Street in New York to be named after Father Damien

The 19th-century Belgian priest Joseph de Veuster, better known as Father Damien, who is venerated as a saint for his work with leprosy patients, is to have a street named after him in New York, writes the Los Angeles Times.

Father Damien was canonised in 2009 for his work in the leper colonies of Hawaii. He is known for having built schools, churches and fully functioning communities out of dilapidated infrastructure.

East 33rd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue in the Murray Hill area of Manhattan is becoming Father Damien Way an will be officially inaugurated on 11 May, the day after the feast day of Saint Damien. Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois will attend the inauguration, as the street name is an initiative of the Flemish government, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of New York and the New York City Council.

Father Damien Way is located near three major hospitals, including Bellevue Hospital Center, one of the few hospitals in the country's east coast region that specialises in the treatment of leprosy.

A statue of Father Damien already honours the priest at the US Capitol building in Washington DC. Tremelo, Flemish Brabant, where the priest was born, maintains a Damien Museum.