Photo by Jack Iddon/The Anchor

Father William Petrie, provincial of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary based in Fairhaven, Mass., delivers a homily during a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrating the recent canonization of St. Damien of Molokai on Jan. 31 in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.

St. Damien celebrated in Washington’s National Shrine

By Kenneth J. Souza | Special to the Herald

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Faithful Catholics from New England traveled to the nation’s capital Jan. 31 to give thanks for the recent canonization of St. Damien of Molokai at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The Mass honoring the heroic priest, and the ninth saint canonized who lived and worked extensively in what later would become a part of the United States, was celebrated by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. The liturgy was the result of a chance meeting between the archbishop and Father William Petrie, provincial of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary based in Fairhaven, Mass., during a national meeting of provincial fathers last year.

The two were seated together at lunch and Father Petrie casually suggested having a celebration here to honor this newest American saint.

He added that although many attended the actual canonization ceremony and celebrations in Rome last October, there were many other devotees of St. Damien and members of his own order who had told him and they could not attend.

In short order, Father Petrie and Archbishop Sambi agreed a celebration would take place Jan. 31 — appropriately enough, World Leprosy Day — and the setting would be the National Shrine.

In his homily, Father Petrie noted that it was exactly 130 years ago on this date that St. Damien wrote home to his parents expressing his joy at being able to live and work among the abandoned and rejected people of Molokai afflicted with Hansen’s Disease.

“He wrote: ‘I am very happy to be able to continue to dedicate myself to the leprosy patients and I have no other desire in the world,’” Father Petrie said. “What a statement. This sentiment is from one who lived the Christ life. St. Damien learned that he was doing what he was supposed to be doing. He was at peace with the choice he made in following Christ. There were no regrets. He accepted his reality. He had spiritual joy.”

It was St. Damien’s close affiliation with the patients of Molokai that would align Father Petrie with another person destined for sainthood: Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

After his ordination in 1965, Father Petrie was assigned to Our Lady of Assumption Parish in the Fall River Diocese, but his real desire was to do the work of Father Damien. After reading about Mother Teresa’s work with leprosy patients in a magazine article that same year, he decided to offer his help.

“I wrote her and never got an answer,” Father Petrie previously told The Anchor.

Father Petrie ended up flying to Calcutta on his own dime and simply showed up to volunteer.

“I called up the Missionaries of Charity and I said: ‘my name is Father Petrie and I’d like to speak to Mother Teresa. I came to volunteer for the leprosy ward,’” Father Petrie said. “The voice on the other end said: ‘this is Mother Teresa, come right over.’ So she didn’t take you seriously until you were right in front of her. She had no recall of my letters.”

Father Petrie worked alongside Mother Teresa for the next 22 years as her spiritual advisor and noted how her own love and devotion to Father Damien would only help cement their bond.

“St. Damien was one of her favorites,” Father Petrie said. “Even back then she was saying: ‘when is he going to be canonized?’”

As if to drive the point home, more than 40 members of the Missionaries of Charity — the order Mother Teresa founded — were at the Mass of Thanksgiving, filling out the front pews.

“Little did St. Damien realize that we would be celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving on World Leprosy Day at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in honor of his canonization,” Father Petrie said.

Pilgrims also participated in prayers and devotions to St. Damien during the weekend, along with a traditional Hawaiian luau, celebrating the life and culture of the islands St. Damien adopted.

“I’ve never been on a pilgrimage before and I’ve found this totally exhilarating,” said Lorraine Asa of St. Mary’s Parish, Fairhaven, Mass. “It’s been a wonderful experience with wonderful people and I’ve learned a lot about Father Damien and what he really meant to the church.”

Kay Alden of St. Anthony’s Parish in Mattapoisett, Mass., called the pilgrimage “a strengthening experience.” Marie Cote, a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Pocasset, Mass., said, “I really got a lot out of it that I didn’t expect … and the Mass of Thanksgiving was very spiritual.”

Barbara Conlon, a parishioner at St. Mary’s Parish in South Dartmouth, Mass. said she had always been drawn to Father Damien and had studied a lot about his life even before he was canonized last year. She also previously took a pilgrimage of her own to Molokai with her family.

“When I read about this in the newspaper, I knew this was the next step for me,” she said. “For me, it was an incredible experience, from beginning to end. It’s been a personal journey and I’m going to bring a lot of it back home with me.”

Father Petrie said that St. Damien’s selfless call to do God’s work was guided by the greatest commandment as proclaimed by Christ himself.

“We have all been created through God’s love and dedicated for a special mission,” Father Petrie said. “We live that mission — moment by moment, day by day with a great commandment to guide us: ‘Love God with all our heart and soul and love our neighbor as ourselves.’”