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Joseph de Veuster was born in Belgium and lived on a farm with his family. He wanted to become a missionary priest and took the name Damien when he entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Damien was sent to Hawaii and then to the island of Molokai to work with the lepers there. He treated them with respect and worked for 16 years before contracting the disease himself. Saint Damien of Molokai is the patron saint of Hawaii and people with leprosy.