Would you be willing to abandon your home country and put your own health at risk to care for others, knowing that you might never return?
When St. Damien set sail for the island of Molokai to care for the lepers quarantined there, he knew he could never come back. But after seeing them torn from their families and banished to lives of isolation, he chose to follow, trusting that God would sustain him amidst any difficulties he might face. Today, we invite you to discover six things you should know about his life and legacy.
1. He was only 23 when he set sail for Hawaii.
St. Jozef Damien De Veuster was born in Tremelo, Belgium, on January 3, 1840. In 1858, Damien joined the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus alongside his older brother, Father Pamphile. A few years later, when Father Pamphile was unable to travel to Hawaii as a missionary due to poor health, Damien volunteered to go in his stead. After a voyage that lasted nearly half a year, he arrived in Honolulu, was ordained as a priest, and began serving on the island of Maui.
2. Damien volunteered to serve on an island from which he could never return.
During Damien’s time in Maui, an influx of British and American merchants brought new difficulties to the native Hawaiians. With no resistance to European diseases, their population shrank from 300,000 to about 50,000. When an epidemic of leprosy broke out, government leaders on the island sent the infected to live in quarantine on the island of Molokai, earning it the moniker “Devil’s Island.” Many families wished to care for their sick at home, but medical inspectors and armed officers were sent to forcibly remove those who would not cooperate. Damien pleaded with local authorities, but to no avail. Heartbroken by how these families had been ripped apart, Damien decided to go to Molokai to care for the lepers, understanding that he could never come back.
3. When Damien arrived on Molokai, there were 800 lepers on the island.
Getting to the island was a terrifying experience: boat crews were so afraid of the disease that they refused to take ships ashore to dock. Upon reaching the island, they would force passengers to jump out and swim the remaining distance to shore through roaring waves. In 1873, when Damien arrived on Molokai, there were 800 lepers on the island. While doctors would deliver medicine, none were brave enough to come into contact with the afflicted. Damien, however, cared for the sick himself. “If I cannot cure them as our Savior did, at least I can comfort them,” he wrote.
4. Damien provided critical infrastructure on Molokai, even engineering his own irrigation system for the island.
Once ashore, he faced an anarchic settlement where the strong preyed upon the weak, and lawlessness was rampant. Damien brought order to the chaos, providing critical infrastructure and spiritual encouragement. He arranged funeral ceremonies and burials, encouraged the islanders to grow their own gardens for healthy nutrition, and built huts and a church. Damien even engineered his own irrigation system for the island. Thanks to him, the island was transformed into an ordered community.
5. In 1884, Damien developed leprosy himself.
After serving the island community for over 10 years, Damien began to develop leprosy himself. However, he didn’t allow the disease to impact his ministry, but continued to serve until his death in 1889. By God’s grace, in his final days he received care from another missionary named Marianne Cope, and remained steadfast and gracious throughout it all. “If I didn’t have the continual presence of the divine Master in my poor chapel, I could not persevere in my decision to share the lot of the lepers,” he said.
6. He is the patron of those with Hansen’s disease (the modern name for leprosy) and HIV/ AIDS.
Today, St. Damien’s selflessness and compassion for others continue to serve as an inspiration to the faithful around the world. In honor of his work with the leper community, he is recognized as the patron of those with Hansen’s disease (the modern name for leprosy) and HIV/ AIDS. You can find him portrayed in the Basilica in the Trinity Dome and the West Portico.
Sources:
Butler’s Lives of the Saints, ed. Bernard Bangley.
“St. Damien of Molokai,” Britannica.
“St. Damien of Molokai,” Catholic Online.
The Relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope at the National Shrine
On Sunday, June 15, 2025, the faithful are invited to venerate the relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope of Molokai, which will be exposed in the Crypt Church of the Basilica. The relics will be on display from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.