The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee celebrated the feast day of St. Damien this week.

The diocese dedicated a Facebook post to Damien, crediting his dedication to caring for lepers in Hawaii.

"Today we remember St. Damien de Veuster," the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee said on Facebook. "This Belgian priest gave his life to become a spiritual father to the victims of leprosy quarantined on the Hawaiian island of Molokai."

The youngest of seven siblings, Damien, born Joseph de Veuster, was raised in rural Belgium, Encyclopaedia Britannica reported. When he was 18, he became a member of the Society of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Five years later, he traveled as a missionary to the Hawaiian Islands.

He was ordained a priest in Honolulu in 1864, Encyclopaedia Britannica reported. The Hawaiian government had deported people with leprosy to the island of Molokai, and Damien was moved by their suffering.

"In good health, St. Damien chose to immerse himself into the fatally contagious leper colony in order to care for the neglected lepers on Molokai," the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee said.

Several priests volunteered to visit Molokai to minister to the lepers for short periods of time throughout the crisis, while Damien decided to stay there indefinitely, the Diocese of Honolulu said on its site. Damien served the lepers for 16 years before he died, having eventually contracted the disease himself.

"He fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless and cared for the suffering until he eventually contracted leprosy himself," the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee said. "He lost his speech, eyesight, feeling and mobility to the disease. He gave his life to love and serve the lepers of Molokai. St. Damien, thank you for your incredible bravery and compassion. Please, pray for us!"

The process for beatification began in Belgium in 1938, and he was canonized in 2009, the Diocese of Honolulu said.

Damien is the patron saint of people with leprosy, Catholic Online reported. His feast day is May 10. The anniversary of his death, April 15, is celebrated in Hawaii as a minor state holiday.