Dietrich Varez woodcut
CHURCH SOCIAL TIPS
Although I was educated on the Mainland, the Sacred Hearts Sisters put the imprint of the Hawaiian spirit on all the students they served at Maria Regina School in Gardena, California. I remember during my first trip to Hawaii in 1984 that there was a mention of Father Damien during a tour description of Molokai and it sparked my interest, but not enough to go there.
As a watcher of Eternal World Television Network, EWTN, when I heard that this humble priest was going to be canonized it gave me a sense of connection. It was really exciting that someone from the 19th century, from America and the home state of the religious sisters who shaped my faith would be added to a catalog of saints. I watched the canonization of St. Damien on EWTN, live from the Vatican, in 2009, the “Year of the Priest.” The excitement of the pilgrims who traveled to Rome for the event was palpable. Seeing Audrey Toguchi, the woman who received the healing from cancer resulting from intercessory prayers offered to Father Damien walking down the center aisle, sparked a greater devotion to the power of intercessory prayer for me.
As a catechist at St. Theodore in Gonzales, California, I was given a video to watch with the catechumens. It was “Molokai: The Story of Father Damien.” Watching this depiction of his life, that so vividly exhibited the isolation, compassion and advocacy he embodied as a priest, touched my soul. Again my heart felt a tug to walk in the footsteps he made on Molokai. But it wasn’t until I received an invitation from Sister Cheryl Wint, a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, to create a presentation around how Sts. Damien and Marianne would use technology today, that I developed a devotion to him and St. Marianne.
You see, when I read the book “Holy Man” about St. Damien and reflected on him in modern terms, a more contemporary portrait of his life finally emerged and sparked a full-on devotion. If we compare the 19th and 21st century worlds there are many parallels. We see those who have AIDS/HIV or who are homeless suffer the same ostracization. As I read the book “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas à Kempis and his own devotion to the practice of mortification, it helped me understand how St. Damien could put himself in such peril to serve others.
In “Holy Man,” St. Damien is called “God’s athlete” for his physical strength and vigor. Imagining him scaling mountains every Sunday to preside at Masses mountains apart, building churches with his bare hands and touching those he was ordered not to touch, inspires me to serve the marginalized. As I read, it occurred to me that maybe he inspired the work of his fellow saint, St. Teresa of Kolkata.
The stories of our beloved saints inspire devotion, but don’t always spark activism. Since I gave a presentation at the Damien and Marianne Conference in Honolulu in 2018 I’ve started to meditate on how I can “talk story” on the Mainland to spark more devotion and activism in the next generation of Catholics to emulate this great model of glorifying the Lord with your life.
An article I read in Psychology Today supports the notion that the next generation is ripe for continuing the church’s commitment to vocations and social justice. A decade after his elevation to sainthood and 130 years after his death, St. Damien continues to inspire all of us to listen to the Lord’s call to serve the poor and marginalized in our communities.
