Damen the Missionary
Missionary Fathers of Chicago
Fr. Damen is depicted standing third from the left in the front row. Credit: Loyola University Chicago University Archives and Special Collections
From the beginning of his work as a priest, Fr. Damen saw mission work as a central part of his calling. By 1879, it is estimated that Fr. Damen had conducted 208 missions and traveled 6,000 miles per year to that point. He and his companions had given 2,800,000 communions and had made 12,000 conversions to Catholicism. Damen was described as being very strong in body and constitution, which enabled him to carry on his mission work for decades.
From 1877-1888, Damen served as superior of Jesuit missionaries in the western US, which was headquartered at St. Ignatius College during his tenure. In his first two years alone, 1,980 adults took first communion in his missions.
Damen is credited with having influenced the conversion of former Confederate general James Longstreet and James Bouchard, the first Native American to be ordained a Roman Catholic priest.