then he breaks into a lovely Hawaiian song about the beauty of the earth. Everyone sings with us. As the people walk on, we two stand looking out at the Pacific Ocean.)
Damien: Don’t get mad at God! Remember the story in the Gospel of Matthew about the Last Judgment?
Leslie: What about it?
Damien: In the story, Jesus says, “I was ill and you cared for me.” And the people say, “When did we see you ill and care for you.” And Jesus says, “Amen, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Leslie: I remember.
Damien: So I found Jesus here and he found me. From this day forward I will truly be one with my people. They taught me through their sickness. Now I will learn more through my own.
Leslie: Have you told them yet?
Damien: No. I plan on doing that this morning.
(Silently, we walk up the beach toward the chapel. I peer inside and see many disfigured faces and bodies among the children, women, and men gathered there. I know that Father Damien has set up two orphanages on the island for the children of parents who have died of leprosy. God has done good through him. Before we enter, this good man looks back out to sea.)
Damien: What a beautiful day!
Leslie: How can you think of that now? You’re sick!
Damien: Being sick makes me even more aware of the beauty of God’s creation, of the beauty of a human being.
Leslie: How will you tell them that you, too, have leprosy?
Damien: Come inside and you’ll hear.
(We go into the sacristy. I help Father Damien vest for mass. Then we go out to the altar, and he greets his congregation. We sing a song praising God, and mass begins. Soon, it is time for the gospel. Father Damien reads it, closes the book, and then looks at his people.)
Damien: Fellow lepers…
(The people gasp. Father Damien has never started a homily this way. They are fellow lepers! He has leprosy. Some begin to cry.)
Congregation: No! No!
Damien: Yes, my friends, we are now lepers together. We will help one another. Together we lepers will praise and serve the Lord!
(The congregation breaks into song. We continue to celebrate the mass together. Afterward, everyone gathers around Father Damien and embraces him. Now, he is truly one of them.)
Epilogue
Father Damien lived for five more years. During that time, he continued to serve his congregation. He visited the sick. He washed and bound their sores. He preached good news to them. Then, in April 1889, he died. Afterward, some people on the mainland spoke ill of him. But the Church conducted an investigation and discovered that Damien had been a good man who did good for others. The Church beatified him in 1995. I am glad I met such a fine person. He taught me not to be afraid of those who are different.
Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition
Grade 3, chapter 24
