St. Damien of Molokai

Summary

Podcast Summary: Catholic Saints – Episode on St. Damien of Molokai

Podcast Information:

• Title: Catholic Saints
• Host/Author: Augustine Institute
• Episode: St. Damien of Molokai
• Release Date: May 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this enlightening episode of Catholic Saints, Mary McGhan hosts Dr. James Prothero, a professor of Theology and Sacred Scripture, to delve into the inspiring life of St. Damien of Molokai. Produced by the Augustine Institute, the podcast aims to provide the faithful with deeper insights into the lives of officially recognized Catholic saints, encouraging listeners to emulate their heroic virtues.

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Early Life and Calling

[00:32] Mary McGhan opens the discussion by introducing St. Damien of Molokai, expressing her enthusiasm, especially having watched a movie about him. Dr. James Prothero elaborates on Damien’s origins, revealing that he was born Joseph Joseph in Belgium around 1840. Influenced by his brother’s decision to join religious life, Joseph felt a divine calling to follow suit, ultimately taking the name Damien upon entering his religious order.

“Here am I. Send me.” – Dr. James Prothero [03:53]

Damien’s profound desire for missionary work was not driven by personal ambition but by a heartfelt aspiration to serve, mirroring the missionary spirit of St. Francis Xavier. His commitment was so deep that he prayed daily before an image of St. Francis Xavier, seeking the same missionary fervor.

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Mission to Hawaii

Damien’s path to sainthood took a pivotal turn when his brother fell ill and was unable to undertake their planned mission to Hawaii. [04:12] Dr. Prothero recounts how Damien volunteered to replace his brother, reflecting his selfless nature. Arriving in Hawaii in 1864, Damien was ordained locally and began his mission work on the island of Molokai, one of Hawaii’s smaller islands.

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Work Among the Lepers

Shortly after Damien’s arrival, a significant health crisis emerged. The Hawaiian government decided to exile individuals afflicted with leprosy (later known as Hansen's disease) to Molokai's remote peninsula. This isolationist policy aimed to contain the disease but resulted in the formation of one of the first leper colonies.

[06:18] Mary McGhan: "Leprosy, right."

Damien answered the call to minister to these marginalized individuals despite the inherent dangers and societal rejection. His commitment was so profound that he and several others chose to stay permanently, even as the environment proved to be a death sentence.

[07:43] Dr. Prothero: "He proved to be a death sentence and a life sentence in a happy way for Father Damien."

His work encompassed both physical and spiritual care: building coffins, burying the dead with dignity, tending to sores and ulcers, performing Mass, and fostering a sense of community among the exiled population. Notably, Damien lacked a formal medical background but embraced the necessity to address both the immediate and long-term needs of those he served.

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Legacy and Impact

Damien’s unwavering presence among the lepers not only provided essential care but also affirmed the dignity of each individual, countering the isolation and despair that plagued the colony. [09:07] Mary McGhan: "Whoever was in front of him."

His holistic approach—serving Catholics and non-Catholics alike—mirrors the inclusive love of Christ. Dr. Prothero draws parallels between Damien’s suffering and Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion, highlighting Damien’s embodiment of Christ-like compassion and self-sacrifice.

[10:24] Dr. Prothero: "His heart in this makes me think of Jesus in two ways..."

Damien eventually contracted leprosy himself, suffering from the very affliction he tirelessly worked to alleviate in others. His steadfast commitment continued until his death in 1889. Posthumously, his remains were returned to Belgium, while his legacy endures in Hawaii, where a statue honors him as the patron saint of lepers and the Diocese of Honolulu.

[13:30] Dr. Prothero: "He's just... a beautiful."

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Notable Quotes

• Damien’s Missionary Zeal:
  “Here am I. Send me.” – Dr. James Prothero [03:53]

• On the Uniqueness of Individuals:
  “...every one of these people, as for Jesus, right, is unique and is valuable on their own. So that nobody's expendable...” – Dr. James Prothero [10:58]

• Encouragement to Learn and Embrace Suffering:
  “Go learn, learn about him and think about him and ask him to help you in your life of suffering is inevitable...” – Dr. James Prothero [17:43]

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Personal Reflections and Modern Relevance

Mary shares a personal connection through her wife, whose confirmation saint is Damien. Dr. Prothero observes how Damien’s influence is evident in his wife’s compassionate interactions with their children and the marginalized, echoing Damien’s servant leadership.

