St. Damien's Feast Day

Father Damien Statue, St. Francis Church, Kalaupapa

"On May 10, 1873, the vessel Kilauea left Maui with a cargo of fifty lepers and some cattle for the settlement of Molokai.  Bishop Maigret and Father Damien, on the deck, were hailed by the settlement inhabitants, who raced to the shore to greet them. 

Lui Ka Epikopo (Bishop Louis Maigret) and Father Damien landed on Kalaupapa, and there the bishop introduced the young priest, telling the patients that the had brought 'one who will be a father to you.'  He added that Damien so loved them that he was willing 'to become one with you, to live and die with you...'"

Kalaupapa

Excerpt from Father Damien: The Man and His Era by Margaret R. Bunson and published by Our Sunday Visitor.