Father Damien and His Journey

780 Words4 Pages
Father Damien and His Journey

Between 1866 and 1873, seven hundred and ninety-seven lepers arrived on Molokai. Almost half of them died. Public indignation mounted, and the Board of Health sought to improve conditions. In April of 1873, Walter Gibson, a politician at the time, wrote a newspaper article that made a bold request. It called for a noble Christian priest, preacher, or Sister who would sacrifice their own life to console the lepers on Molokai. There were several men in Hawaii who were willing to respond, and one of them was Father Damien, a charitable Catholic priest with the Sacred Hearts order. It may have been presentiment or prophecy, but Father Damien had known for some time that he would eventually go to Molokai.

When Father Damien arrived on Molokai, it was in a state of disarray. Sacred Hearts had previously built a tiny chapel, dedicated to St. Philomena, but attendance was scarce. There was no government on the island, and the lepers' days were filled with drinking, crime, and a general sense of hopelessness. Father Damien chose to rectify this in many ways.

During the first weeks upon arrival, Father Damien took normal precautions to avoid contagion. He settled comfortably under a tree outside of the tiny chapel, and a large rock on the side of the tree served as his dinner table. But if Damien protected his body from the disease, there was nothing he could do to protect his eyes or ears from the shock of the contact with the lepers. Gathering his courage, he began to approach the

lepers one by one. He embraced them, dined with them, and he cleaned and bandaged their wounds. On his first visit to a young girl, he found that worms had eaten at one whole side of her body. Now this...

... middle of paper ...

...happy to possess. I personally don't know if I would have been able to give so much of myself. And in the end, when his peers would not even comfort him, he continued to do what he could to help the people. It would have different if he hadn't known that he would have to die. But he did, and still chose to go. Even when death was upon him, he worked tirelessly until he no longer had the strength. To me, that is amazing.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

Kalaupapa National Historic Park. Father Damien of Kalaupapa. 14 June 2000.

.

Sacred Hearts Community. Blessed Father Damien: Servant of Humanity.

2 June 2000. 15 June 2000. .

Architect of the Capitol, Office of the Curator. Father Damien. Jan. 15, 1997.

16 June 2000. .

Damien Memorial High School. Father Damien de Veuster. June 9, 2000.

16 June 2000.
Show More
Related

  • Benedict Arnold

    2535 Words  | 11 Pages

    The attack had lasted fifty days and the secret journey resulted in a catastrophe for the volunteer soldiers who marched away. The conditions were terrible. It was said that almost fifty percent of the men froze, starved... ... middle of paper ... ... and the other three were from his first marriage to Margaret. His four sons then became members of the British military. America now has their first despicable traitor!

    Read More

  • Does the Honor System Work

    1545 Words  | 7 Pages

    Hood College. Honor System Page. 25 September 1998. Hood College. 1 November 2000.

    Read More

  • John Lennon

    1732 Words  | 7 Pages

    <http://www.josnsukjournal.com/links/lennon.htm> (16 Feb. 2000). Norman, Philip, et. Al. "John Lennon Portfolio." 1998.

    Read More

  • United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

    3519 Words  | 15 Pages

    14 March 2001. United Nations, Sustainable Development. Agenda 21; Local Authorities’ Initiatives in Support of Agenda 21. 1999. <http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/agenda21chapter28 .html>.

    Read More

  • Josh Hamilton the Baseball Player

    1468 Words  | 6 Pages

    22 Jan. 2009 . "My Josh." Sports Illustrated 2 June 1999. 22 Jan. 2009 . Ray, James L. "Josh Hamilton comes back to life."

    Read More

  • World War II

    4158 Words  | 17 Pages

    Visited March 20, 2001. Wernick, Robert. Blitzkrieg. Morristown: Silver Burdett, 1977. WGBH Educational Foundation, "Guts and Glory" 1998

    Read More

  • Winston Churchill and His Leadership During World War II

    1342 Words  | 6 Pages

    (May 2000). Bradick, Lynn and Norbert Schrepf. "Sir Winston Churchill." Verlag Norbert Schrepf, 1997. (April 2000).

    Read More

  • Men of Honor

    1093 Words  | 5 Pages

    Dir. George Tillman Jr. DVD. CBS/Fox Home Video, April 10, 2001 Men of Honor: The Story of Carl Brashear. Lawbuzz.com © 2000 Boz & Glazier, PLC. Naval Institute History, Reference and Preservation.

    Read More

  • A Strategic Analysis of Walgreens and the Retail Drugstore Industry

    17574 Words  | 71 Pages

    www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist4.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist5.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist6.jhtr, June 15, 2000.

    Read More

  • The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

    1212 Words  | 5 Pages

    Even though they were scared to go out and fight they did so anyway because, it was hard for these men to face the burden of emotion. When Ted Lavender died his fellow soldiers were indeed sad for his loss but, every single one of them was happy that it wasn't them who was dead. They can still live one more day deal... ... middle of paper ... ...something that O'Brien carries with him even after the war is over. For twenty years he has carried the guilt of killing someone. Further more, it just goes to show that soldiers not only carry physical things like guns, food or good luck charms.

    Read More

More about Father Damien and His Journey

Open Document