St. Joseph Church

St. Joseph Church is one of the six sightseeing spots from the guidebook of Molokai that I bought for this trip. The other five are Papohaku Beach, Phallic Rock, Klaupapa Lookout, Halawa Valley, and Kaunakakai. The church was built by Father Damien, the Belgium Catholic missionary. He served people who were infected with Hansen's disease or leprosy from 1866 to 1969. Later, he contracted the disease himself and passed away in 1889. A statue of Father Damien, which is often draped in leis in honor of "The Martyr of Molokai", stands beside the church.