Archbishop of Sydney

Fr Damien

By + George Pell
ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
23 June 2002

He was the son of a small farmer and as a young man joined a Catholic missionary group called the Picpus Fathers, whose task was to bring the teachings of Christ and his practical example of service to lands where Christianity was little known. In those days without jet travel, life as a missionary in distant parts meant no return home, life-long exile.

In 1864 Joseph was ordained a Catholic priest in Honolulu taking the religious name Damien. It was then common for nuns, priests and brothers to take the name of a saint they admired. He was now known to his people as Father Damien.

Leprosy was and is a terrible disease, but for thousands of years there was no cure. Even in Christ's time, sufferers were sent into isolation, refused contact with the ordinary population, whom they had to warn of their approach, often with a bell.

One of Christ's most famous miracles was the cure of the ten lepers, made more famous yet because only one returned to thank him. A am sure the other nine were deeply grateful. They were probably too excited, returning to their families, to find time for an explicit "thank you". Human nature hasn't changed much.

In 1873 at his own request, Damien went to the leper island of Molokai, originally for a three-to-four month stint. But once he saw the work that needed to be done he decided to commit himself to it for the long term.

On Molokai he found six hundred lepers living in primitive conditions and a state of anarchy. The law of the jungle prevailed and the strong oppressed the weak, who were typically women, orphaned children, and those in the final stages of the disease.

There were few houses and most people lived as best they could in makeshift huts or humpies. There was a derelict church, but no hospital, no doctor, and no one to care for the dying. Food was delivered every month or so, but without any proper system of distribution the weakest often went hungry.

Damien stepped into this situation and immediately began to bring order into chaos. He was a tough, outspoken and somewhat difficult man, but a great fighter for his flock. From the moment he arrived he began petitioning his superiors for building materials, medical supplies and for people to assist him in this work.

In particular Damien asked for nursing nuns to be sent to Molokai to run the hospital he had built. Towards the end of his life the Sisters of Charity came to Honolulu to take up this work, but it was a few years before they were allowed to proceed to Molokai.

Damien was a controversial figure in his time, attracting his fair share of friends and enemies. His first bishop was sympathetic and helpful, but later on other people began to criticize Damien's work and suggest that he was living immorally. Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of "Treasure Island," came to Damien's defence and was one of many to popularise his cause.

Damien's life is the subject of the new film "Molokai" which opened in cinemas this week. Australian director Paul Cox has given us a wonderful portrayal of Damien's life and work and has clearly understood both the man and his mission.