March 23: The Leper Priest

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader Podcast. Today is March 23rd, and our story is The Leper Priest. As a seminarian with the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Damian DeVouster prayed every day before an image of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionaries. His prayer never varied. The Belgian-born farm boy wanted to become a missionary and take the gospel to the Hawaiian people. His prayer was answered in 1863, when his brother, also a member of the congregation, fell ill shortly before sailing for Hawaii.

Although not yet ordained, Damien received permission to take his brother's place. He and a group of fellow missionaries left France before the new year, arriving in Hawaii in March 1864. Shortly after landing, Damien was ordained a priest. He then served the native Hawaiians for nine years until 1873, when, at his request, he left to care for the lepers in the recently established colony on Molokai.

Once Father Damien arrived in Molokai, he began constructing a graveyard to bury the dead. Honoring the dead, he believed, was the first step toward helping people honor their lives. Next, he expanded the small chapel and built the lepers' homes, schools, orphanages, and hospitals, all the while evangelizing and catechizing his flock.

When he arrived, 200 of the island's 600 lepers were Catholic. Within six months, he had 400 catechumens. As Father Damien worked beside the lepers, he realized that if he was truly going to touch their souls, he needed to touch their bodies as well, to bathe their wounds and hold their hands as they lay dying. So, he did, eventually contracting the disease himself by December 1884.

Father Damien continued his work without pause for four more years, but by March 23, 1889, he was too ill to go on. On that day, he was confined to his bed. He died soon after, on April 15, 1889.

One hundred and twenty years later, on October 11, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI declared Damian the leper Saint Damian of Malachi. Father Damian teaches that true service requires total compassion, personal sacrifice, and humility. Find a way to serve someone marginalized, sick, or in need this week. Even small acts of care reflect profound faith.

Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, March 24th, for another story of faith and courage in America.