Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu is an ecclesiastical territory or particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The diocese is comprised of the entire state of Hawaii and the unincorporated Hawaiian Islands. The diocese is suffragan to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco and a part of the ecclesiastical province that includes the other suffragan dioceses of Las Vegas, Oakland, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa and Stockton. The patrons of the Diocese of Honolulu are the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Malia Ka Malu, or Our Lady, Queen of Peace, Blessed Damien of Moloka‘i, and Blessed Marianne Cope. The diocese is governed by the Bishop of Honolulu. His canonical seat (or cathedra) is located at Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. With his clergy, the bishop ministers to a cultural diverse population in the following languages: Hawaiian; English; Ilokano; Tagalog; Samoan; Tongan; Japanese; Korean; Spanish; and Vietnamese.

Originally a prefecture of the Vicariate Apostolic of Oceania, the Vatican canonically erected from its territories the Vicariate Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands. Blessed Pius IX changed its name in 1848 to the Vicariate Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands. Venerable Pope Pius XII elevated the vicariate apostolic to the dignity of a diocese on January 25, 1941, as it remains today.

Contents 1 Missionaries 2 Persecution 3 Foundation 4 Vicariate Apostolic 4.1 Maigret 4.2 Koeckemann 4.3 Ropert 4.4 Boeynaems 4.5 Alencastre 5 Diocese 5.1 Sweeney 5.2 Scanlan 5.3 Ferrario 5.4 DiLorenzo 5.5 Silva 6 Special Anniversaries of Significance to the Diocese 7 Presbyterium and Permanent Diaconate 8 Parishes 9 Necrology of Clerics in the Honolulu See 10 See also 11 Sources

Missionaries

The first Roman Catholic mission to the Kingdom of Hawai‘i was established upon the arrival of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a religious order called the Picpus Fathers, founded by Pierre Coudrin during the French Revolution. The first Picpus Fathers departed from Bordeaux aboard the La Comète on November 21, 1826 and stopped in Valparaíso in Chile on February 8, 1827. The Picpus Fathers resumed their trip on February 25. They entered port at Honolulu Harbor on July 7. Having originally been refused entry by Protestant advisors to the king, the Picpus Fathers did not disembark from their ship until July 9. Among the first Picpus Fathers were Abraham Armand and Alexis Bachelot of France, as well as Patrick Short of the United Kingdom. They were joined by six lay brothers. Fathers Armand, Bachelot and Short concelebrated the first Mass in the Hawaiian Islands on Bastille Day, July 14, 1827, in honor of their religious order's French heritage. They performed the first baptism on November 30.

The Picpus Fathers were quick to plunge into the Hawaiian society. They learned the local language, went into the Native Hawaiian community and began preaching to them. They distributed Hawaiian language Bibles and taught the lessons of Jesus from the gospels. Hundreds of Native Hawaiians developed a devotion to Christ and the Virgin Mary as taught by their kindly Catholic missionaries and chose to receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist. Among the first converts were the royal governors of O‘ahu, Boki and Kuini Liliha. They would both become pivotal members of the Catholic underground.

Persecution

Christian missionaries were influential in shaping the modern society of the kingdom after the deaths of Kamehameha and Kamehameha II. The missionaries, largely Congregationalists from New England, baptized the queen regent Ka‘ahumanu and persuaded her to create religious policy favoring the suppression of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii. Kamehameha III agreed and enacted its expulsion from the kingdom. Fathers Bachelot and Short were forcibly boarded onto the brig Waverly by the chiefs loyal to Ka‘ahumanu and they left Honolulu Harbor on December 24, 1831. They landed off the coast of California and worked in the California Missions near present-day City of Los Angeles.

Native Hawaiian converts of the Roman Catholic Church claimed to have been imprisoned, beaten and tortured after the physical expulsion of their missionary priests. The persecution was prescribed, according to the Bishop Museum, by the Protestant ministers claiming that such treatment was ordained by God. Commodore John Downes of the United States Navy frigate USS Potomac expressed American disappointment of the king's decision resulting in the brief end of physical harm for the converts.

In 1835, both the vicar apostolic and prefect apostolic working from Valparaíso dispatched Columba Murphy, a religious brother from Ireland affiliated with the Picpus Fathers, to evaluate the situation in the Hawaiian Islands. While other Picpus Fathers were denied entry into the kingdom, the king permitted Murphy to disembark from his ship due to his investigative role and the fact that Murphy, a mere brother, could not minister the sacraments. On September 30, 1836, Arsenius Walsh, a Picpus Father, arrived in Honolulu to continue Murphy's work. Murphy had left earlier to report back to his superiors. The royal government refused Walsh's entry. However, the captain of the French Navy ship La Bonite persuaded the king to allow Walsh to stay. The royal government agreed to permit the Picpus Fathers to work freely in the Hawaiian Islands as long as they only attended to foreign Roman Catholics, not Native Hawaiians.

