Having served his lengthy ban for an uncharacteristic display of on-field violence against the great enemy CHA, Leper 002 aka Madman Jerzak embarked on a yoyage of discovery in the form of a pilgrimage to Father Damien's statue in the United States.

 

Following in the glorious footsteps of Columbus in 1492 and Borat in 2007; and the not-so-glorious footsteps of Robbie Williams and Spinal Tap, Jerzak headed West across the Atlantic bound for the United States of America and the capital, Washington D.C.

 

His destination: the giant bronze statue of Father Damien in the United States Capitol building. Father Damien, also Blessed Damien of Molokai and born Joseph de Veuster (January 3, 1840 – April 15, 1889), was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious order.

Damien is most noted for his extreme devotion to caring and ministering to people with what was then widely known as leprosy, forced by government-sanctioned medical segregation, living on the island of Molokai in the Kingdom of Hawaii. In the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions, as well as other denominations of Christianity, Damien is considered the spiritual patron for Hansen's Disease, HIV and AIDS patients as well as outcasts. As the patron saint of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu and of Hawaii, Father Damien Day is celebrated statewide on April 15. Upon his beatification towards canonization and sainthood by Pope John Paul II in 1995, Damien was given a memorial feast day, celebrated on May 10 on the church calendar and was conferred the official title of Blessed Damien of Molokai. Surely May 10 will now become a major event on the Heppers Lepers calendar.

 

And so, back to the pilgrimage. With Jerzak decked out in full Lepers colours and his dedicated, but slightly uninterested girlfriend in tow, the 2 approached the Capitol building as part of an organised tour. Following an hour and a half queue to get in where spirits were kept high by counting obese people vs. people in baseball caps (baseball caps won convincingly!) they entered the Capitol.

 

After being subjected to some "genuine history", much of which was probably not as old as my house, the tour arrived at Father Damien's statue. Madman was overwhelmed being in the presence of the great statue. Much to the confusion of those on the tour, Jerzak felt the urge to drop to his knees and pray.

 

He prayed for success in Division 4, he prayed for the end of CHA, he prayed the great Sunday roast of Division 2, and on a personal level he prayed that he will be fit and healthy (mentally) for the start of next season and that he might play more than half of the games in a season!

 

 The U.S tour continues...