Ka Wai Ola Loa

On Oct. 11, 2009, Father Damien de Veuster, who served those stricken with leprosy and banished to Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome. Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Rowena Akana was part of a Hawai'i delegation that traveled to Belgium and Rome in October to honor Father Damien as he became St. Damien of Moloka'i.

"We are reminded through the life lessons exemplified by Father Damien that we are each given an opportunity while we are on God's earth to try and make a difference in someone's life no matter how big or how small. It only matters that we try," Akana said.

Akana's group traveled to St. Damien's hometown of Tremelo in Belgium. At the end of a mass held there, the Bishop of Belgium said: "Thank you Hawaii, we gave you a priest and you gave us back a Saint. We are forever linked together as one people."

The group continued on their pilgrimage to Vatican City to witness the canonization on Oct. 11. "St. Peter's Basilica was packed to its brim with visitors from everywhere in the world, with thousands more listening and watching on the jumbo screens in the square. All told, there were as many as 100,000 people there," Akana said. "Before we knew it, like a blink of an eye, the Mass was over and Father Damien had become Saint Damien."

Enjoy Trustee Akana's photos here, and read more about her experience – including the Nov. 1 celebration of the arrival of St. Damien's relic held at 'Iolani Palace – in the December edition of Ka Wai Ola.