Father Damien

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Lore & Background

Damien De Veuster was born Jozef De Veuster on 3 January 1840 in Tremelo, Belgium, the youngest of seven children. He quit school at 13 to work on the family farm. After a mission by the Redemptorists in 1858, he decided to pursue a religious vocation. He entered the novitiate of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary at Leuven, taking the religious name Damien, and was admitted to the religious profession on 7 October 1860. His superiors thought he lacked education, but he learned Latin from his brother and was allowed to become a priest. On 19 March 1864, he arrived at Honolulu Harbor and was ordained on 21 May 1864. He served in North Kohala and other parishes. In 1873, he volunteered for the leper colony at Kalaupapa, where there were 600 lepers. He wrote to his brother: 'I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.' He built a church, dressed ulcers, built a reservoir, made coffins, dug graves, shared pipes, and ate poi with them. After 11 years, he contracted leprosy in December 1884 when he scalded his foot without feeling it. He continued working until his death on 15 April 1889. He also had tuberculosis, which worsened his condition; some believe tuberculosis motivated his volunteering.

Reader's Guide

Father Damien's significance lies in his 16 years of service to a quarantined leper colony at a time when leprosy was incurable and highly feared. He provided medical and emotional support, dressing ulcers, building a reservoir, making coffins, and digging graves. He established leaders to build houses, schools, roads, hospitals, and churches. His work brought international attention: King David Kalākaua bestowed on him the Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua. American Protestants raised funds, and the Church of England sent supplies. He is described as a 'martyr of charity' and the spiritual patron for lepers and outcasts. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2009. His feast day is 10 May. Father Damien Day on 15 April is a minor statewide holiday in Hawaii. Some historical accounts overlook the roles of Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian superintendents, reflecting biases in European and American reports.

Did You Know?

• Damien was born Jozef De Veuster on 3 January 1840 in Tremelo, Belgium, the youngest of seven children.
• He took the religious name Damien after a fourth-century physician and martyr.
• He arrived at the leper colony on 10 May 1873, where there were 600 lepers.
• He contracted leprosy in December 1884 after 11 years of service, discovering it when he scalded his foot without feeling pain.
• He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2009, and his feast day is 10 May.