Friday May 10: Father Damien – Priest and Missionary
Born: January 3, 1840, Belgium
Died; April 15, 1889 (aged 49) Molokai
St Damien De Veuster, also known as St Damien of Molokai, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium. He was a member of the Congregation of the sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He gained recognition for his ministry to the people affected by leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) in the Kingdom of Hawaii. After 16 years of caring for the physical and emotional needs of those with leprosy, Father Damien contracted the disease and died from it. He is called by the Church a ‘Martyr of Charity’.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Brussels, Belgium on June 4, 1995. His sainthood was confirmed on October 11, 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. His feast day is May 10. The day of his passing, April 15, is a minor statewide holiday in Hawaii. Saint Damien is the patron saint of people suffering from leprosy.
(From the 2024 Bible Diary and https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2817 )