Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Missionary Father Damien de Veuster (1840-1889), of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts (Picpus), proclaimed Blessed by John Paul II in Brussels (Beligum) on June 4, 1995, will be canonized by Benedict XVI on Sunday, October 11, in Saint Peter's Square. Father Damien de Veuster is universally known as “The Apostle of the Lepers,” for his decision to remain, on his own, among the lepers on the island of Molokai, where he ended up contracting the disease himself. His heroic testimony sparked public interest on the issue of lepers and their marginalization. The very year of his death, an association working against leprosy was founded in London, later followed by other initiatives and associations such as “Friends of Fr. Damien.” In 1954, Raoul Follereau, impressed by the testimony of Fr. Damian, began the “World Leprosy Day.”
As John Paul II affirmed in his homily at the Beatification Mass, “Fr. Damien displayed a particular form of holiness in his ministry; he was at once a priest, religious and missionary. With these three qualities, he revealed the face of Christ, showing the path of salvation, teaching the Gospel and working tirelessly for development. He organized religious, social and fraternal life on Molokai, at the time an island of banishment from society; with him everyone had a place, each one was recognized and loved by his brothers and sisters... While Damien was among the sick, he could say in his heart: "Our Lord will give me the graces I need to carry my cross and follow him, even to our special Calvary at Kalawao". The certainty that only things that count are love and the gift of self was his inspiration and the source of his happiness. The apostle of the lepers is a shining example of how the love of God does not take us away from the world. Far from it: the love of Christ makes us love our brothers and sisters even to the point of giving up our lives for them.”
Upon Fr. Damien's canonization, the Superior General of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts and the Superior General of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts published a letter in which they recalled that “Damien is a universal brother, model of humanity, apostle of the lepers, hero of charity, inspiration for every human being who feels called to serve the marginalized and forgotten, pride of the Belgian and Hawaiian peoples, glory of the entire Church.”
The Catholic Church today runs 521 leprosy colonies: 186 in Africa, 38 in America, 293 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in Oceania (from the Annuary Statistics of the Church). (SL) (Agenzia Fides 7/10/2009)
