Saint Damien of Molokai greeting card
Father Damien in 1873 age 33 Year he went to Molokai Hawaii In 1873 he learned of the need for priests to serve the 700 Hansen's disease victims confined on the island of Molokai. He and three other priests volunteered to go in succession. Damien was the first and was on a boat carrying cattle and 50 patients bound for Kalawao. Father Damien June 2 1889(age 49) Illustrious Patriot Jozef De Veuster, born January 3, 1840 was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He taught the Catholic faith, cared for patients, made coffins and dug graves. Father Damien / Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC. / Saint Damien De Veuster After eleven years caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs in the leper colony, Father Damien contracted leprosy. He continued with his work despite the infection but succumbed to the disease on 15 April 1889. Father Damien also had tuberculosis which worsened his condition, some believed the reason he volunteered was due to his illness of tuberculosis. Saint Damien’s relics are first-class: his right hand and his left foot, both of which showed the physical signs of leprosy. His relic permanently resides in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, where Saint Damien was ordained a priest nearly 150 years ago. Saint Damien De Veuster earned the title “apostle to the lepers,” and ultimately led to his canonization by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Hawaiians considered the Catholic Father to be a local hero. “We did not judge him by the colour of his skin. We judged him by the love that he had for our people. Saint Damien of Molokai, is the patron saint of people with leprosy, or Hansen's disease. He is also considered the spiritual patron for HIV and AIDS patients, as well as outcasts.
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