St. Damien of Molokai: Apostle of the Exiled, by Margaret & Matthew Bunson
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St. Damien of Molokai: Apostle of the Exiled is the riveting account of how a humble Congregation of the Sacred Hearts priest found his vocation in caring for outcasts. The poorly educated son of a hardworking, religious Belgian farm family, Damien was thought to be ill suited for the priesthood. However, the desire to serve God burned so fiercely in him that he took his vows at the age of twenty.
A missionary to Hawaii, Damien soon volunteered to become the permanent chaplain at Molokai. There, victims of horrible disfigurement with the promise of a lingering death, the lepers led a harsh existence. Father Damien became their caregiver, companion and champion. Through his selfless ministry, he brought hope to the hopeless, ironically losing his own life to leprosy.
Azure skies, lush vegetation, and sugar-white beaches: Hawaii brings such idyllic scenes to mind. But hell invaded paradise when the incurable disease of leprosy was discovered there. An 1865 law segregated lepers by forcibly exiling individuals - even children - to the island of Molokai. It was onto these forlorn shores that Father Damien de Veuster stepped in the spring of 1873.
In an age when an ever-increasing number of people suffer their own personal exile on account of illness, handicap, or emotional distress, the shining example of Father Damien shows the true power of one person, and how, when anchored in God's love, one person can impact individual lives - and indeed the world.
The world can boast of very few heroes who compare with Father Damien of Molokai." -Mohandas Gandhi
Paperback: 288 Pages.
