Until the death of a young Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary priest in 1889, lepers were treated as outcasts much as they were during Jesus' lifetime.

But the example of Father Damien de Veuster inspired many and drew attention to the horrible treatment worldwide of victims of leprosy, and became the catalyst for development of more effective treatment of leprosy by the 1930s.

On Oct. 11, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed Father Damien a saint in the church. Last week, Damien High School in La Verne --- renamed for the priest in 1967 --- celebrated a liturgy in honor of the newly canonized saint. Numerous students and faculty of the school, parents, parishioners from nearby Holy Name of Mary in San Dimas and surrounding parishes and friends of the school, and the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary priests and friends.

During the Oct. 15 liturgy, Cardinal Roger Mahony told the lei-adorned students that he knew of no other high school named for a person who later on was to be canonized within a lifetime. (Damien High had been founded as Pomona Catholic Boys High School in 1959; the school --- like Holy Name of Mary parish --- is administered by the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary priests.

"This is a grace and a gift that no others have," the cardinal said. "Be sure to cherish this for the rest of your lives."

The Gospel account of the Good Shepherd provided an appropriate link to the new saint. "As the Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, that is really what we are witnessing in the life of St. Damien," the cardinal told the assembly. "It is a story of great personal sacrifice and witness."

This Belgium-born priest, after first ministering on other islands of the Hawaiian chain, volunteered to serve the lepers of Molokai, at the behest of a bishop seeking a priest who would go to minister for a short period of time. Father Damien washed and bandaged their wounds, and built houses (and even coffins) for them. After 12 years of service, he contracted leprosy and died at the age of 49.

These lepers, Cardinal Mahony noted, experienced the Good Shepherd in the witness of Father Damien. "It became evident that he wasn't going to leave them," he said. "Damien has a lot to teach us. We are called to imitate the good works and virtues of St. Damien."

Then the cardinal asked Damien students, "Who are the outcasts in Southern California today?" Their answers included the homeless, the disabled, immigrants, homosexuals. Of the homeless, the cardinal noted, "Everyone wants them taken care of, but in downtown, not in their neighborhoods."

Cardinal Mahony told the students to "be disciples of Jesus in your ordinary lives, and keep your eyes alert to those around you to whom you can minister and continue your service involvement."

At the end of the liturgy, Sacred Hearts Father Pat Travers, Damien High principal, said that hearing Pope Benedict declare Damien "a member of the litany of saints" was "one of the most inspiring and special moments for me. I could, in the words of Simeon, say, 'Now dismiss your servant, I have seen what I wanted to see.' Damien, a servant to the voiceless, is a inspiration to us here."

A number of faculty members, students and graduates attended the canonization in Rome. "It was pretty amazing," said senior Kevin Kho, "a once in a lifetime opportunity to have someone canonized that's related to your life. It was really nice to see all the people from different countries and people in different languages and cultures celebrating."

Ken Kowalewski, Damien High campus minister for almost 25 years, said that the caravan to Rome included eight young graduates thinking of priesthood. "For everyone attending, the experience was very moving," he said. "It was my first time in Rome and it was pretty overwhelming. It certainly gave me a picture of the universality of the church --- every language, every race gathered. It was certainly something to remember forever."