Father Damien went to serve at Kalaupapa, Molokai, where Hansens disea victims lived. He was a hero
and is now a saint. There's a big statue of him at our Legislature. Both he and Mother Marianne Cope, who also served there under very difficult circumstances, went there willingly and lifted up humanity with their personal sacrifice and love.
http://www.nps.gov/kala/historyculture/damien.htm "Assisted by patients, he built houses, constructed a water system, and planted trees. He also organized schools, bands, and choirs. He provided medical care for the living and buried the dead. He expanded St. Philomena Catholic Church. Not a "retiring" personality, Damien did not hesitate to badger the Hawaiian government and his church for more resources. These efforts attracted worldwide attention, resulting in a heightened awareness of the disease and the plight of its victims.
During Father Damien’s years at Kalawao, others came to help. A number of priests spent varying lengths of time. In 1886 Joseph Dutton arrived, followed in 1888 by Mother Marianne Cope and two of her sisters from the Order of St. Francis. They, along with four Brothers of the Sacred Heart who arrived in 1895, carried Damien’s work into the next century. "
I can't read or hear about the doctors and nurses coming home for health care who willingly went into the heart of darkness to serve others in this crisis and not think of Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope. They too lift up humanity, make us all better with their sacrifice. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/nyregion/craig-spencer-is-tested-for-ebola-virus-at-bellevue-hospital-in-new-york-city.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LedeSum&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1
Deeply touched and humbled and grateful.
= new reply since forum marked as read
...as if a 20th Century author intentionally chose to name a fictional priest "Damien" who sacrifices himself to save another.
Fictional characters often get names for symbolic reasons.
Almost as if I was pointing out a literary allusion to the subject of your post....
Catholics in the Movies, Oxford University Press, page 220
_The Exorcist_ is a novel by William Peter Blatty, not a schlock horror movie.
The lead character, Father Damien Karras, was intentionally named as a reference to the Belgian priest who, incidentally, was named for an earlier St. Damien, a purported 3rd Century Christian healer.
My post points out what is actually a modern tribute to Father Damien, but you are apparently not aware of the most notable modern literary reference to him.
Here:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=blatty+karras+Hawaii
Fr. Damien Karras's last name Blatty adapted from "Caritas" (Christian love of humanity, charity) and his first name came from Saint Damian, one of two twin priests who ministered as medical doctors (as Fr. Karras is in the movie - he's a Jesuit psychiatrist), as well as St. Damien of Molokai, who ministered to lepers in Hawaii before contracting their disease himself (as Fr. Karras takes the demon into himself to free the suffering girl, before falling to his death.) I think Jason Miller (who was best known as a playwright before appearing in this movie - he wrote "That Championship Season"
gave an amazing performance.
Mahalo nui loa, seestah. 