51ºÚÁÏ

Father Damien, born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium.

He went to live, with 3 other volunteers, with people suffering leprosy. He lead a ministry in the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1873 until 1889 to people with leprosy (Hansen’s disease). They lived in government mandated quarantine in a settlement on the Kalaupapa Penisula of Moloka’i.

6 months after his arrival at Kalawao he wrote to his brother Pamphile in Europe
I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ

He taught the Catholic faith . He also cared for his patients and established leaders within the community to build houses, schools, roads, hospitals and churches. He dressed resident’s ulcers, built a reservoir, made 100s of coffins, dug graves, shared pipes and ate poi with them and provided both medical and emotional support. He also served as a priest during this time and spread the Catholic faith to the lepers.

After 11 years he contracted leprosy himself. He continued to work in spite of the illness. He died aged 49 on 15th April 1889.

News of his death brought in gifts of medicine and money for the work, and for the first time people around the world began to pay attention to leprosy reports
.
He has been described as a martyr of charity. He is considered the patron for leprosy and outcasts,

Father Damien Day , April 15th, is a minor statewide holiday in Hawaii.

2005 Damien honored with the title De Grootste Beig The Greatest Belgian
2009 Damien canonized by Pope Benedict XXV1

In 1994 it was estimated that there were 12 million lepers but only 3 million receive treatment.

Sources
Wikipedia
70 Greatest Christians page 210 by Geoffrey Hanks