[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 786 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 786

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      October 14, 2009.
Whereas Father Damien de Veuster, SS.CC. was born Joseph de Veuster in Tremelo, 
        Belgium, on January 3, 1840, and in 1859, at age 19, he entered the 
        Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Louvain and 
        selected Damien as his religious name;
Whereas in 1863, Father Damien received permission to replace his ill brother, 
        and sailed to the Hawaiian Islands to perform missionary work;
Whereas Father Damien arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 19, 1864, was 
        ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace on May 
        21, 1864, and began his pastoral ministry on the island of Hawaii;
Whereas the Hawaiian Government deported individuals infected with leprosy, now 
        also known as Hansen's disease, to a peninsula on the island of Molokai, 
        to prevent further spread of the disease, and Bishop Louis Maigret, 
        SS.CC. sought the help of Father Damien and other priests to provide 
        spiritual assistance for the sufferers of Hansen's disease;
Whereas several priests volunteered to work on Molokai for a few months, but 
        Father Damien requested to remain permanently with the individuals 
        suffering from Hansen's disease, and was among the first to leave for 
        the island of Molokai on May 10, 1873;
Whereas for 16 years, Father Damien served as a voice of hope and a source of 
        consolation and encouragement for the individuals afflicted with 
        Hansen's disease;
Whereas working together, Father Damien and the people isolated on the Kalaupapa 
        peninsula accomplished remarkable achievements, including building 
        houses and hospitals, taking care of the patients' spiritual and 
        physical needs, building 6 chapels, constructing a home for boys and a 
        home for girls, and burying the hundreds who died during his years on 
        the island of Molokai;
Whereas Father Damien died on April 15, 1889, after contracting Hansen's 
        disease, and his remains were transferred to Belgium in 1936, where he 
        was interred in the crypt of the church of the Congregation of the 
        Sacred Hearts at Louvain;
Whereas in 1938, the process for beatification for Father Damien was introduced 
        at Malines, Belgium;
Whereas in April 1965, the Legislature of the State of Hawaii selected Father 
        Damien as the first of its two selections for the National Statuary Hall 
        Collection in the U.S. Capitol;
Whereas, on April 15, 1969, a statue of Father Damien and a statue of King 
        Kamehameha I, gifts from the State of Hawaii, were unveiled at the 
        Capitol Rotunda;
Whereas, on July 7, 1977, Pope Paul VI declared Father Damien ``venerable'', the 
        first of 3 steps that lead to sainthood;
Whereas, on June 4, 1995, Pope John Paul II declared Father Damien ``Blessed 
        Damien'', and his feast is on May 10, the day Father Damien first 
        entered the island of Molokai; and
Whereas Father Damien will be canonized a saint on October 11, 2009, by Pope 
        Benedict XVI: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors and praises Father Damien 
for his legacy, work, service, and his insistence on recognizing the human 
rights and dignity of every individual, particularly those who lived alongside 
him at the Hansen's disease settlement on the island of Molokai.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.