[16:00] Dr. Prothero: "My wife's confirmation saint... she's tender and compassionate with the kids."

This personal testament underscores Damien’s enduring impact, inspiring contemporary Catholics to embody similar virtues of humility, compassion, and unwavering service.

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Conclusion

Father Damien of Molokai stands as a beacon of selfless service and unwavering faith. His life exemplifies the Catholic call to holiness through acts of profound love and sacrifice. As Dr. James Prothero poignantly advises, understanding and emulating Damien’s legacy can inspire individuals to find strength in suffering and to serve others with a Christ-like heart.

[17:58] Dr. James Prothero: “...suffering for the sake of Christ and for him and others.”

Through this episode, listeners are encouraged to explore the life of St. Damien, drawing lessons on mission, compassion, and enduring faith that remain profoundly relevant today.

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Watch and Learn More: Access video interviews, award-winning studies, parish programs, and inspiring content at formed.org, the Augustine Institute’s online Catholic streaming service.

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St. Damien of Molokai continues to inspire countless individuals, reminding us of the power of dedicated service and the enduring strength found in faith.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

You're listening to a podcast on Catholic Saints. This podcast is produced by the Augustine Institute, an apostolate helping Catholics understand, live and share their faith.

[Mary McGhan]

Hi, welcome to Catholic Saints. My name is Mary McGhan. I work here at the Augustine Institute, and today I AM joined with Dr. James Prothero, professor of Theology and Sacred Scripture. Thanks for joining.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Thanks so much for having me.

[Mary McGhan]

We are talking about St Damian of Molokai on this episode, and the whole point is to learn about the lives of the saints, look to them for inspiration on how we, too, are called to be saints in our lives. So St Damian of Molokai, what a saint.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Mary McGhan]

I've seen a movie about him and that's about it. So I'm excited to learn more about him.

[Dr. James Prothero]

So you're one up on me? I haven't seen the movie.

[Mary McGhan]

I thought it was pretty good. I think. Yes. It might even be on forum.org if you'd like to check it out. But it is wonderful. What would you say are some basics about St Damian? When did he grow up? What time period? Where is he from?

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah, so Saint Damon, he's born Joseph Joseph, but he was born in Belgium, actually, so he's actually European, but he's the patron saint of the Diocese of Honolulu in Hawaii because that's where he did his most important work and the work that, at least on Earth, he's remembered as being a saint for. So he was born in Belgium in the mid-1800s, by 1840, and he had an interest in religious life. His brother went off to religious life, and his dad then expected him to, Damian Joseph, to take on the family business because, you know, we lost one already to religious life. So you are going to do this. And he said, no, I'm going to join, too. So he followed his brother.

[Mary McGhan]

Same order.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah, same order. Into religious life. And the same order part, excuse me, is really. Thanks.

[Mary McGhan]

You're welcome.

[Dr. James Prothero]

The same order part is actually really important. So he joined and he takes the name Damian, and he's got this desire for mission. You know, sometimes we, you know, you read these stories about saints where they get sent off on a mission to a faraway place. And you can see some of the created gifts that they have that make people choose them to go off. And St. Damian wasn't a bad choice in those terms, but it's really his servant's heart as much as anything that actually made him wonderful and amazing at what he did. So his superior were kind of nervous even about making him like a priest or sending him off to do anything because he was a monkey.

[Mary McGhan]

He was just so average.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah. He wasn't dumb by any means, and he learned Latin from his brother. But he also wasn't like a star or a great organizer or a great preacher or a great. Any of the sort of, like, singular things people like, well, he's the best of the best at this in our orders that we'll send him.

[Mary McGhan]

He just had a deep zeal for mission.

[Dr. James Prothero]

He had a deep zeal, and he. It said that when he was there in the order, he would pray before an image of St. Francis Xavier every day, asking for that same kind of missionary work. Right. From the great Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier. He wanted to do the same kind of thing. This is his sort of aspiration. And not just an aspiration where he's arrogant about it, like, I'm going to go do this. But it's his prayer he wants. You know, he's got a heart like Isaiah. Here am I. Send me.

