St Damien Of Molokai: A Brief Biography
St Damien of Molokai
Date and Place of Birth
St Damien, born Jozef De Veuster, was born on the 3rd of January 1840, in Flemish Brabant Tremelo, Belgium.
St Damien’s family life
St Damien (Original name: Jozef De Veuster) was born to Joannes Franciscus De Veuster and his wife Anne-Catherine Wouters in the village of Tremelo in Flemish Brabant. He was the 7th of 8 children who lived on their family farm in Tremmelo. His parents were hard working farmers and were economically stable and brought up their children peacefully in the Catholic faith. They were Flemish speaking but he educated in French at a college at Braine-le-Comte in order for him to get more job opportunities in the future. St Damien was strong and sturdy because …show more content…
of all the work he did on the family farm and thus he was his parents hope for carrying on the family business because he was also educated in business affairs. However it was noted that at a young age St Damian had a lot of spiritual qualities and after attending a mission by the Redemptorists in 1858, Joseph decided to become a religious.
St Damien’s occupation
St Damien became a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on the 7th of October in 1860.
St Damien didn’t qualify to become a priest because he lacked education, however he studied Latin in France for 4 years and with the help of his brothers he became fluent in the language and was allow to become a priest. He prayed every day to St. Francis Xavier, patron of missionaries, to send him on a mission. His brother, Auguste, became ill 3 years later and could not travel to Hawaii, as a missionary, and St Damien took the opportunity to volunteer to go on the mission on behalf of the brother. St Damien arrived in Hawaii on the 19th of March 1864 at the age of 25 to minister to the people of Molokai. St Damian gave his life to the people with Leprosy who had been exiled to the island of Molokai. St Damien made known to these people the redeeming love of God and gave these people hope and joy into their lives. After being diagnosed with Leprosy in 1885 he continued to build hospitals, clinics, and churches, and some six hundred coffins in order for his legacy to follow on even when he has left. Along with this He served as pastor and physician, improved water and food supplies and housing, and founded two …show more content…
orphanages.
St Damien’s miracles
St Damien of Molokai’s first miracle was in 1987 when they agreed that the cure of a terminally ill woman could only be seen as a miracle connected to her prayer to St Damien. Pope John Paul II Beatified Damien in 1995 that elevated to be called "Blessed". The second miracle, this time involving a woman with terminal lung cancer, has also been accepted by the Congregation as attributable to Damien and the sainthood of Damien declared.
The circumstances of St Damien’s death
In December 1884, St Damien was diagnosed with Leprosy, despite this St Damien continued to work hard to build as many homes for people and continued panning programs for the organisations he created.
In his last years he engaged in a lot of activity, completing many of his building projects, enlarging his orphanages, and organizing his work. In the last stages of his disease of leprosy, he found his arm in a sling, a foot in bandages and his leg dragging. St Damien refused cure because it would have required him to leave the lepers. Father Damien died of leprosy at 8:00 AM on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49. Damien’s body was laid to rest under the same Pandanus tree where he first slept upon his arrival on
Molokai.
Remarkable aspects of St Damien’s life
• St Damien’s two sisters (Eugénie and Pauline) became nuns, and his brother (Father Pamphile) became a priest, this along with his deep love for God, influenced his decision to join the Blessed Sacrament of Jesus and Mary. His main goal was to go out to the world on foreign missions and bring the love of God to heal the wounded.
St Damien served in the Molokai islands for 25 years.
• He was canonized on October 11, 2009, Vatican City, by Pope Benedict XVI
• His feast day is celebrated on the 10th of May (Catholic Church; obligatory in Hawaii, option in the rest of the United States)
• In 2005, Damien was named the De Grootste Belg, ("The Greatest Belgian")
• Damien's ministry to lepers is being named as an example of how society should minister to HIV/AIDS patients St Damien refused cure because it would have required him to leave the lepers
Relevant details of St Damien’s life
On the occasion of Damien's canonization, President Barack Obama stated, "In our own time, as millions around the world suffer from disease, especially the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, we should draw on the example of Father Damien’s resolve in answering the urgent call to heal and care for the sick."
Several clinics and centres in the United States catering to HIV/AIDS which are named after St. Damien
There is a chapel named after him, and has been dedicated to people who have HIV/AIDS.
The Father Damien Statue on the steps of the Hawaiian State Capital Building honours him.
Schools are named after him, including Damien High School in Southern California, and Damien Memorial School in Hawaii. Churches worldwide are also named after him.
St. Damien of Molokai Catholic Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, is believed to have been the first Roman Catholic Church in the continental United States.
The qualities of St Damien’s Life which we aspire to.
He was strong and sturdy – St Damien became strong and sturdy from the all the dedication and work he did on his family farm.
