Father Damien

Not to be confused with Father Damien Karras.
For other people with similar names, see Father Damien (disambiguation), Saint Damien (disambiguation), and Peter Damian.
Saint

Damien of Molokai

SSCC
A photograph of Father Damien taken shortly before his death
Religious Priest and Missionary
Born(1840-01-03)3 January 1840
Tremelo, Brabant, Belgium
Died15 April 1889(1889-04-15) (aged 49)
Kalaupapa, Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, some churches of Anglican Communion; individual Lutheran Churches
Beatified4 June 1995, Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Koekelberg), Brussels, by Pope John Paul II
Canonized11 October 2009, Vatican City, by Pope Benedict XVI
Major shrineLeuven, Belgium (bodily relics)
Molokaʻi, Hawaii (relics of his hand)
Feast10 May (Catholic Church; obligatory in Hawaii, option in the rest of the United States);[1] 15 April (Episcopal Church of the United States)
PatronagePeople with Leprosy

Signature of Father Damien

Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai SSCC or Saint Damien De Veuster (Dutch: Pater Damiaan or Heilige Damiaan van Molokai; 3 January 1840 – 15 April 1889),[2] born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary,[3] a missionary religious institute. He was recognized for his ministry, which he led from 1873 until his death in 1889, in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi to people with leprosy (Hansen's disease), who lived in government-mandated medical quarantine in a settlement on the Kalaupapa Peninsula of Molokaʻi.[4]

During this time, he taught the Catholic faith to the people of Hawaii. Father Damien also cared for the patients and established leaders within the community to build houses, schools, roads, hospitals, and churches. He dressed residents' ulcers, built a reservoir, made coffins, dug graves, shared pipes, and ate poi with them, providing both medical and emotional support.

After 11 years caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those in the leper colony, Father Damien contracted leprosy. He continued with his work despite the infection but finally succumbed to the disease on 15 April 1889. Father Damien also had tuberculosis, which worsened his condition, but some believe the reason he volunteered in the first place was due to tuberculosis.[5]

Father Damien has been described as a "martyr of charity".[6] Damien De Veuster is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. In the Anglican Communion and other Christian denominations, Damien is considered the spiritual patron for leprosy and outcasts. Father Damien Day, 15 April, the day of his death, is also a minor statewide holiday in Hawaii. Father Damien is the patron saint of the Diocese of Honolulu and of Hawaii.

Father Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2009.[7][8] Libert H. Boeynaems, writing in the Catholic Encyclopedia, calls him "the Apostle of the Lepers."[9] Damien De Veuster's feast day is 10 May.

  1. ^ Downes, Patrick (26 April 2013). "St. Damien's feast day not the customary date of death". Hawaii Catholic Herald. Honolulu, HI. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference aocgov was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  4. ^ Tayman, John (2007). The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-3301-9.
  5. ^ "FEAST OF SAINT DAMIAN OF MOLOKAI – 10th MAY". prayersandpetitions.org. Prayers and Petitions. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Blessed Damien de Veuster, ss.cc". Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  7. ^ "'Apostle of the Lepers,' Spanish mystic among 10 to be canonized". Catholic News Agency. Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  8. ^ "Pope Proclaims Five New Saints". Radio Vaticana. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  9. ^ Boeynaems, Libert. "Father Damien (Joseph de Veuster)." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 20 April 2020Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.