Among the thousands set to crowd St. Peter's Square for the canonization of Father Damien will be 127 people with a special connection to the Sacred Hearts priest.

The youngest of the group is 2; the oldest is 90. Together, they represent most of Father Damien's living relatives.

The group will travel to Rome from all over Belgium, Father Damien's birthplace, coming together for something of a family reunion to attend the canonization and also spend some time sightseeing and shopping. Father Damien's great-great nephew, Jan de Veuster, who planned the trip, said the relatives will be traveling in two groups — one with 40 people, one with 87.

The last time the family came together was in 1995, when Damien was beatified in Belgium and given the title of "blessed," in Roman Catholicism, the last step before someone is elevated to sainthood.

In a phone interview from Belgium, de Veuster said the family is awed and inspired by the reverence for Father Damien around the world. "We are happy ... proud," said de Veuster, 62.

He added, "We didn't do anything. We are just relatives."

Father Damien, born Joseph de Veuster in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840, will be elevated to sainthood Oct. 11 in St. Peter's Square. The priest is known around the world for his service to Hansen's disease patients in Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, from 1873 to 1889, when he himself died from the disease.

Jan de Veuster said he grew up learning about Father Damien from his family.

He also learned about his famous relative in school.

"Everyone knew him ... when we were youngsters. At that moment, no one was thinking about sainthood. For us, he was a saint," said de Veuster, adding that he has always thought of Father Damien as a hero. "He gave his life. I don't know any other description," he said.

A HERO TO BELGIANS

In 1981, Jan de Veuster became the first member of his family to visit Kalaupapa since Father Damien's time. For that visit, he didn't alert anyone on the island that he was coming. But Richard Marks, a well-known Kalaupapa patient, activist and the last sheriff of Kalawao County, recognized his name on a passenger list and picked him up at the airstrip himself.

Marks, who died last year, and de Veuster quickly became good friends.

De Veuster said he spent time at Marks' home in Kalaupapa and visited three more times.

Marks also visited de Veuster in Belgium.

De Veuster said he hopes to reconnect with other patients attending the canonization, including Marks' wife, Gloria. The patients will make a pilgrimage with Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva to Belgium, before heading to Rome for the canonization. Their stops will include a big celebration on Oct. 4 in Tremelo, which de Veuster said he also plans to attend.

De Veuster said there is lots of excitement about the canonization in Belgium.

Father Damien is a national hero, he added, even though most Belgians today aren't religious. He said part of Father Damien's appeal to Catholics and non-Catholics alike was the priest's amazing sacrifice.

"It was the braveness" of Father Damien, de Veuster said.

NAME LIVES ON

De Veuster, who started a successful travel agency in Schoten, Belgium, that is now managed by one of his sons, said he will be leading the larger group of relatives on a five-day tour of Rome to culminate with the canonization. His son, Maarten, will lead the smaller group.

That group will spend three days in Rome.

The relatives will share meals together, visit sites and attend the canonization.

De Veuster said his branch of the family is "the northern part."

In all, he said, there are "10 tribes" of de Veusters scattered around Belgium.

In de Veuster's immediate family, he said, there has long been a tradition to take Jozef Damiaan as a "second and third Christian name" to commemorate Father Damien. De Veuster is Jan Jozef Damiaan. His sons are also named after Father Damien, as are his grandchildren.