[Mary McGhan]

Yes.

[Dr. James Prothero]

And that's consuming. Exactly.

[Mary McGhan]

Which was the order?

[Dr. James Prothero]

Oh, I've forgotten.

[Mary McGhan]

That's okay. It was a religious order.

[Dr. James Prothero]

That's a really good question. And I've forgotten.

[Mary McGhan]

But his brother had also joined. But were they sent to the same locations?

[Dr. James Prothero]

No. So here's how it happened.

[Mary McGhan]

Okay.

[Dr. James Prothero]

So his brother was slated to go be a missionary in Hawaii, and his brother got really sick and couldn't take the trip. So Joseph, soon to be Father Damien, or sorry, Damien now because he took that name when he entered religious life, Damien volunteers and says, can I please go in his place? And they're like, sure. So they send him.

[Mary McGhan]

Yes. I didn't know that.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah. So he's born in 1840, and then 1864, he shows up in Hawaii, and then after that is ordained. And it's really cool. I mean, both of these things I feel like are significant when I think about his story and the way that God does things. Because a right. Sickness is going to be a part of his life and mission coming up. And sickness is part of the reason that, humanly speaking, he was able to be sent for this, whereas otherwise they might have just kept him in the convent and not even ordained him. But they sent him. Right. And the occasion was the sickness of his brother. And they didn't ordain him in Belgium and then send him. Right. He gets ordained in Hawaii there. And that's where he's going to do all of his mission. Yeah. His significant work.

[Mary McGhan]

And just to paint the obvious, that Molokai is one of the islands in Hawaii.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah, yeah. That's right. So he gets sent down to Hawaii. Right. And there's just more than one island, and I've never been to Hawaii, so I don't know. Know well enough. But I know people who've been to Hawaii.

[Mary McGhan]

Yes.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Have you been?

[Mary McGhan]

I have not been.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Okay. Anyway, so. So in the 1860s, right, not long after he started there, and he was just supposed to do kind of priestly work, mission work there in the 1860s, they had a whole bunch of. They had a big disease problem and a lot of people were dying off. And the Hawaiian government decided, well, what we're going to do is we're going to exile the people with what later got called Hansen's disease, but generally is a degenerating skin disease. Leprosy.

[Mary McGhan]

Leprosy, right.

[Dr. James Prothero]

We're going to exile the people with leprosy to this little peninsula off the end of the island, Right? So it sticks out. It's surrounded by water on three sides. It sticks out from the island, but it's separated from the rest of the island by a big mountain. It wasn't meant to be like exile, good for nothing, good riddance kind of place. They did send them some supplies, and the government sent them food, but they said, well, we don't want any of this. They're scared of it spreading and more deaths than the rest of the islands. They said, we're going to send you off to a kind of leper colony, basically. So that's where all these people are. And not all of them are Catholic, but many of them are. And the Catholics petitioned and they said, can we please have a priest? And so the bishop doesn't want to, because he thinks this might be life threatening to go out and be among these folks. So he does bring it to his diocese, but he isn't going to force anybody by obedience to go.

[Mary McGhan]

And maybe, you know, it would be a death sentence.

[Dr. James Prothero]

That's what he's thinking. Yeah, exactly. And so it proved to be one. It proved to be a death sentence and a life sentence in a happy way for Father Damien. But so Damien and several other people volunteered to go. And after he'd been there for a while, the people actually wrote to the bishop and said, please let him stay permanently. And he did. And the work that he did there, being among the people and his humility to be a father and serve them, but also be among them and help them in every way possible, is really what made him venerable. And then, of course, miracles through his intercession that made him a saint. He.

[Mary McGhan]

What did he do for. Was it the gift of presence?

[Dr. James Prothero]

Everything.

[Mary McGhan]

Okay.

[Dr. James Prothero]

So, I mean, the gift of presence is huge, first of all, because otherwise they're outcasts from society.

[Mary McGhan]

True.

[Dr. James Prothero]

And they don't have, like, their own new society. So, I mean, you can imagine if a whole bunch of people were sort of sent off to a place like that and isolated from everybody else, and they're not allowed to leave and they're not allowed to get visitors.

[Mary McGhan]

Right.

[Dr. James Prothero]

You can imagine the kind of, like, reputedly. Right. It became quite lawless in a lot of sectors, as you can imagine. Right. There's not a lot of infrastructure. We've been cast off here. So there's violence, there's lewdness. There's other kinds of licentiousness there. People have kind of lost hope and they've lost a feeling of their dignity. So Father Damien is there, and he just affirms everybody's dignity and he cares for everybody. So the similar kinds of things that Mother Teresa did with the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, he's doing there. Right?

[Mary McGhan]

Yes. And in addition, like you said, without discrimination. Like, he served Catholics.

[Dr. James Prothero]

He's serving Catholics, but. Yeah.

[Mary McGhan]

Whoever was in front of him.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Exactly. Right. Different races, religions and things like that. He's serving everybody. He builds coffins to bury the dead with dignity. He digs graves. He binds up people's sores and ulcers. Right. He binds up their kind of like rotting limbs and things like that. He's putting poultices on people and he's doing Mass.

[Mary McGhan]

Did he have a background in any medical or did he just learn as he.

[Dr. James Prothero]

If he had one. I'm not aware of it.

[Mary McGhan]

He just was serving the obvious needs.

[Dr. James Prothero]

He's just doing what needs to be done. He also helped to set up different leaders in the community so that they could try to make some infrastructure, roads and things like that. Right. Like, they end up. They make a little life in society for themselves as human beings together in a place where they, you know, could very easily and did. Right. Feel like they were just sort of inhuman castaways.

[Mary McGhan]

Bringing that structure. Yeah. That dignity back to the people who. I'm sure he is a great patron for those who feel lonely or isolated. He goes to those people and elevates, reminds them of who they are.

[Dr. James Prothero]

No, that's right. It makes me think his heart in this makes me think of Jesus in two ways, where you can sort of just see the character of Christ in Father Damien in his work, not just in his volunteering and his zeal. His Missionary zeal, But he on the one hand, Christ's incarnation and then in his death, he being in the form of God, didn't count equality with God, something to be taken advantage of, but emptied himself and took on the form of his own slave right to be among us, right?

[Mary McGhan]

And I was looking at a picture of Father Damien when he did contract leprosy, which you could please share with us. But when you look at the image, it's just, his body is just so defigured and deformed. And truly when you think of Christ on the cross, his body so deformed and disfigured for the sake of the people he loves. So such a Christ, like absolutely emulation.

[Dr. James Prothero]

That's right. And also I think about the Jesus parable of the shepherd going to get the lost sheep. He's got 100 sheep. Which one of you, if you had 100 sheep and one of them wandered off, wouldn't go, leave the hundred to go get the one that's gone. When I think about that image, you can think about it in so many different ways. So many parables have different kind of angles from which we can look at them and they can all be good. But I think about cheap ballpoint pens and you buy them in a pack of $100 for $7 or however much it is, and then you lose one in your purse, right? Or in the, like underneath my chair in the car or something, or I leave it at the bank or whatever. And it doesn't bother me because I got 99 more just like them. They're all the same, right? And they didn't cost me much. For Father Damien, every one of these people, as for Jesus, right, is unique and is valuable on their own. So that nobody's expendable, nobody's good riddance, nobody is just another one. And I've got a whole bunch of other ones, right? Every person there, even the non Catholics whom he would serve in physical ways and would preach and convert them, he's serving in this way and ultimately of course, bringing himself to the condition of the people that he's serving. Like Christ, he, he does, he does die from it, right? He contracts leprosy in this 1885, and then he died four years later in 1889. And, and as you know, the, the pictures of him are, he's quite, he's in a bad way, yes, but he kept up to the end serving and that after he died, they moved again. They moved his mortal remains back to Belgium, right? So he's actually entombed in Belgium, but he's got a big statue in Hawaii and against the patron saint of. Patron saint of lepers, of outcasts, things like that. But also of the Diocese of Honolulu.

