FATHER DAMIEN
Apostle to the Lepers

At 23, Damien de Veuster left everything to work among the lepers of Hawaii. He died there of leprosy at only 45. He died there of leprosy at only 45. He was a Mother Teresa of his time, often isolated, and was practically a household name when he died in 1889. Social reformer, courageous, resourceful, obstinate, at times unpopular – certainly. Yet Fr Damien became a leper for the lepers, rejected for the rejected, like Christ himself – rare in a world that wants to eliminate suffering and make everything clean, perfect and beautiful. His life, like the Gospel itself, continues to radically challenge and inspire.