Walter Josten

In the late 19th century, thousands of Native Hawaiians with leprosy were torn from their families and banished to a secluded peninsula on the island of Molokai. Into this place of despair came a young Belgian priest, Father Damien, who chose to share their fate. He ate with the sick, bandaged their wounds and dug their graves. To his critics he seemed reckless and stubborn, but to the people he was father and friend. In time, Damien’s compassion led him to contract the disease himself, becoming one with those he served. When he died of leprosy in 1889, the world mourned him as a hero and saint. His sacrifice would inspire generations, from Robert Louis Stevenson to Gandhi and Mother Teresa.