Saint Damien

“Saint Damien with Leper Child” depicts Father Damien as he first arrives on the Kalaupapa peninsula. He is standing with an orphaned leper child, observing the loneliness and suffering of the many hundreds of outcasts who were abandoned there. Like Michelangelo’s David looking toward the giant he was facing, Damien stands on the cliff looking toward the leper colony of Kalawao, knowing in his heart that everything in his life to this moment has prepared him for the task of bringing comfort, hope and dignity to these unfortunate souls.

“Saint Damien with Leper Child” captures both the humanness and saintliness of this extraordinary man in a beautiful celebration of his compassion, his commitment and his love.