He worked with his hands and his heart – He always got involved in the community and got involved with people who were neglected, without expecting anything in return.
He was dedicated to the love of God and to serve the people of Hawaii – everything he did he did in the name of the Lord.
People could see his “holiness” at first sight – When St Damien arrived in Hawaii people felt his Holy presence straight away.
His spiritual qualities came out at a young age – He was expected to take over the family, but his spiritual qualities were recognized by his family at a very early age and they allowed him to follow his dream in becoming a priest.
He was dedicated to help others – from a young age people noticed his drive to help others and he always put the needs of others before his own.
How to follow in St Damien’s footsteps
We can follow in his footsteps by always doing our duties to the best of our abilities and by always having a positive outlook on life and our daily challenges. We can become more like St Damien by always grasping our opportunities, like he did when he went to Molokai. We can strive to be like St Damien by getting involved in community work and in charity work, like how St Damien got involved in housing projects, and by doing everything we do in the word of God and through God’s grace. We can follow St Damien’s example in putting the needs of others before our own needs and by never looking down on people and by treating people fairly. We must also strive to live a holy life like St Damien’s by going to church and by praying. Finally we can become more like St Damien by having faith in God so that God may show us our mission in life and by always putting God first.
Quotes from St Damian
“I confess to you, my dear brother, the cemetery and the hut of the dying are my best meditation books, as well as for the benefit of my own soul as in view of preparing my instructions.”
“My greatest pleasure is to serve the Lord in his poor children rejected by other people.”
“Be severe toward yourself, indulgent toward others. Have scrupulous exactitude for everything regarding God: prayer, meditation, Mass, administration of the Sacraments. Unite your heart with God… Remember always your three vows, by which you are dead to the things of the world. Remember that God is eternal and work courageously in order every day to be united with him forever.”
“I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.”
“Having no doubts about the true nature of the disease, I am calm, resigned, and very happy in the midst of my people. God certainly knows what is best for my sanctification and I gladly repeat: ‘Thy will be done.’”
“A parent’s first duty is to provide for the children. I have the obligation of giving my children, newly born of water and the Holy Spirit, the things that are necessary for spiritual life.”
Reasons why we chose St Damian
The reason why we have chosen St. Damien of Molokai was because after watching “The Story of St. Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest”(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrRNvj6q2E) we learn a lot of his life and were inspired to become more like St Damien. Another reason we chose St Damien was because we saw how holy he was and how he always grasped his opportunities with positive thoughts. We saw how St Damian was loving and caring for the people on Molokai who had been abandoned by the rest of the world. We noticed the Heroic characteristics of St Damian and his courage in helping these people. We also chose St Damien because he was inspiring in that he was able to do so much, i.e. build house and water supplies, to the people of Molokai who had been sent there to die. We learnt a lot about putting the needs of others in front of our own needs and to always keep Gods Will and Word in our life. St Damien shows us how we must spend our lives and how to strive to become holy. The main reason we chose St Damien was because his main aim was to help people who are disadvantaged due to their illness and have been abandoned by the world and therefore we can relate to this as people in our country had been treated unfairly and forgotten and there are many people who have HIV/AIDS in South Africa and are looked down upon and St Damien teaches us not to treat these people badly and unfairly but to try and help these people and make their lives better. These reasons are why we decided to learn more about this powerful and holy Saint, St Damien of Molokai.
Bibilography
The Story of St. Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest - YouTube. 2014.The Story of St. Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrRNvj6q2E. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
The Canonization of Father Damien of Molokai - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com. 2014. The Canonization of Father Damien of Molokai - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com. [ONLINE] Available at:http://voices.yahoo.com/the-canonization-father-damien-molokai-2709094.html?cat=37. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
EWTN's Saints and other Holy People Home. 2014. EWTN's Saints and other Holy People Home. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.ewtn.com/saintsholy/saints/D/stdamienofmolokai.asp. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
A Catholic Mom in Hawaii: Feast of St. Damien of Molokai - Photos and Quotes - Kalaupapa and Kalawao. 2014. A Catholic Mom in Hawaii: Feast of St. Damien of Molokai - Photos and Quotes - Kalaupapa and Kalawao. [ONLINE] Available at: http://hicatholicmom.blogspot.com/2011/05/feast-of-st-damien-of-molokai-photos.html. [Accessed 24 February 2014]
St. Damien of Molokai's life of sacrifice remembered May 10 :: Catholic News Agency (CNA). 2014. St. Damien of Molokai's life of sacrifice remembered May 10 :: Catholic News Agency (CNA). [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/st.-damien-of-molokais-life-of-sacrifice-remembered-may-10/. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Father Damien. 2014. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Father Damien. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04615a.htm. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
Date and Place of Birth
St Damien, born Jozef De Veuster, was born on the 3rd of January 1840, in Flemish Brabant Tremelo, Belgium.
