St. Damien Hawaiian Luau

Saint Damien's feast is celebrated on May 10th. I recently began a new job and I am still getting acclimated to my new schedule so I have a few posts that should have been posted over a week ago. 

Sorry!

Saint Damien has a very special place in my families heart. Not only is he an amazing example of what a person who dedicates himself to serving God and others but He is my dad's patron saint. My dad is extraordinary. We were never close while I was growing up as a young child but as an adult we have become very close. He has been a fighting force for me while I have battled several trials through my adult life... An abusive marriage, learning to be self sufficient again and being there for his two grandsons. My dad is a great example of someone who never gives up. Almost 5 years ago, he was in a motorcycle accident. A older man driving a truck hit my dad from the side while he was on his motorcycle. Since that accident, my dad has had to deal with immense physical hardships. He lost one of his legs, has had several surgeries to fix his hip, endured skin grafts and forgave a man who has never attempted to say sorry. This accident changed my dad's life. He can no longer work and still struggles with pain but he is always moving forward.

Saint Damien was a Belgium priest who was sent to Honolulu, Hawaii. He volunteered to help the people diagnosed with leprosy that were sent to the island of Molokai. He especially cared for the children of the community. He contradicted the disease himself and became a suffering servant and after 16 years of caring for those in the leper colony, He also died from the disease.

We are also close to the Hawaiian Saint because my husband is half Hawaiian and still has family living on the island. The customs are rich and the food is flavorful. Here are some pics from our Luau.

I hope you all enjoyed the feast of Saint Damien and I ask that you please say a small prayer for my dad, that he continues on his path of healing and that God may lead him to his next chapter in his life.

 

Damien, brother on the journey, happy and generous missionary, who loved the Gospel more than your own life, who for love of Jesus left your family, your homeland, your security and your dreams.

Teach us to give our lives with joy like yours, to be in solidarity with the outcasts of our world, to celebrate and contemplate the Eucharist as the source of our own commitment.

Help us to love to the very end and, in the strength of the Spirit, to preserve in compassion for the poor and forgotten so that we might be good disciples of Jesus and Mary.

Amen

Saint Damien, pray for us!