221 Father Damien Facts: Biography, Accomplishments And Contribution

Father Damien was born in Belgium on January 3, 1840.

Father Damien joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary when he was 19 years old. Prior to that, he had to leave school, so as to fulfill the responsibilities that were expected of him.

Damien was a very kind and benevolent man. All throughout his life, he worked hard for the betterment of those affected with leprosy, and the outcasts.

He was so much more than being just a priest. Initially, he was called Jozef De Veuster, a name given by his parents.

It was only after he joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary did he adopt the name Damien, after the Christian Saint, Damien, known for his miraculous powers. Achieving priesthood for Damien was tough since he had no proper educational background.

For this reason, he was looked upon by others as unfit to be a priest. However, that did not stop him, and he did become a priest finally in the year 1864.

He worked for as many as 11 years for the leprosy patients of Hawaii. He did everything that he could, from building schools and feeding them, to even organizing burials and funerals for them.

Ultimately, on April 15, 1889, Damien lost his life to leprosy. Father Damien, because of his selfless works and efforts, was beatified by Pope John Paul II, in the year 1995.

If you are into kindness and kind people and liked reading about this, then why not also read about Father's Day facts and Father Hidalgo facts here at Kidadl.

Father Damien Facts

Father Damien, also known as Saint Damien of Molokai, was born on January 3, 1840. Father Damien's life revolved around helping those affected with leprosy and other such diseases.

Although a Roman Catholic priest himself, Father Damien had a hard time getting his priesthood. This was mainly due to the fact he did not receive any formal education and therefore was not considered to be eligible for the priesthood by many people. However, despite these obstacles, Saint Damien did become a priest on May 21, 1864.

Born in Belgium, Father Damien was considered to be a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. He believed in compassion and kindness and treated sick people in the same manner.

An interesting fact about Father Damien is that his actual name was Jozef De Veuster and he had six elder brothers and sisters.

He was the youngest among the lot. Right from his childhood, he had a fascination with religion as he saw his elder brother and sisters taking their religious vows.

He wanted to follow in their footsteps. At a time when diseases like leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, was not viewed in good eyes, and the people afflicted by them were treated as outcasts, he took the responsibility on his own shoulders.

He worked tirelessly to provide a better life for them, and not just their physical wellbeing.

Saint Damian wanted to return them the self-dignity they had lost as well. There was no cure for leprosy even though it was highly contagious; therefore, people who had leprosy were sent away to distant lands for medical quarantine.

Jozef De Veuster took up the name Damien after the Christian Saint Damien who is known for his miraculous powers. It was right after he entered the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary.

A man full of benevolence and kindness, Damien was more than just a priest. His works in Hawaii earned him the rightful name of Saint Damien of Molokai.

At a time when diseases like leprosy were frowned upon, Damien himself broke the stereotype.

From building schools and orphanages to organizing funerals and burials for patients with leprosy, he did everything to his utmost ability. He had to face many obstacles and hardships as well.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle in his life was when he realized that after working for almost 11 years with patients of leprosy, he himself got affected by the same. However, this did not stop him.

Instead, he worked even harder. Ultimately, in the year 1889, he lost his life.

At that time, he was only 49 years of age. His works and efforts have inspired hundreds of people from all around the world, and the historic Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi is one of them.

The works of Damien inspired Gandhi's own efforts to bring about a change in the living conditions of the Dalits or the untouchables in India.

In the year 1995, several years after Damien's death, Pope John Paul II beatified him, which gave him the title Blessed. Furthermore, upon the decisions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Damien was added to the liturgical calendar.

He also received several other honorary titles, one being the 'Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua' given by the then king David Kalākaua. Thus, Damien has taught the whole world how much kindness and benevolence can achieve, if only one can learn to keep an open mind.

Father Damien's Biography

As mentioned earlier, Saint Damien had a knack for religion right from his childhood. It was expected of him and his brothers to take care of the huge farm that his father Joannes Franscicus De Veuster owned.

However, that was not something that he wanted to do.

At the young age of only 13 years, he had to leave school, as he had to look after the workings of the farm. Thus, he was not very academically qualified and this posed a problem in his life when he went to take up priesthood.

Originally named Jozef De Veuster by his parents, he adopted the name, Damien, after the Christian saint, Saint Damien, who is known to possess miraculous powers. In the year 1864, he was ordained as a priest and thus began his journey of the priesthood.

In the early years of his priesthood, all he wished was to be sent on a mission.

He prayed daily to the picture of St. Francis Xavier in hopes of fulfilling his wish. Whether it was luck or not, his brother, Father Pamphile, who was scheduled to be sent to a mission in Hawaii, suddenly got sick.

Father Damien traveled in his place instead, to his very first mission.

At that time, Hawaii was already dealing with a severe problem of diseases. Smallpox, cholera, and syphilis were among the many diseases that the natives of Hawaii had to face.

The Hawaiian islands bore witness to many foreigners and outsiders who came to visit that place and along with these visitors came many diseases, the consequences of which the natives had to pay with their life. Among the worst of these diseases was leprosy.

It is believed that foreign workers who visited Hawaii brought it along with them.

There was no cure for leprosy at such a time, and on top of that, it was highly contagious. Thus, large numbers of people were getting affected by the disease and there was no solution to stop the epidemic.

