Tomorrow, hundreds of people from Hawaii begin their pilgrimage to Belgium and Rome.

When Father Damien is canonized at the Vatican on October 11th, 50,000 people are expected to attend, well overflowing from St. Peter's square.

Brother Greg O’Donnell will be there.

For this, the retired president and CEO of Damien Memorial School, it's a return trip.

"This was the ancient world, the beginning of the church, where St Peter was, the land of the Michelangelo,” said O’Donnell.  “You understand you are a part of a bigger thing. I can walk around the church here and I know everybody, but when you go over there you understand the immensity the Catholic Church is.”

Immense indeed, with people expected to attend from many parts of the world.

"Everybody's friendly talking to each other even if they don't understand the language. Everybody's a friend,” he said.

Friends joined by the common purpose of honoring Father Damien and four others also being canonized as saints the same day.

"It is a big thing because of the internationality of it. Five different people being canonized, coming from five different countries,” he explained.

A fitting tribute for Father Damien who was quite international himself -- a Belgian-born priest who gave his life to serve a world away.

"He just went there to be of help to them,” explained O’Donnell.  That was the thing, he wasn't the first to go to Molokai, he was the one who stayed.”

He stayed to help the people suffering from leprosy that would take his own life.

"He's building a church, he's dressing a wound, he's administrating to a person that nobody wants anything to do with. He knew how to get his hands dirty,” he said.  "You can be a saint doing ordinary work. There is a saying that a saint is not someone that does extraordinary things, but does ordinary things extraordinary well.”