ROME — At home, perhaps, they would have celebrated with a lu'au.

But in Rome, they gathered for a six-course meal, topping off the dinner with a frosted cake that read, "St. Damien."

More than 500 Hawai'i pilgrims gathered last night for a celebration dinner just hours after seeing the canonization of Father Damien in Vatican City. There was laughing, drinking and a little 'ukulele playing. But more than that, there was a sense of accomplishment in knowing that Father Damien, who ministered to the sick in Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, finally got his day.

"Finally, he is recognized," said Audrey Toguchi, whose cure from an aggressive form of cancer was the second miracle attributed to Father Damien, assuring his elevation to sainthood. During the canonization ceremony yesterday, Toguchi along with her former physician, Dr. Walter Chang, and the provincial superior of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts presented a gift — a lock of Father Damien's hair — to Pope Benedict XVI. A second Damien relic, a heel bone, will be returned to Honolulu.

Toguchi wore a white mu'umu'u with pink orchids to the canonization in St. Peter's Basilica.

She decided not to wear a black scarf over her head, saying she didn't feel right with it on.

"Father Damien wouldn't recognize me" wearing it, she said. "I'm just a humble person."

At the dinner last night, Chang was still trying to put together his thoughts on the canonization ceremony.

"They say 'once in a lifetime,' and I think that somewhat describes it," Chang said.

Honolulu Diocese Bishop Larry Silva called the canonization "the culmination" of years of hard work.

Father Damien died in 1889 of Hansen's disease, at age 49, after spending 16 years ministering to the sick in Kalaupapa and helping to create a community worth being proud of. His official cause for sainthood was introduced in 1955 and 40 years later he was beatified, being giving the title blessed, the last step until someone is elevated to sainthood.

Yesterday in Rome, at 10:30 a.m., the pope read a Latin passage that officially made Damien a saint.

Four others also were canonized yesterday.

At least 20,000 attended the canonization in the basilica, where the ceremony was moved because of bad weather.

Tens of thousands sat outside in Saint Peter's Square, where they watched the proceedings on television screens.

The sudden change in venue created a mad rush as people quickly realized that not everyone would fit in the basilica.

Inside the church, people were jumping over wooden barricades to get to seats, angering Vatican guards.

In the line to get into Vatican City, which opened about 8:30 a.m., there was plenty of pushing and shoving.

FELT 'AT HOME'

Despite the chaos, things calmed down when the ceremony started, allowing those inside and out to take in the moment.

During the ceremony, the pontiff said that Damien went to Kalaupapa despite knowing it would expose him to sickness.

Once he got to the settlement, he said, Damien felt "at home."

Some, including 11 Kalaupapa patients, had been waiting their whole lives to see Father Damien become a saint.

"I'm very excited for Damien, St. Damien," said patient Clarence "Boogie" Kahilihiwa.

He added, "You know, Damien was for the world, not just for Kalaupapa."

And people came from around the world to see Damien's canonization.

Large contingents from Belgium, Father Damien's native country, and Spain could be seen in the basilica.

Belgium Cardinal Godfried Danneels said after the ceremony that it is time to celebrate.

"We longed for this day," he said. "It's a great day for Damien, for Belgium, for Hawai'i and for the whole world."

At the celebration dinner, Islanders who came to the canonization as part of a pilgrimage — which included stops in Damien's hometown of Tremelo, Belgium, his tomb in Louvain, Belgium, and several Masses in the Eternal City — said that they were grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a rare and history-making event.

The pilgrimage had about 530 people, including Toguchi, Silva and a 30-member hula halau.

Today, there will be one final gathering of the group: a Hawaiian Mass at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.