Father Damien Statue
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The Father Damien Statue, also called the Blessed Damien of Molokai Statue, is the centerpiece of the entrance to the Hawaii State Capitol and the Hawaii State Legislature in Honolulu, Hawaii. A second statue is displayed in the United States Capitol. The landmark memorializes the famous Hawaii Catholic Church priest from Belgium who sacrificed his life for the lepers of the island of Molokai. Father Damien is considered one of the preeminent heroes of Hawaii. Cast in bronze, the statue depicts Father Damien in his later years after being diagnosed with the disease of those he attended. Much attention was given to the recreation of the disfiguring scars on the priest's face and his arm hanging from a sling.
Marisol Escobar
Sixty-six artists bid for the commissioned project. Only seven were selected to create models to be reviewed by the Hawaii State Statuary Hall Commission. Marisol Escobar, a New York City sculptor, won the bid. Commission members favored the contemporary feel and look of the Escobar design as opposed to the classical representations of Father Damien that others submitted. Taking into consideration of Father Damien's work as a carpenter, Escobar created her initial model in wood. She made another model in plaster from which the bronze cast would be created. Unfortunately, the plaster model was broken during shipping to the foundry in Viareggio, Italy. A second plaster model was shipped and was lost. Eerily, the Kamehameha Statue commissioned by King David Kalākaua, the other most sacred of statues in Hawaii, was also lost during travel. Escobar finally sent a wax mold to the foundry.
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Father Damien Day
The official unveiling of the Father Damien Statue took place in the United States Capitol Rotunda on Father Damien Day, April 15, 1969 alongside a reproduction of the Kamehameha Statue. Hawaii celebrates Father Damien Day annually, created by an act of the Hawaii State Legislature. On that day, the statue in Honolulu is ceremoniously draped in lei followed by solemn song and prayer. In Catholicism, Father Damien is the spiritual patron of the outcast and those afflicted with AIDS and HIV. He has also been granted the title of Blessed Damien of Molokai and awaits sainthood.