Father Damien is a hero in Hawaii for the efforts he made at the former leper colony on Molokai. A Roman Catholic priest from Belgium, Joseph Damien greatly improved the living conditions for the lepers there and ultimately died of leprosy on April 15, 1889. Every state in the US can send two statues from their state to be displayed in the US Capitol’s Statuary Hall and Father Damien is one of Hawaii’s (the other is King Kamehameha). Unquestionably Father Damien’s statue is one of the most unique.
