Father Damien, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetFather Damien
Roman Catholic priest
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Tremelo, Flemish Region, Belgium
About Father Damien
- Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC.
- or Saint Damien De Veuster (Dutch: Pater Damiaan or Heilige Damiaan van Molokai; 3 January 1840 – 15 April 1889), born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious institute.
- He won recognition for his ministry, which he lead from 1873 until his death in 1889, in the Kingdom of Hawai?i for people with leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease), who were required to live under a government-sanctioned medical quarantine on the island of Moloka?i, off the Kalaupapa Peninsula.During this time, he taught the Catholic faith to the people of Hawaii.
- Father Damien also cared for the patients himself and established leadership 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 from his hands with them, providing both medical and emotional support. After eleven years caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those in the leper colony, Father Damien realized he had also contracted leprosy when he was scalded by hot water and felt no pain.
- He continued with his work despite the infection but finally succumbed to the disease on 15 April 1889. Father Damien has been described as a "martyr of charity".
- He was the tenth person in what is now the United States to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
- In both the Latin Rite and the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church, Father Damien is venerated as a saint.
- In the Anglican communion, as well as other denominations of Christianity, Damien is considered the spiritual patron for leprosy and outcasts.
- Father Damien Day, April 15, the day of his passing, is also a minor statewide holiday in Hawaii and to this day Father Damien is the patron saint of the Diocese of Honolulu and of Hawaii. Upon his beatification by Pope John Paul II in Rome on 4 June 1995, Blessed Damien was granted a memorial feast day, which is celebrated on 10 May.
- Father Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2009.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia calls him "the Apostle of the Lepers."
Read more at Wikipedia
See Also
- Famous People's Birthdays on 03 January, Belgium
- Famous People's Birthdays in January, Belgium
- Famous missionary's Birthdays on 03 January, Belgium
- Famous missionary's Birthdays in January, Belgium
- Famous Catholic priest's Birthdays on 03 January, Belgium
- Famous Catholic priest's Birthdays in January, Belgium
- Famous cleric's Birthdays on 03 January, Belgium
- Famous cleric's Birthdays in January, Belgium