Fr. Adeodatus OCD, born Julien John Buyck, was born in the village of Kieldrecht in Belgium on 27 January 1896, to pious parents John Buyck and Ludovica Ogana. He completed his primary education from his home village of Kieldrecht.
After completing his studies, Julien was drafted into the Belgian military during the First World War. He was held as a prisoner of war for 11 months by the German army. All those days, he persistently knelt to pray the rosary and by the grace of Our Lady, escaped from prison and reached Lourdes. There, he spent his time in prayer and contemplation and thereafter returned home to care for his sick mother. This eventually convinced him to get married. But, his de...