Vermont Catholic honored for work to help combat leprosy

Published: 2003-11-24

STOWE, Vt. (CNS) -- Gerard Kirchner, a parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe, is this year's recipient of the Damien-Dutton Award presented by the Bellmore, N.Y.-based Damien-Dutton Society for Leprosy Aid. The nonprofit organization raises funds for programs in more than 50 countries aimed at conquering leprosy. Programs include medical care, research, medical and physical rehabilitation, social welfare and education. It is named for two men who ministered to leprosy patients on the Hawaiian island of Molokai in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Blessed Damien de Veuster, a Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary missionary priest from Belgium, and Trappist Brother Joseph Dutton, a Stowe native.

Copyright (c) 2003 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .