St. Damien of Molokai

St. Damien of Molokai was a Belgian priest who dedicated his life to missionary work among Hawaiian lepers and became a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Born Joseph de Veuster in 1840, he joined the Society of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1858 and went as a missionary to the Sandwich Islands in 1863. He arrived in Honolulu in 1864 and was ordained a priest the same year. St. Damien was known for his compassion and provided spiritual, physical, and emotional comfort to those suffering from leprosy. He served as both pastor and physician to the colony and undertook many projects to improve the conditions there. He improved water and food supplies and housing, and founded two orphanages. In 1884, he contracted leprosy and refused to leave for treatment. He succumbed to the disease five years later. His remains were transferred to Leuven in 1936, and his right hand was returned to his original grave in 1995. Rumors accused him of immorality before and after his death, but he was exonerated by an investigation held shortly after his death. Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a passionate defense of Damien after interviewing local Hawaiians during his travels in 1889. In 1965, Hawaii erected a statue of Damien in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall. He was beatified in 1995 and canonized in 2009.