Hands and Hearts · Week 2 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Damien of Molokai
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
A law made out of fear
In the 1800s, ships brought new diseases to Hawaii, and many Native Hawaiians died. One of these illnesses was leprosy, now called blank 1. No one had a cure.
In 1865 the Kingdom of Hawaii passed a law to isolate anyone who had it. Beginning in 1866, people were taken from their homes to the blank 2 peninsula on Molokai. Sea cliffs and rough surf closed it in.
Most of them were Native Hawaiians. Children were separated from parents, and blank 3 from wives. In the first years there were few doctors, little housing and not enough supplies.
“I will go”
Jozef De Veuster was a farmer’s son from Tremelo, Belgium. He joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts and took the name Damien. When his brother fell ill, he volunteered to take his place as a blank 4 to Hawaii.
He was ordained a priest in Honolulu in blank 5 and spent nine years serving parishes on the island of Hawaii.
In blank 6 the bishop asked for priests to take turns serving at Kalaupapa. Damien was the first to go, and arrived on May 10. Soon he asked to stay for good.
Damien’s life and legacy
Write what happened in each year.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1840 | Write your answer |
| 1864 | Write your answer |
| 1866 | Write your answer |
| 1873 | Write your answer |
| 1880s | Write your answer |
| 1888 | Write your answer |
| 1889 | Write your answer |
| 2009 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
How did Father Damien come to live at Kalaupapa? Circle one.
- A He was sent there as a punishment
- B He was already sick when he arrived
- C He volunteered and then asked to stay
- D He was shipwrecked on the peninsula
Why is that the right answer?
Priest, carpenter, neighbor
Damien refused to serve from a safe blank 7. He ate with people, bandaged their wounds and sat with the dying.
Together with the blank 8 he built houses, piped in fresh water and enlarged the church of St. Philomena. He made coffins and dug graves so each person had a proper burial. He organized choirs and cared for orphaned children.
He also wrote letter after letter asking the blank 9 and donors for food, medicine and building supplies. Some officials found him stubborn. He kept asking.
Why it mattered
Why did Damien make coffins and dig graves himself? Circle one.
- A He believed every person deserved a dignified burial
- B The government paid him for each grave he dug
- C He had trained as an undertaker back in Belgium
- D It was the only job residents would let him do
Why is that the right answer?
Treated as a person or as a problem?
Damien treated each person as someone made in God’s image. Sort each action by how it treats the other person. Check one box for each.
| Item | Treats someone as a person | Treats someone as a problem |
|---|---|---|
| Using a person’s name instead of a label | ||
| Posting a meme that mocks a classmate’s skin condition | ||
| Muting the awkward kid in a group chat so nobody has to reply | ||
| Messaging a friend who has been out sick for weeks | ||
| Spreading a rumor that someone is “contagious” | ||
| Sitting beside a student others avoid | ||
| Filming someone’s hard moment to get views | ||
| Asking a person what help they actually want |
The turning point
What did Damien do after learning he had Hansen’s disease? Circle one.
- A He returned to Belgium for treatment
- B He handed over his work and retired
- C He kept away from the residents
- D He stayed and kept on working
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
Fear of an illness led a whole society to push people out of sight. Who is pushed out of sight today, at school or online? What would “going to Kalaupapa” look like for you?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “People get pushed aside when ...”“Online, leaving someone out looks like ...”“A small way to cross that line would be ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, you touched and healed people others feared.
Free us from the fear that makes us look away.
Teach us to see your image in every person, in the room and on the screen.
St. Damien of Molokai, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
St. Damien’s feast is May 10, the day he stepped ashore at Kalaupapa. Hawaii honors him with a statue in the United States Capitol.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Damien of Molokai shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: This week, cross one line: sit with, talk to or message someone your group usually ignores.