Damien A One-Man Play with Wayne Messmer

Step into the life and legacy of Saint Damien of Molokai in this moving one-man play by Aldyth Morris, performed by acclaimed Chicago actor and singer Wayne Messmer.

5:30 p.m. Pre-Show Reception in UGC Gym
$10 admission, wine and beer available for purchase

Father (Saint) Damien Story

Born in Tremolo, Belgium, on January 3, 1840, Joseph DeVeuster took the name Damien after joining the religious life with the Order of the Sacred Hearts. In 1864, he was sent to Honolulu, where he was ordained. For the next decade, he did mission work on the Big Island of Hawaii. In 1873, he went to the isolated island of Molokai after volunteering to live and work among the leper colony there. While he committed himself to lepers of all ages, he was especially concerned about the children of these forgotten people who had been segregated from their families and loved ones. Damien himself was declared a leper in 1885, but continued his work, building chapels, clinics, cottages, and a hospital. A skilled carpenter, he personally constructed hundreds of cottages and thousands of coffins for his flock. Damien died on Easter Monday night, April 15, 1889, at his quarters at the Kalawao settlement on Molokai.

Under constant criticism during his lifetime, Damien’s honor and life’s work was defended by the legendary author of Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson, whose letter in support of the “Hero of Molokai” is considered a literary classic in its own right.

Damien was declared venerable in 1977. Saint Pope John Paul II declared him beatified on June 4, 1995. He became Saint Damien at a canonization ceremony at the Vatican presided by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009. Saint Damien’s feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his passing to eternal life each year on April 15.

About Wayne Messmer

The actor in Aldyth Morris's one-man play is famed Chicagoan Wayne Messmer. His voice remains most often associated with the National Anthem in Chicago and is frequently heard at Chicago Cubs games. Wayne is also the author of the critically-acclaimed book, The Voice of Victory, an autobiographical account of his personal triumph over adversity and his comeback from a senseless act of violence when he was shot in the throat as a victim of an attempted armed robbery in 1994.  He has touched countless lives with a message of hope and forgiveness through his speaking.  The Wayne Messmer Radio show is heard Sunday evenings from 7-8 p.m. on 90.9 FM / WDCB.org. Learn more on his website.