[Mary McGhan]

Right.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Because. And that's not their own Molokai. Right. They recognized. Right. This is a great missionary and saint for our people who wasn't from here. It wasn't indigenous, but he, he became one of us. So yeah, he's just, he's just, it's just a beautiful.

[Mary McGhan]

And I think you could still go to Molokai and see some of these. I don't know if he created any like the infrastructures or buildings or schools, but I know you can visit the island and see some of the remnants from this time period and a church.

[Dr. James Prothero]

That he founded there. Yeah, absolutely.

[Mary McGhan]

Were there a lot of conversions to Catholicism from his presence as a priest and bringing religion to some people who maybe did not know of Catholicism Prior?

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah, absolutely. No, there's certainly, certainly people who converted at his teaching and his example. Right. And the person that you can see through him too, when you're. Sometimes we like to keep our struggles away from people because we think like, well, if, if I let people know that I'm having a hard time, right. Then especially my non believing friends, then they'll think that I haven't got it all together and Jesus isn't enough for me. But sometimes really the thing is that when people can see that you don't have anything to hold onto except Jesus, they can see how strong Jesus is to be able to keep hold of you.

[Mary McGhan]

I believe there's a quote from St Damian where he says in the times of just our weakness, where in our isolation and our suffering, we receive our strength at the foot of the altar where when we have nothing else and no one else, the only person who we have who receives us is Jesus Christ and that he is our strength.

[Dr. James Prothero]

That's right.

[Mary McGhan]

Similar to what you were just saying.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah, absolutely. And so in terms of his legacy, he's great for thinking about mission, he's great for thinking about the Eucharist and the strength to draw from it. And he says we draw it from Christ, the Eucharist, the foot of the altar for his compassion and just a real servant. Leadership is so important and it's something that can become kind of cliche. Right. Servant leadership, don't just be a leader and be mean to people underneath you, you should also take care of them. Well, that's good. But suffering, servant leadership, to truly take.

[Mary McGhan]

On the suffering of those people yourself.

[Dr. James Prothero]

That'S Right, that's right.

[Mary McGhan]

Beautiful.

[Dr. James Prothero]

And so he's, we, my, he's actually my wife's confirmation saint.

[Mary McGhan]

Okay, very good.

[Dr. James Prothero]

So we're, we're asking for his intercession every, every day. And she knows far more about him than I do.

[Mary McGhan]

We'll have to have her on sometime.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah, that's right. That's right.

[Mary McGhan]

No, that's beautiful. And have you seen in her life, does she have a particular way that she invites or has a devotion to him or invites his spirituality into or. Yeah, in her life.

[Dr. James Prothero]

Yeah, she's. I can see it, at least in my wife, in the way that she interacts with our kids and then interacts with the marginalized around us or the people who don't feel like they have anything to hold on to. My wife has, I mean, I try to do it too, but they certainly see her example more often. But my kids are praying every night for homeless people by name that they've met. Right. And given a bottle of water to or talked with or prayed for. Right. During the day.

[Mary McGhan]

Yes.

[Dr. James Prothero]

She's tender and compassionate with the kids. Right. Who are our own little people who don't have anybody else to take care of them and are often lawless with that little bit of order and infrastructure. But she, and then in pro life causes as well. And I don't know if I don't know how conscious it is for her, but it's something I can see in her is a very sort of Damian kind of way, which I expect is part of what drew her to him to choose him as her confirmation saint.

[Mary McGhan]

It's beautiful. See the lepers around us today. And Emily, that example, was there anything else you'd like to share about St Damian with his legacy, his gift?

[Dr. James Prothero]

Go learn, learn about him and think about him and ask him to help you in your life of suffering is inevitable. Right. But in making it willing and charitable, suffering for the sake of Christ and for him and others.

[Mary McGhan]

Amen. That's beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us today about St Damian. Thanks so much, Mary. Thank you for joining us. And St Damian of Molokai pray for us. Thanks for joining.

[Podcast Host]

You can watch these interviews in video format by visiting formed.org formed is an online Catholic streaming service created by the Augustan Institute and Ignatius Press with award winning studies and parish programs, inspiring audio content, movies, ebooks, and family friendly kids programming to support the mission of the Augustine institute. Please visit missioncircle.org.