Father Damien

Today marks the 135th anniversary of the death of Father Damien, a Belgian-born Roman Catholic priest and missionary on Molokai Island, Hawaii, from leprosy in 1889.
Father Damien (civil name Joseph de Veuster) began his work in Hawaii in 1873, supervising the building of the chapel and the treatment of leprosy patients, among other things.
For 16 years he worked on the island of Molokai, comforting hopeless patients, building homes and providing medical treatment. Eventually he contracted the disease and died on 15 April 1889, aged 49.

At that time, leprosy could not be cured at all.

Father Damien's self-sacrifice has become a great example for posterity, when today simple means could eliminate the disease! Yet every 2 minutes someone on earth is diagnosed with leprosy, and one in 5 of them is a child!

In our great struggle we are grateful for the wonderful example of Father Damian!