If you don’t know who Father Damien is, I highly recommend that you read The Colony. It’s a fascinating account of the development and interment of people afflicted with Hansen’s Disease (otherwise known as Leprosy) at Kalaupapa on Molokai. The saga is fully researched but reads like a novel. Father Damien was the heroic soul who took charge of caring for many of the people who were exiled from their homes and sent to live on the remote Hawaiian island.

The Vatican has elevated him to sainthood, based on the premise of two medical miracles. The article does not state what those miracles are, but I’m highly curious. Also, I had no idea that the church still collects relics! Relics of saints played a large part of pilgrimages during the medieval era, but they’re still collecting body parts today??

I’m no Catholic, and while I don’t know if he was a Saint, Father Damien surely deserves to be honored for his selflessness. He’s pretty revered in the islands, but this accolade may bring his story to the rest of the world.