Portal:Saints/Selected article/January 2007

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Father Damien was a Roman Catholic missionary who helped lepers on the Hawaiian island of Molokaʻi and also died of the disease.

Father Damien, since 1995 Blessed Damien of Molokai, born Joseph de Veuster, SS.CC. (January 3, 1840, Tremelo – April 15, 1889, Molokai), was a Belgian Catholic missionary of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who is revered primarily by Hawaii residents and Christians for having dedicated his life in service to the lepers of Molokai in the Kingdom of Hawaii. In Catholicism, Father Damien is the spiritual patron of people with leprosy, outcasts, and those with HIV/AIDS, and of the State of Hawaii. Father Damien Day is recognized each year in Hawaii on April 15. His Feast Day in the Catholic Church is May 10. Having been beatified in 1995, Father Damien is awaiting formal approval for sainthood.

The Father Damien Statue memorializes the priest in bronze at the United States Capitol. A full size replica stands in front of the Hawaii State Legislature. In 1995, Pope John Paul II beatified him and bestowed the official title of Blessed Damien of Molokai.

In 2005, Father Damien was chosen as the Greatest Belgian of all time by the Flemish public broadcasting service, VRT.

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