[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 140 (Thursday, October 1, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF A HOUSE RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE CANONIZATION OF 
             FATHER DAMIEN de VEUSTER, SS.CC. TO SAINTHOOD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAZIE K. HIRONO

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 30, 2009

  Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution 
commemorating the canonization of Father Damien de Veuster, a member of 
the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, to sainthood 
on October 11, 2009. Some 600 people from Hawaii are traveling to the 
Vatican to witness his elevation.
  As many of you know, Father Damien is recognized for his 16 years of 
selfless service to the people who were forcibly isolated on the 
peninsula of Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, because they 
were diagnosed with leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease. Living 
among the people of Kalaupapa from 1873 to 1889, he eventually 
contracted Hansen's disease and ultimately died and was buried on 
Molokai.
  The policy of exiling persons with the disease that was then known as 
leprosy began under the Kingdom of Hawaii and continued under the 
governments of the Republic of Hawaii, the Territory of Hawaii, and the 
State of Hawaii. Children, mothers, and fathers were forcibly separated 
and sent to the isolated peninsula of Kalaupapa, which for most of its 
history could only be accessed by water or via a steep mule trail. 
Children born to parents at Kalaupapa were taken away from their 
mothers and sent to orphanages or to other family members outside of 
Kalaupapa. Hawaii's isolation laws for people with Hansen's disease 
were not repealed until 1969, even though medications to control the 
disease had been available since the late 1940s.
  I believe that all people, regardless of their religious beliefs, can 
recognize truly extraordinary persons who give of themselves without 
reserve for the betterment of their fellow human beings. Father Damien 
was surely such a person. No disease was as feared as leprosy in the 
late 1800s, but he volunteered to serve at Kalaupapa and requested to 
stay there in order to serve those who most shunned. He recognized the 
human rights and inherent dignity of all people, especially those he 
lived alongside at Kalaupapa.
  Father Damien worked with those who were isolated at Kalaupapa to 
improve living conditions. A skilled carpenter, he led in the building 
of houses and hospitals, six chapels, a home for boys, and a home for 
girls. At the same time, he ministered to the spiritual and physical 
needs of his parishioners and helped to bury the hundreds who died 
during his years there.
  It is noteworthy that, shortly after Hawaii became a State, Father 
Damien was the first selection of the State legislature to be 
memorialized in a statue as part of the National Statuary Hall 
Collection. Despite the fact that he was not born in Hawaii and lived 
so long ago, Hawaii's people recognized that his life embodied the true 
spirit of aloha (love, compassion, mercy, grace) and malama (to care 
for).
  I have visited Father Damien's church and grave at Kalawao on the 
Kalaupapa peninsula. I hope that some of you will have the opportunity 
to visit Kalaupapa at some point in your lives. I know that you will be 
deeply moved, as I was, by the example of this man, soon to be 
recognized as a saint, as well as by the courage and perseverance of 
the people he dedicated his life to serving.

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