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Saint Damien of Molokai: Difference between revisions
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(Created page with "{{Saints |SaintName= Saint Damien of Molokai |SaintStage= Saint |SaintBirthDate= 3 January 1840 |SaintBirthPlace= Tremelo, Brabant, Belgium |SaintBirthCoordinates= 50.9910° N, 4.6883° E |SaintDeathDate= 15 April 1889 |DeathPlace= Kalaupapa, Molokai, Kingdom of Hawaii (now USA) |SaintDeathCoordinates= 21.1891° N, 156.9851° W |SaintCauseOfDeath= Natural causes (leprosy complications) |NotableAddress1= Kalawao Settlement, Molokai, Hawaii |NotableCoordinates1= 21.1770°...") |
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'''Saint Damien of Molokai''', born '''Jozef De Veuster''' on January 3, 1840, in the City of [[Tremelo]], [[Brabant]], [[Belgium]], was a missionary priest who devoted his life to leprosy patients in the isolated Kalaupapa peninsula of Molokai, [[Hawaii]]. Joining the [[Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary]] in 1859 after training in a Seminary, he volunteered in 1873 to serve the Parish of Kalawao, a leprosy colony under the [[Diocese of Honolulu]]. Building churches and hospitals, he restored dignity to the afflicted using the [[Latin Rite]]. Contracting leprosy in 1884, he continued his work—caring for orphans and preaching—until his death on April 15, 1889, at 49. His selflessness, praised by figures like Robert Louis Stevenson, made him a global icon, akin to an [[Archbishop of Paris]] in moral stature. | |||
Canonized on October 11, 2009, by Pope Benedict XVI, Damien’s feast day, May 10, draws pilgrims to St. Damien Church in Kalaupapa, where his relics rest. Patron of leprosy patients, outcasts, and Hawaii, his miracles—posthumous healings—affirmed his place among | Canonized on October 11, 2009, by [[Pope Benedict XVI]], Damien’s feast day, May 10, draws pilgrims to St. Damien Church in Kalaupapa, where his relics rest. Patron of leprosy patients, outcasts, and Hawaii, his miracles—posthumous healings—affirmed his place among Saints. His life, documented in Sacred Hearts archives, shows a priest who embraced the forsaken, his legacy enduring in Molokai’s restored community and worldwide devotion to the “leper priest.” | ||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
=== Birth === | === Birth === | ||
Saint Damien was born Jozef De Veuster on January 3, 1840, in Tremelo, Brabant, to Joannes De Veuster, a farmer, and Anne-Catherine Wouters. Raised in a devout family, his rural Flemish upbringing in [[Country|Belgium]] bred resilience. Tremelo’s fields nurtured his early faith. | |||
His zeal at 19 led to a missionary’s path, far from his homeland’s calm. | His zeal at 19 led to a missionary’s path, far from his homeland’s calm. | ||
=== Early Life === | === Early Life === | ||
Jozef’s youth was marked by devotion; he joined the | Jozef’s youth was marked by devotion; he joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1859, training at a Seminary in Leuven. Ordained in the City of [[Honolulu]] in 1864 within the [[Diocese of Honolulu]], he served Hawaii’s Big Island, building chapels. In 1873, at 33, he volunteered for Molokai’s leprosy Parish, a lifelong mission. | ||
His early life prepared him for sacrifice, shaped by Hawaii’s call. | His early life prepared him for sacrifice, shaped by Hawaii’s call. | ||