In 1863, his brother, who was supposed to leave for the mission in the Hawaiian Islands, became ill. In 1859 he entered the novitiate in Louvain and took the name of Damien. Joseph, however, decided to become a religious himself. When his oldest brother Pamphile entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, his father planned that Joseph would take charge of the family business. Joseph de Veuster, the future Father Damien, was born at Tremelo in Belgium, January 3, 1840. Help us to love to the very end and, in the strength of the Spirit, to persevere in compassion for the poor and forgotten so that we might be good disciples of Jesus and Mary. Teach us to give our lives with joy like yours, to be in solidarity with the outcasts of our world, to celebrate and contemplate the Eucharist as the source of our own commitment. Saint Damien Prayer Damien, brother on the journey, happy and generous missionary, who loved the Gospel more than your own life, who for love of Jesus left your family, your homeland, your security and your dreams. It is God who will renew us all with his love as we thank him for this great honor paid to our brother and friend, our beloved Saint Damien. It is God who accomplished the healing, through his intercession, that allowed his cause for sainthood to move forward. It is God who created the miracle of Saint Damien. We pray that Saint Damien will inspire us all to reach out to those who are most in need in our community to make a real difference in their lives, to serve them with the love of Christ. He himself built many homes for those who could not do so for themselves. Saint Damien addressed the very same issue in Kalaupapa. Our diocesan strategic plan, the Road Map for Our Mission, identifies addressing the issue of homelessness as one of its goals. The Church canonizes saints to set an example for us, because we are all called to holiness. In effect, clearing the way for Father Damien to be canonized on Octoand declared a saint to be venerated perpetually by the universal Church. We thank God that on July 3, 2008, the Holy Father signed a decree confirming that the healing of Audrey Toguchi from cancer was indeed a miracle performed by God through the intercession of Father Damien.
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