St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai
The saint of the day for May 10th is St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai. Joseph Damien de Veuster was born at Tremelo, Belgium, on January 3,1840. He began his novitiate with the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary at the beginning of 1859, taking the name Damien. He would pray every day before a picture of St Francis Xavier, patron of missionaries, to be sent on a mission. In 1863 his brother, who was to leave for a mission in the Hawaiian Islands, fell ill. Since preparations for the voyage had already been made, Damien obtained permission from the Superior General to take his brother's place. He landed in Honolulu on March 19 1864 and was ordained to the priesthood on May 21. At that time, the Hawaiian Government decided on the harsh measure of quarantine aimed at preventing the spread of leprosy: the deportation to the neighboring Island of Molokai of all those infected by what was then thought to be an incurable disease. The entire mission wa...