Named for the Flemish priest Jozef De Veuster (1840–1889) on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death. At the age of 19 he entered the Congregation of the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts (Picpus Fathers) and chose for himself the new name of Damiaan. In 1863 Pater Damiaan (Father Damiaan) was sent as a missionary to Hawaii, where he was ordained a priest one year later. After eight years on Kohala he asked to be transferred to the leper colony at Kalawao on the island of Molokai. There he devoted all his energy to the improvement of the conditions at the settlement until he finally contracted leprosy himself. (M 15576) _ _.