Damien of Molokai

Damien De Veuster, known popularly as Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, was a Belgian Catholic priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Born Jozef De Veuster on January 3, 1840, in Tremelo, Belgium, he was the youngest of seven children. After his brother, who was slated for missionary work in Hawaii, fell ill, Jozef volunteered to take his place. He arrived in Honolulu on March 19, 1864, and was ordained a priest on May 21, 1864.

Ministry in Hawaii

Damien's significant work began when he was assigned to minister to a leper colony in Molokaʻi, Kingdom of Hawaii, starting May 10, 1873. At the time, leprosy was a feared and incurable disease, and those afflicted were quarantined in settlements like Kalaupapa on the Kalaupapa peninsula. The Hawaiian government provided basic supplies but lacked the resources for adequate healthcare and infrastructure. Damien, believing that the lepers needed spiritual and physical care, volunteered to serve them, intending to rotate with other priests. However, he remained on Molokaʻi, dedicating himself to improving the lepers' living conditions.

He provided not only spiritual guidance but also practical assistance, dressing residents' ulcers, building houses and furniture, making coffins, and digging graves. He established leaders within the community, organized farms, and oversaw the construction of chapels, roads, hospitals, and churches. Damien ate poi with the lepers and shared pipes with them, living among them as an equal and offering profound emotional support. He taught the Catholic faith and assured the lepers of their preciousness in God's eyes, transforming the settlement into a more organized and hopeful community.

Illness and Death

After 11 years of dedicated service, Damien contracted leprosy himself in December 1884, a fact he discovered when he stepped into scalding water without feeling pain. Despite his illness, he continued his work with even greater fervor. He received treatment from a Japanese leprologist, Masanao Goto, which provided some relief. In his final years, he worked to complete projects, improve orphanages, and spread the Catholic faith. Four volunteers, including a Belgian priest, an American soldier, a male nurse, and Mother Marianne Cope, arrived to assist him as his condition worsened.

Damien died of leprosy and tuberculosis on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49. His body was later returned to Belgium in 1936 but his right hand was returned to Molokaʻi after his beatification.

Recognition and Legacy

Damien became internationally known before his death, recognized for his charitable work. King David Kalākaua honored him as a Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua. Following his death, his work was lauded, though some criticized his methods. The Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson defended Damien against these criticisms in an open letter to Reverend Charles McEwen Hyde. Mahatma Gandhi cited Father Damien's work as an inspiration for his own social campaigns.

Damien was declared venerable by Pope Paul VI in 1977 and beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 4, 1995. He was canonized as Saint Damien of Molokai by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009. His feast day is celebrated on May 10, though it is observed as Father Damien Day on April 15 in Hawaii. He is considered the spiritual patron for lepers and outcasts and the patron saint of the Diocese of Honolulu and of Hawaii.