[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 88 (Thursday, May 25, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7578-S7579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING CONTRIBUTIONS OF FATHER JOSEPH DAMIEN DE VEUSTER

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 125, a 
resolution to honor the contributions of Father Joseph Damien de 
Veuster, submitted earlier today by Senators Akaka, Inouye, and others; 
that the resolution and the preamble be agreed to, en bloc, and the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements appear 
in the Record as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the resolution (S. Res. 125) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:
                              S. Res. 125

       Whereas Father Joseph Damien de Veuster was born in 
     Tremeloo, Belgium, on January 3, 1840;
       Whereas Father Damien entered the Sacred Hearts Order at 
     Louvain, Belgium, as a postulant in January 1859 and took his 
     final vows in Paris on October 7, 1860;
       Whereas, after arriving in Honolulu on March 19, 1864, to 
     join the Sacred Hearts Mission in Hawaii, Father Damien was 
     ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Our Lady of 
     Peace on May 21, 1864;
       Whereas Father Damien was sent to Puna, Kohala, and Hamakua 
     districts on the island of Hawaii, where Father Damien served 
     people in isolated communities for 9 years;
       Whereas the alarming spread of Hansen's disease, also known 
     as leprosy, for which there was no known cure, prompted the 
     Hawaiian Legislature to pass an Act to Prevent the Spread of 
     Leprosy in 1865;
       Whereas the Act required segregating those afflicted with 
     leprosy to the isolated peninsula of Kalaupapa, Molokai, 
     where those afflicted by leprosy were virtually imprisoned by 
     steep cliffs and open seas;
       Whereas those afflicted by leprosy were forced to separate 
     from their families, had meager medical care and supplies, 
     and had poor living and social conditions;
       Whereas in July 1872, Father Damien wrote to the Father 
     General that many of his parishioners had been sent to the 
     settlement on Molokai and lamented that he should join them;
       Whereas on May 12, 1873, Father Damien petitioned Bishop 
     Maigret, having received a request earlier for a resident 
     priest at Kalaupapa, to allow Father Damien to stay on 
     Molokai and devote his life to leprosy patients;
       Whereas for 16 years, from 1873 to 1889, Father Damien 
     labored to bring material and spiritual comfort to the 
     leprosy patients of Kalaupapa, building chapels, water 
     cisterns, and boys and girls homes;
       Whereas on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49, Father Damien 
     died of leprosy contracted a few years earlier;
       Whereas the Roman Catholic Church began the consideration 
     of beatification of Father Damien in February 1955, and 
     Father Damien will be beatified on June 4, 1995, by Pope John 
     Paul II in Brussels, Belgium;
       Whereas Father Damien was selected by the State of Hawaii 
     in 1965 as 1 of the distinguished citizens of the State whose 
     statue would be installed in Statuary Hall in the United 
     States Capitol;
       Whereas the life of Father Damien continues to be a 
     profound example of selfless devotion to others and remains 
     an inspiration for all mankind;
       Whereas common use of sulfone drugs in the 1940's removed 
     the dreaded sentence of disfigurement and death imposed by 
     leprosy, and the 1969 repeal of the isolation law allowed 
     greater mobility for former Hansen's disease patients;
       Whereas in the mid-1970's, the community of former leprosy 
     patients at Molokai recommended the establishment of a United 
     States National Park at Kalaupapa, out of a strong sense of 
     stewardship of the legacy left by Father Damien and the rich 
     history of Kalaupapa;
       Whereas the Kalaupapa National Historic Park was 
     established in 1980 with a provision that former Hansen's 
     disease patients may remain in the park as long as they wish; 
     and
       Whereas the remaining patients at Kalaupapa, many of whom 
     were exiled as children or young adults and who have endured 
     immeasurable hardships and untold sorrows, are a special 
     legacy for America, exemplifying the dignity and strength of 
     the human spirit: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the United States recognizes 
     Father Damien for his service to humanity and takes this 
     occasion to--
       (1) celebrate achievements of modern medicine in combating 
     the once-dreaded leprosy disease;
       (2) remember that victims of leprosy still suffer social 
     banishment in many parts of the world; and
       (3) honor the people of Kalaupapa as a living American 
     legacy of human spirit and dignity.

