U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka leaves Washington, D.C., today to join attendees from Hawaii in Rome for Sunday’s canonization of Father Damien.

Akaka is scheduled to arrive in Rome tomorrow.
Yesterday, Akaka entered a statement about Damien into the Congressional Record.
“Father Damien is a beloved figure in Hawaii’s history, and so noteworthy are his deeds that he is one of the two people from Hawaii who are memorialized here in the Capitol, the other being King Kamehameha, the man who united the Hawaiian Islands,” Akaka’s statement said, in part. “The statute of Father Damien stands proudly, as a reminder of his stewardship and love for Kalaupapa.”