Father Damien

Description

This Icon is a copy of the Hagiography (Holy Card Printing) that we have made in our Laboratory and we reserve the exclusive rights to reproduce these images, which are protected by copyright.

Dimensions of wooden plaque in inches : 10 X 13 cm – 5.11″ x 3.93″ inches – 18 x 13 cm – 7.08″ x 5.11″ inches – 24 x 18 cm – 9.45″x 7.08″ inches – 30 x 24 cm – 11.81″ x 9.45″ – 42 x 32 cm – 16.53″x12.59″ inches

Saint Damien of Molokai (1840–1889), born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium who became renowned for his extraordinary service to those afflicted with leprosy (Hansen’s disease) in the isolated colony of Kalaupapa, on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. His life of compassion, sacrifice, and advocacy for the marginalized continues to inspire people worldwide, Jozef De Veuster was born on January 3, 1840, in Tremelo, Belgium, into a devout Catholic farming family. He was the youngest of seven children. Initially working on the family farm, Jozef decided to join the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, inspired by his older brother who was already a member of the same missionary order.

In 1864, after replacing his ill brother in a missionary assignment, Jozef traveled to Hawaii. He took the religious name “Damien” and was ordained a priest shortly after his arrival in Honolulu.

In the mid-19th century, leprosy was a devastating disease in Hawaii. The Hawaiian government exiled those afflicted to the remote Kalaupapa Peninsula on Molokai to prevent the disease’s spread. This isolation often left the lepers abandoned, living in squalor, and struggling without sufficient care or support.

In 1873, Father Damien volunteered to serve the lepers at Kalaupapa, fully aware of the risks to his own health. Upon arrival, he was struck by the appalling conditions. The colony lacked basic necessities, and its residents lived in despair, facing not only physical suffering but also social stigma and neglect.