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I am pleased to submit a resolution 
recognizing the contributions of Father Damien, a very special person 
who lived in Hawaii during the late 1800s, for his service to humanity. 
Senators Inouye, Daschle, Kennedy, Simon, and Murkowski have joined me 
as cosponsors of this measure.
  Father Damien is best known for his tireless efforts to provide 
material and spiritual comforts for leprosy patients at Kalaupapa, 
Molokai, during the latter half of the 19th century. Beloved by the 
people of Hawaii and the country of his birth, Belgium, his life serves 
as a model for all mankind.
  In recognition of his heroic acts, the Roman Catholic Church began 
the consideration of Father Damien's beatification in 1955. The State 
of Hawaii, in 1965, selected Father Damien as one of its distinguished 
citizens and his statue was installed in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary 
Hall. I am pleased to announce that Father Damien will be beatified by 
Pope John Paul II on June 4, 1995, in Brussels, Belgium.
  Mr. President, lessons from the life of Father Damien extend beyond 
religious beliefs and considerations. My resolution recognizes Father 
Damien's life for his overall service to humanity. Indeed, his life was 
not that of an ordinary man.
  Born in Belgium in 1840, Father Damien arrived in Hawaii in 1864 to 
join the Sacred Hearts Mission in Honolulu. After several years of 
serving isolated communities on the island of Hawaii, Father Damien 
became concerned that many of his parishioners had been sent to 
Kalaupapa, Molokai, a settlement established for leprosy patients in 
1865. In 1873, his request to serve the people of Kalaupapa was 
granted.
  For 16 years, Father Damien labored to bring material and spiritual 
comfort to Kalaupapa's leprosy patients, building chapels, water 
cisterns, and boys and girls homes. His selfless devotion to the 
patients was evident when in 1876, he told a U.S. medical inspector, 
``This is my work in the world. Sooner or later I shall become a leper, 
but may it not be until I have exhausted my capabilities for good.'' 
Father Damien died of leprosy, at the age of 49, on April 15, 1889. 
While his death was a devastating loss, the spiritual foundation that 
he established for the community of Kalaupapa would forever be 
remembered by the people of Hawaii.
  Out of concern that Father Damien's legacy and Kalaupapa's rich 
history not be forgotten, the Kalaupapa National Historical Park was 
established in 1980, with a provision that former leprosy patients may 
remain as long as they wish. While the common use of sulfone drugs 
since the 1940s had rendered leprosy, or Hansen's disease, 
controllable, and the 1969 repeal of Hawaii's isolation law allowed 
greater mobility for former leprosy patients at Kalaupapa, many 
continued to face discrimination and banishment from their families and 
the community at large.
  To show how the stigma of leprosy impacted everyday lives, I would 
like to share with you the words expressed by a 70-year old woman who 
had lived at Kalaupapa for 46 years. In part, she said, ``I was finally 
paroled in 1966. My mother was still alive, so I wrote to her and told 
her I was finally cured. I could come home. After a long while, her 
letter came. She said, ``Don't come home. You stay at Kalaupapa.'' I 
wrote her back and said that I wanted to just visit, to see the place 
where I was born. Again, she wrote back. This time she said, ``No, you 
stay there.'' You see, my mother had many friends and I think she felt 
shame before them. I was disfigured, even though I was cured. So she 
told me, her daughter, ``Don't come home.'' She said, ``You stay right 
[[Page S7579]] where you are. Stay there, and leave your bones at 
Kalaupapa.''
  Mr. President, such testimony is not uncommon. For years, former 
patients from Kalaupapa struggled for respect and dignity. Though 
attitudes have changed over the years, much more needs to be done. We 
must take every opportunity to educate our Nation on Father Damien's 
life and the history of Kalaupapa. The history of Kalaupapa holds a 
universal lesson that is still valid as we deal with social issues of 
today, be it homelessness, AIDS, disabilities, or cultural differences.
  While my resolution honors Father Damien, it also honors the people 
of Kalaupapa as a living American legacy of human spirit and dignity. 
It celebrates the achievements of modern medicine in combating the 
once-dreaded leprosy. And it remembers the victims of this disease that 
still suffer social banishment in many parts of the world.
  I ask my colleagues for their support in the adoption of my 
resolution.


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