Ten Boy Scouts will be among the hundreds of Hawai'i residents expected to flock to Rome in October for the canonization of Father Damien.

The scouts, ages 13 to 17, will shoot video of their travels for the Internet, post blog entries and chat with peers on Facebook in an effort to share the experiences of their trip with others. They'll also meet up with Italian and Belgian boy scout troops and stay with host families.

The trip is being organized by troop leader John Fielding, who brainstormed the idea for the trip after talking to people about what an educational opportunity the canonization is for youth.

Fielding, who is also the grand knight of the Honolulu chapter of the Knights of Columbus, a community service organization for Catholic men, is trying to raise the money for the journey so the scouts don't have to pay.

The trip is expected to cost $25,000. So far, he's been pledged about $6,000.

Fielding said the boys are from all over the island. Nine are Catholics, Fielding said.

Before heading to Rome, the scouts will fly to Belgium to visit the hometown of the Rev. Damien de Veuster, who ministered to the Hansen's disease patients of Kalaupapa until his death in 1889.

Damien will be elevated to sainthood on Oct. 11, becoming the first person from the Islands to receive the high honor from the Catholic Church. He also will be the first saint from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, the order that brought the first Catholic missionaries to Hawai'i.

Fielding said he wants the scouts to learn about Damien through interactive experiences, such as visiting historic sites, learning about him through the eyes of others and talking to people about his influence.

On the trip, the scouts will interview people on camera about Damien and other topics. In addition to posting the videos nightly, Fielding hopes to use them to make a documentary at the end of the trip.

To prepare for the trip, the scouts are learning everything from conversational Italian to how to shoot and edit video to Internet safety tips.

Fifteen-year-old Alex H., one of the scouts on the trip, said he was shocked when he was asked to go. "I'm immersing myself in the cultures," said the teen, whose last name was withheld at the request of the Boy Scouts for safety reasons.