Monday, February 23, 2009

Fr. Damien de Veuster, 1840-1889, The Leper Priest of Molokai

Fr. Damien, born in Tremeloo, Belgium in 1840. He joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts and volunteered for the mission to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). In 1873 he went to minister as a priest in a leper colony on the island of Molokai. He died from leprosy in 1889 at 49 yrs. of age. The testimony of the life he lived among the lepers of Molokai led to an intensive study of Hansens disease, eventually leading to a cure. Pope John Paul II beatified Damien in Brussells in 1995.

It has been announced this week that Fr. Damien will be Canonized on October 11, 2009.

If you care to follow the story as it leads up to Fr. Damien's canonization, visit
leperpriest.blogspot.com

4 comments:

  1. You can learn a bit more about Damien de Veuster of Molokai at: www.philomena.org/damien.asp

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