saint damien of molokai

Tonight, we saw the one-man play "Damien", written by Aldyth Morris and first performed in 1976, which tells the story of Fr. Damien of Molokai's life in the first person through a series of flashbacks. From the beginning of the production, the most striking feature of the performance to me was the joy of Fr. Damien. Even as he described the devastation of the disease that his flock suffered and then of his own contraction of leprosy, there was a deep sense of joy. "I will always be your priest." he said. In the entire 1 1/2 hr. show, the phrase that stood out for me...."the prodigious love of God." What stood out for Pete: his compassion and his commitment to serve those most in need. Wikipedia says: In both ecumenical and non-sectarian communities, Damien's ministry to lepers is being cited as an example of how society should minister to HIV/AIDS patients . In 2005, Damien was honored with the title of De Grootse Belge, chosen as "The Greatest Belgian" throughout that country's history in polling conducted by the Flemish public broadcasting service, VRT. October 9th, a week ago, Fr. Damien was canonized a saint in Rome. 550 Hawaiians attended the ceremony. Thank you to Dan Cawthon for bringing St. Damien's story to life in such a joyful way. Now, I AM greatly humbled by his love for and dedication to his God and his people.