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Father Damien

File:Father_Damien,_photograph_by_William_Brigham.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Father Damien

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Also known as San Damián de Molokai, Father Damien of Molokai, Saint Damien of Molokai, Saint Damien De Veuster, Pater Damiaan, Joseph De Veuster

19th century Belgian Roman Catholic priest and saint (1840–1889)

Person · Open Library

Born
1840
Died
1889
Works
1

Top works

  • Un étrange bonheur

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Country
US
Active from
1972-11-12

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Key facts

Born
( 1840-01-03 ) 3 January 1840, Tremelo , Brabant , Kingdom of Belgium
Died
15 April 1889 (1889-04-15) (aged 49), Kalaupapa , Molokaʻi , Kingdom of Hawaii
Venerated in
Roman Catholic Church , Eastern Catholic Churches , some churches of Anglican Communion ; individual Lutheran Churches
Beatified
4 June 1995, Basilica of the Sacred Heart ( Koekelberg ), Brussels , by Pope John Paul II
Canonized
11 October 2009, Vatican City , by Pope Benedict XVI
Major shrine
Leuven , Belgium (bodily relics ), Molokaʻi , Hawaii (relics of his hand)
Feast
10 May (Catholic Church; obligatory in Hawaii, option in the rest of the United States);
Patronage
People with Leprosy

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Citizenship
Belgium
Place of death
Kalaupapa
Occupation
Catholic priest
Languages spoken
Dutch
Native language
Dutch
Image
Damiaan De Veuster (Armand Thiery).jpg
Show 10 more facts
Commons category
Father Damien
date of birth
1840-01-03
date of death
1889-04-15
feast day
May 10
canonization status
Catholic saint
cause of death
leprosy
manner of death
natural causes
birth name
Jozef De Veuster
described by source
Wikitólica
nickname
Saint Damien of Molokai
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~26 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Damien De Veuster, popularly known as Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai (Dutch: Pater Damiaan or Heilige Damiaan van Molokai; born Jozef De Veuster; 3 January 1840 – 15 April 1889), was a Belgian Catholic priest in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He ministered to a leper colony in Molokaʻi, Kingdom of Hawaii, from 1873 until his death in 1889.

De Veuster taught the Catholic faith to the people of Hawaii. He also cared for patients of leprosy (lepers) and established leaders 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 with them, providing both medical and emotional support.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Father Damien” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (12)

On the map

2 mapped locations