The bronze statue of Father Joseph Damien De Veuster stands at the entrance of Hawaii’s state capitol in Honolulu. The sculpture celebrates the love, compassion and sacrifice of this Catholic priest from Belgium. He cared for lepers on the island of Moloka’i for 16 years until he died of the disease in 1889. 120 years later, Father Damien was canonized as a saint. He is the patron saint for the Diocese of Honolulu. New York City artist Marisol Escobar created the sculpture in 1969.
