Today the Proper Calendar for the US celebrates the Optional Memorial of Father Damien de Veuster, SS.CC. (1840-1889), formerly Joseph de Veuster, and fondly called St. Damien of Molokai. (In Hawaii this is an Obligatory Memorial.) He was a Belgian missionary of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and revered primarily by Hawaii residents and Christians for having dedicated his life in service to the lepers of Molokai in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Father Damien is the spiritual patron of lepers, outcasts, and those with HIV/AIDS, and of the State of Hawaii. April 15 is his commemoration date in the Roman Martyrology.