It was during that time that the 'Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy' was passed by the then Hawaiian King Kamehameha V. Under this Act, the most severe of cases of leprosy were sent to Kalawao which is located on the island of Molokai.

By the end of 1969, as many as 8,000 natives were sent away to the colony. The island of Molokai is located in the Maui County of Hawaii.

Almost like an exile colony, the then government of Hawaii did not provide the proper medical support required to take care of those that had been sent away. With no proper resources or support from their own government, most of them died a very lonely death.

Seeing their poor and pathetic conditions, a local bishop thought of sending some missionaries to the colony. Among the four priests who went to the colony, Father Damien was the first volunteer.

Damien arrived at the colony in the year 1873. He was moved by their painful conditions and motivated them in every way possible. Thus began Damien's story which still continues to be known by almost everyone around the world, even now, so many years after his death.

He was not just a priest, but so much more. He showed the world what kindness and an open mind can achieve.

Father Damien's Accomplishments

Right after landing at the colony, Father Damien soon realized that what the people there needed the most was nursing. Doctors were important, but they were not necessary since there was no cure for leprosy during that time. Therefore, Father Damien did all he could to make the lives of the patients living there better.

From helping to build roads, houses, and schools, to digging graves for the departed, Father Damien never missed out on a single opportunity to help the poor, such was his kindness. He preached Catholic faith to them so as to motivate them.

He asked them not to lose hope; even if the outside world treated them as outcasts, they were still important in the eyes of God.

He fed them with his own hands and lived with them, never once thinking about his own health. The church St. Philomena was also constructed during that time.

He did not just want to improve their physical well-being, but their mental well-being as well.

At a time when these patients had lost all hope of the world helping them, Father Damien became a holy man for them. He consistently tried to cheer them up and motivate them, by telling stories and organizing musicals.

His main aim was to make them feel loved and to make them realize that they were not in this alone, that they were always surrounded by their loved ones. Father Damien further realized that this mental support also decreased the severity of leprosy in some ways.

All his efforts for the afflicted bore him the title of a spiritual patron for leprosy.

No one could have expected that a Belgian priest with no formal education could bring about a change in the world and its outlook. Under his guidance, the living conditions of the patients also started to improve, as new houses were built and painted, and many schools were also established.

Soon he was given the honor of 'Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua' by the then king David Kalākaua. According to history, it was the princess Lydia Liliʻuokalani herself who personally visited the colony to award him the medal.

Soon after, the fame of Father Damian grew worldwide, and thousands of supporters and organizations sent aids like food, medicine, and clothing to the colony.

His journey to help the sick was not an easy one. He had to face various ordeals at the hands of his supervisors, but it did not stop him from achieving what he intended to.

Father Damien's Contribution Towards The Catholic Church

Considered as a patron saint for the people afflicted with leprosy and those who were considered to be outcasts, Father Damien has achieved something that was unthinkable during that time. Although it was known that only 5% of human beings were at the risk of getting affected by leprosy, still there was a stigma surrounding this particular disease.

Father Damien, also known as Saint Damien of Molokai, throughout his whole life tried to break this stigma.

Father Damien was not a particularly academic child. At the mere age of 13 years old, he had to leave school and instead help his family take care of the farm that his father owned.

He was the youngest of seven children. Like his elder brothers and sisters, he dreamt of being a priest.

Initially, his name was Jozef De Veuster. It was only after he joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, did he take the name Damien after the Christian saint, Saint Damien, who is known to possess miraculous powers.

Father Damien was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. It was quite a tedious task to achieve his priesthood, since many of his superiors deemed him unfit for the title of a priest, given his inadequate educational background.

However, after many years of struggle, he did become a priest in the year 1864. Thus began his journey.

On his mission to Hawaii, he came across the poor and pathetic conditions of the diseased.

He worked throughout the many years of his life, trying to provide a better living for them, so much so that he himself got affected by the same disease. It was during the year 1884 when Father Damien realized that he was affected with leprosy.

The story behind this realization goes as follows. One particular day of this year, as he was soaking his feet in warm water, which was a part of his daily routine, he realized that he was not able to feel the hot temperature of the water, even though there were blisters all over his feet.

That was when it dawned upon him that he was affected with leprosy. This came after almost 11 years of working with the patients.

However, this dreadful realization did not stop him from continuing his work. Instead, he worked even harder.

In the year 1885, a Japanese doctor named Masanao Goto, who later turned into a good friend of Father Damien's, was sent to treat him. With the help of his treatments and medications which included various ointments, exercises, and nourishing food, the symptoms of the disease did slow down, although death was inevitable.

The same treatment was given to the other patients there as well. The disease slowly started taking a toll on Father Damien's health, yet he continued with his works.

He built many schools and many orphanages. Finally, on the day of April 15, 1889, he lost his life. At that time, he was only 49 years old.

Father Damien's body was returned to his family members in Belgium in the year 1936 at the request of the then Belgium government. He was buried at Saint Anthony's Chapel which is located in Belgium.

In the year 1995, Pope John Paul II beatified Father Damien, which gave him the title Blessed. In honor of him, May 10 is celebrated as a feast day.

The work of Father Damien is not only appreciated by the people of Hawaii alone but all over the world. The Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi saw Father Damien as an inspiration for his own works of uplifting the conditions of the 'untouchables' in India called the Dalits.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 221 Father Damien facts: biography, accomplishments, and contribution, then why not take a look at facts about Father Serra or pilgrim fathers facts?