Raised to the altar

He was born Joseph de Veuster (1840), the son of a Belgian farmer, but gained his own degree of fame not in his father's fields but in the vineyard of the Lord.

On October 7, 1860 he began preparation for priesthood with the Picpus Fathers, perhaps more commonly known as the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and received the religious name Damien, but while he was still a seminarian, he volunteered for missionary work in Hawaii. History revealed that he spent the rest of his life in the Pacific Islands, and became most famous for his dedication to the lepers of Molokai.

He contracted leprocy himself in 1885 and died in 1889 while still on the island.

During the Mass celebrated this morning in Saint Peter's Square, His Holiness canonized Fr. Damien, raising him to the highest level of veneration. From this day forward, he is known as Saint Damien de Veuster or Saint Damien of Molokai.

Saint Damien, pray for us.