The Saint Damien Community at the American College, Leuven

14/09/2026

Tragically, it was confirmed that Professor Hector Patmore has passed away. Please keep him in your prayers 🙏.

“And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.”
Ps 23,6

14/09/2026

Please pray for Hector Patmore, a professor of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, who was reported missing in Scotland yesterday. 🙏

Hector Patemore was last seen at about 10:45 on Sunday morning when he left Glenbrittle Youth Hostel near Torrin to begin his walk.

11/09/2026

The Saint Damien Community will be having a small celebration for the beatification; interesting to note too that a Ukrainian Catholic Divine Liturgy is regularly celebrated at Sint-Kwintens church in Leuven.

As part of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s beatification festivities, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with Bishop Robert is to be celebrated on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois. Everyone is warmly invited!

This celebration will also feature the unveiling of a new commemorative icon of Blessed Fulton Sheen, written by Fr. Tom Loya, which will appear both at the Liturgy and on the cover of the service books prepared for the occasion.

The icon highlights Sheen’s unique place in the life of the Church:

*Two bishop’s mitres frame the image, representing the two liturgical traditions of the Catholic Church in which he served-Latin and Byzantine.

*At the center is Sheen’s familiar “magic blackboard,” recalling his groundbreaking media ministry and his gift for teaching the faith to millions through radio and television.

*The verse inscribed on the blackboard reflects one of his well‑known spiritual insights, and the icon includes his signature JMJ—Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—which he wrote at the start of every televised lesson.

Together, the Divine Liturgy and the new icon invite the faithful to rejoice in Blessed Fulton Sheen’s legacy of evangelization, his love for the Christian East, and his enduring witness to Christ.

More Information & Tickets: https://web.cvent.com/event/c5c68b04-1063-4f07-957c-0992159477d1/summary

11/09/2026

02/09/2026

Today is the feast of St. Margareta of Leuven, a servant girl who, in 1225, was murdered by thieves, after which they threw her body in the Dyle. Various miracles were credited to her intercession, and her remains were reinterred in a chapel dedicated to her in the Sint-Pieterskerk. A patron saint of domestic workers, we pray that, by her good offices, all domestic workers may be afforded adequate conditions and protection from mistreatment. A blessed feast to all!

(Also, there is a café in the city center named for her!)

06/07/2026

As some of our followers may have noticed, the St. Damien Community has a new emblem! The emblem depicts St. Damien of Molokaʻi, our eponymous patron. The years included in the inscription, "1857" and "2014," are respectively the years of foundation of the American College and the St. Damien Community. Set into the folds of Fr. Damien's cape is the seal of the American College of Louvain, as a further nod to the history of the College. We would like to thank Liping Gao for designing and executing this wonderful emblem, on the basis of some (very rough) drawings which we provided to her. You can find more of her work on instagram at lipinggao.artstudio (https://www.instagram.com/lipinggao.artstudio).

We also separately commissioned a high-quality digital version of the seal used by the ACL, as a testament to its history and ties with the St. Damien Community. This digitization was executed by A. J. D. Schrenk, whom we heartily thank.

04/07/2026

As the United States marks the semiquincentennial of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress, we offer our sincere congratulations. We hope that the following words from Thomas Jefferson might serve as a reminder of the essential spirit of this anniversary:

All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God. These are grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.

26/06/2026

The ongoing European heatwave as experienced at the American College: the candles in the chapel have melted! 🫠

09/06/2026

On May 31st (Trinity Sunday), the Saint Damien Community celebrated its final public Mass of the academic year, with about thirty people in attendance. Many thanks to those who have worshipped with us this year, and we look forward to welcoming you back in September!

(Apologies for the poor picture quality)

31/05/2026

Our hearty congratulations to community member Aashu Alexander Mattackal, who has been awarded the title of Doctor of Theology following the successful defence of his thesis, “Climbing the Peak of Perfection - A historical, literary and theological analysis of moral and spiritual perfection in the homilies of Origen," at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies here in Leuven. Aashu is a long-time member of the community and is a true privilege to mark this momentous occasion with him!