St Damien’s family life
St Damien (Original name: Jozef De Veuster) was born to Joannes Franciscus De Veuster and his wife Anne-Catherine Wouters in the village of Tremelo in Flemish Brabant. He was the 7th of 8 children who lived on their family farm in Tremmelo. His parents were hard working farmers and were economically stable and brought up their children peacefully in the Catholic faith. They were Flemish speaking but he educated in French at a college at Braine-le-Comte in order for him to get more job opportunities in the future. St Damien was strong and sturdy because …show more content…
of all the work he did on the family farm and thus he was his parents hope for carrying on the family business because he was also educated in business affairs. However it was noted that at a young age St Damian had a lot of spiritual qualities and after attending a mission by the Redemptorists in 1858, Joseph decided to become a religious.
St Damien’s occupation
St Damien became a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on the 7th of October in 1860.
St Damien didn’t qualify to become a priest because he lacked education, however he studied Latin in France for 4 years and with the help of his brothers he became fluent in the language and was allow to become a priest. He prayed every day to St. Francis Xavier, patron of missionaries, to send him on a mission. His brother, Auguste, became ill 3 years later and could not travel to Hawaii, as a missionary, and St Damien took the opportunity to volunteer to go on the mission on behalf of the brother. St Damien arrived in Hawaii on the 19th of March 1864 at the age of 25 to minister to the people of Molokai. St Damian gave his life to the people with Leprosy who had been exiled to the island of Molokai. St Damien made known to these people the redeeming love of God and gave these people hope and joy into their lives. After being diagnosed with Leprosy in 1885 he continued to build hospitals, clinics, and churches, and some six hundred coffins in order for his legacy to follow on even when he has left. Along with this He served as pastor and physician, improved water and food supplies and housing, and founded two …show more content…
orphanages.
St Damien’s miracles
St Damien of Molokai’s first miracle was in 1987 when they agreed that the cure of a terminally ill woman could only be seen as a miracle connected to her prayer to St Damien. Pope John Paul II Beatified Damien in 1995 that elevated to be called "Blessed". The second miracle, this time involving a woman with terminal lung cancer, has also been accepted by the Congregation as attributable to Damien and the sainthood of Damien declared.
The circumstances of St Damien’s death
In December 1884, St Damien was diagnosed with Leprosy, despite this St Damien continued to work hard to build as many homes for people and continued panning programs for the organisations he created.
In his last years he engaged in a lot of activity, completing many of his building projects, enlarging his orphanages, and organizing his work. In the last stages of his disease of leprosy, he found his arm in a sling, a foot in bandages and his leg dragging. St Damien refused cure because it would have required him to leave the lepers. Father Damien died of leprosy at 8:00 AM on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49. Damien’s body was laid to rest under the same Pandanus tree where he first slept upon his arrival on
Molokai.
Remarkable aspects of St Damien’s life
• St Damien’s two sisters (Eugénie and Pauline) became nuns, and his brother (Father Pamphile) became a priest, this along with his deep love for God, influenced his decision to join the Blessed Sacrament of Jesus and Mary. His main goal was to go out to the world on foreign missions and bring the love of God to heal the wounded.
St Damien served in the Molokai islands for 25 years.
• He was canonized on October 11, 2009, Vatican City, by Pope Benedict XVI
• His feast day is celebrated on the 10th of May (Catholic Church; obligatory in Hawaii, option in the rest of the United States)
• In 2005, Damien was named the De Grootste Belg, ("The Greatest Belgian")
• Damien's ministry to lepers is being named as an example of how society should minister to HIV/AIDS patients St Damien refused cure because it would have required him to leave the lepers
Relevant details of St Damien’s life
On the occasion of Damien's canonization, President Barack Obama stated, "In our own time, as millions around the world suffer from disease, especially the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, we should draw on the example of Father Damien’s resolve in answering the urgent call to heal and care for the sick."
Several clinics and centres in the United States catering to HIV/AIDS which are named after St. Damien
There is a chapel named after him, and has been dedicated to people who have HIV/AIDS.
The Father Damien Statue on the steps of the Hawaiian State Capital Building honours him.
Schools are named after him, including Damien High School in Southern California, and Damien Memorial School in Hawaii. Churches worldwide are also named after him.
St. Damien of Molokai Catholic Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, is believed to have been the first Roman Catholic Church in the continental United States.
The qualities of St Damien’s Life which we aspire to.
He was strong and sturdy – St Damien became strong and sturdy from the all the dedication and work he did on his family farm.
He worked with his hands and his heart – He always got involved in the community and got involved with people who were neglected, without expecting anything in return.
He was dedicated to the love of God and to serve the people of Hawaii – everything he did he did in the name of the Lord.
People could see his “holiness” at first sight – When St Damien arrived in Hawaii people felt his Holy presence straight away.
His spiritual qualities came out at a young age – He was expected to take over the family, but his spiritual qualities were recognized by his family at a very early age and they allowed him to follow his dream in becoming a priest.
He was dedicated to help others – from a young age people noticed his drive to help others and he always put the needs of others before his own.
How to follow in St Damien’s footsteps
We can follow in his footsteps by always doing our duties to the best of our abilities and by always having a positive outlook on life and our daily challenges. We can become more like St Damien by always grasping our opportunities, like he did when he went to Molokai. We can strive to be like St Damien by getting involved in community work and in charity work, like how St Damien got involved in housing projects, and by doing everything we do in the word of God and through God’s grace. We can follow St Damien’s example in putting the needs of others before our own needs and by never looking down on people and by treating people fairly. We must also strive to live a holy life like St Damien’s by going to church and by praying. Finally we can become more like St Damien by having faith in God so that God may show us our mission in life and by always putting God first.
Quotes from St Damian
“I confess to you, my dear brother, the cemetery and the hut of the dying are my best meditation books, as well as for the benefit of my own soul as in view of preparing my instructions.”
“My greatest pleasure is to serve the Lord in his poor children rejected by other people.”
“Be severe toward yourself, indulgent toward others. Have scrupulous exactitude for everything regarding God: prayer, meditation, Mass, administration of the Sacraments. Unite your heart with God… Remember always your three vows, by which you are dead to the things of the world. Remember that God is eternal and work courageously in order every day to be united with him forever.”
“I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.”
“Having no doubts about the true nature of the disease, I am calm, resigned, and very happy in the midst of my people. God certainly knows what is best for my sanctification and I gladly repeat: ‘Thy will be done.’”
“A parent’s first duty is to provide for the children. I have the obligation of giving my children, newly born of water and the Holy Spirit, the things that are necessary for spiritual life.”
Reasons why we chose St Damian
The reason why we have chosen St. Damien of Molokai was because after watching “The Story of St. Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest”(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrRNvj6q2E) we learn a lot of his life and were inspired to become more like St Damien. Another reason we chose St Damien was because we saw how holy he was and how he always grasped his opportunities with positive thoughts. We saw how St Damian was loving and caring for the people on Molokai who had been abandoned by the rest of the world. We noticed the Heroic characteristics of St Damian and his courage in helping these people. We also chose St Damien because he was inspiring in that he was able to do so much, i.e. build house and water supplies, to the people of Molokai who had been sent there to die. We learnt a lot about putting the needs of others in front of our own needs and to always keep Gods Will and Word in our life. St Damien shows us how we must spend our lives and how to strive to become holy. The main reason we chose St Damien was because his main aim was to help people who are disadvantaged due to their illness and have been abandoned by the world and therefore we can relate to this as people in our country had been treated unfairly and forgotten and there are many people who have HIV/AIDS in South Africa and are looked down upon and St Damien teaches us not to treat these people badly and unfairly but to try and help these people and make their lives better. These reasons are why we decided to learn more about this powerful and holy Saint, St Damien of Molokai.
Bibilography
The Story of St. Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest - YouTube. 2014.The Story of St. Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrRNvj6q2E. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
The Canonization of Father Damien of Molokai - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com. 2014. The Canonization of Father Damien of Molokai - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com. [ONLINE] Available at:http://voices.yahoo.com/the-canonization-father-damien-molokai-2709094.html?cat=37. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
EWTN's Saints and other Holy People Home. 2014. EWTN's Saints and other Holy People Home. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.ewtn.com/saintsholy/saints/D/stdamienofmolokai.asp. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
A Catholic Mom in Hawaii: Feast of St. Damien of Molokai - Photos and Quotes - Kalaupapa and Kalawao. 2014. A Catholic Mom in Hawaii: Feast of St. Damien of Molokai - Photos and Quotes - Kalaupapa and Kalawao. [ONLINE] Available at: http://hicatholicmom.blogspot.com/2011/05/feast-of-st-damien-of-molokai-photos.html. [Accessed 24 February 2014]
St. Damien of Molokai's life of sacrifice remembered May 10 :: Catholic News Agency (CNA). 2014. St. Damien of Molokai's life of sacrifice remembered May 10 :: Catholic News Agency (CNA). [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/st.-damien-of-molokais-life-of-sacrifice-remembered-may-10/. [Accessed 24 February 2014].
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Father Damien. 2014. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Father Damien. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04615a.htm. [Accessed 24 February 2014].