VATICAN CITY — Some 530 Hawai'i pilgrims gathered this morning in the largest church in the world, in this religious and political seat of the Roman Catholic Church, to celebrate Father Damien because "he not only went, but he stayed."

"That is why we are here today," said Honolulu Diocese Bishop Larry Silva during an hour-long Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

"He cast out the demons of despair" in the Hansen's disease settlement in Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, and helped to create pride in a community that had been created as a prison where the sick were sent to die.

Silva told those gathered that "we are filled with joy" as the group prepares for Father Damien's elevation to sainthood Sunday.

The Mass was held at the altar of the chair of St. Peter in the basilica, where the greatest works by the Italian masters — Bernini, Michelangelo and Raphael among them — are on full view in epic proportions.

"We are so grateful to be here, under the chair of Peter ... so that we can all recognize that we are brothers and sisters of one another," Silva said, adding that the lessons of Father Damien are powerful and pertinent some 120 years after his death.

"The joy that we celebrate is meant to strengthen" to help others, Silva said.

The Mass left many awestruck and moved, some to tears.

Before the ceremony, many were overflowing with excitement at the thought of celebrating Mass in what to many Catholics is considered the "mother church," the church where the pope celebrates Mass.

"It's like a dream," said Honolulu resident Alfredo Tagab, 77, who wore a Father Damien aloha shirt to the Mass.

Sister Regina Jenkins, vicar provincial for the Sacred Hearts sisters in Hawai'i, called the Mass a fitting tribute to Father Damien.

"Because my brother Damien is who we are here for ... our hearts just swell with gratitude," she said.

More than 530 Islanders, including 11 Hansen's disease patients from Kalaupapa, are in Rome for a Father Damien pilgrimage that will culminate Sunday with the Sacred Hearts priest's elevation to sainthood in Saint Peter's Square.

Before arriving in Italy on Tuesday, the group toured Belgium, visiting his birthplace in Tremelo and the site of his tomb in Louvain.

Father Damien, the seventh of eighth children, arrived in the Islands in 1873.

After a decade of ministering on the Big Island, Damien volunteered to go to Kalaupapa. He was supposed to be on a three-month rotation with the other Sacred Hearts priests, but he asked to stay and was granted permission.

He lived in Kalaupapa for 16 years, ministering to the sick.

In 1885, he was diagnosed with Hansen's disease and he died four years later, at age 49.

During the hour-long Mass, which started about 8 a.m. in Rome, a Hawai'i choir on the pilgrimage sang "Iesu no ke Kahuhipa" or "Jesus Like a Shepherd Leads Me."

The choir members suspected it was the first time the piece had been sung in the basilica.

The choir, whose members wore white mu'umu'u and black kukui nut lei, also sang "Jubilat Deo," which was written by a Belgian composer.

During the Mass, many were snapping photos and gazing at the magnificent ceilings.

The basilica, which is 623 feet long, can hold more than 20,000 people, according to the Vatican. It is one of the most recognizable features in the Roman skyline, with its 450-foot dome topped with a cross. The vault of the nave is as high as a 15-story building.

The basilica dates back to 329 A.D., and is the site of some of the world's most famous art works, including Michelangelo's "Pieta." It took on its present look during a massive renovation in the 1600s.

The Hansen's disease patients who attended the Mass sat in the front row. Some couldn't contain their excitement at the thought of celebrating Mass in the basilica.

"I thank the Lord for this opportunity," said Kalaupapa resident Gloria Marks.

Mililani resident Rosina Valencia, who is on the trip with her sisters, said that "to have a Mass (at St. Peter's Basilica) is just amazing."

She added, "It is so tremendous to be in the seat of Catholicism."

When the Mass was about to start, kumu hula Leimomi Ho was snapping photos and trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"This," she told a member of her halau, "is a dream come true."