On April 17, 1837, Fathers Bachelot and Short returned to Honolulu thinking the deal made with Father Walsh would apply to them. On April 30, the royal government forced them back onto their ship. The American and British Consuls compelled the king to allow Bachelot and Short to disembark. As a result, the captains of British Navy and French Navy vessels escorted Bachelot and Short into Honolulu. Short would leave the Hawaiian Islands again in October.

France, which claimed to be a defender of the Roman Catholic Church, dispatched the French Navy frigate Artemise which sailed into Honolulu Harbor on July 10, 1839. Captain Cyrille-Pierre-Théodore Laplace was ordered by his government to:

Destroy the malevolent impression which you find established to the detriment of the French name; to rectify the erroneous opinion which has been created as to the power of France; and to make it well understood that it would be to the advantage of the chiefs of those islands of the Ocean to conduct themselves in such a manner as not to incur the wrath of France. You will exact, if necessary with all the force that is yours to use, complete reparation for the wrongs which have been committed, and you will not quit those places until you have left in all minds a solid and lasting impression.

Fearing an assault on his kingdom for the religious persecution, Kamehameha III issued the Edict of Toleration on June 17, 1839. A major disappointment for the Protestant ministers, Roman Catholics became free to worship in the kingdom with the proclamation:

That the Catholic worship be declared free, throughout all the dominions subject to the king of the Sandwich Islands; the members of this religious faith shall enjoy in them the privileges granted to Protestants.

As an act of reconciliation, Kamehameha III donated land to the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii for the construction of their first permanent church.

Foundation

The Laplace incident and the Edict of Toleration inspired Etienne Jerome Rouchouze, the Vicar Apostolic of Oriental Oceania, to move to Honolulu from Valparaíso. The bishop disembarked from his ship at Honolulu Harbor in the company of three Picpus Fathers. One of them was the earlier exiled Louis Désiré Maigret. Their arrival officially signified the Roman Catholic victory over persecution in the Hawaiian Islands and the beginning of a permanent Roman Catholic Church in Hawai‘i.

The first permanent church broke ground on the memorial feast of Our Lady of Peace on July 9, 1840. Our Lady of Peace had been the patroness of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary since the turmoil of the French Revolution. Fathers Armand, Bachelot and Short had consecrated the Hawaiian Islands under the protection of Our Lady of Peace when they first arrived. During the groundbreaking Mass, 280 Native Hawaiian catechumens received baptism and confirmation. For the rest of the year, devotees harvested large blocks of coral off the southern coastline of Oahu to build what would become the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.

On the various neighbor islands, Bishop Rouchouze commissioned the construction of other permanent churches to serve as parish missions. They also started building makeshift schools to teach in the Roman Catholic traditions of academia. A printing press was brought into Honolulu for the production of Roman Catholic literature including missals and hymnals written in the Hawaiian language.

In January 1842, an excited Bishop Rouchouze, pleased with the success of his work, decided to sail back to the Paris home of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in order to recruit more Picpus Fathers and religious brothers to serve in the growing Roman Catholic Church in Hawai‘i. Tragically, Bishop Rouchouze was lost at sea during his voyage back to the Hawaiian Islands. His suffragan prefects apostolic took charge of the Vicariate Apostolic of Oriental Oceania while a search party was dispatched. Years later, the search was officially ended and Bishop Rouchouze was declared deceased.

Vicariate Apostolic

Through the period that began with the landing of Fathers Armand, Bachelot and Short to the proclamation of the Edict of Toleration and arrival of Bishop Rouchouze, the Hawaiian Islands were administered as a prefecture within the larger Vicariate Apostolic of Oriental Oceania. Created in 1833 by Pope Gregory XVI and governed from South America, its territories included the Marquesas and Tahiti. After the disappearance of Bishop Rouchouze, the three prefectures were elevated into independent vicariates apostolic. Each would be led by their own bishops.

Maigret

The Vicariate Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands was established and on July 11, 1847, Blessed Pius IX appointed Louis Désiré Maigret to succeed Bishop Rouchouze. The new vicar apostolic was consecrated as the titular bishop of Arathia and quickly attended to the needs of the fledgling Roman Catholic Church in Hawai‘i. Eventually, the ecclesiastical territory received a name change for politcal correctness and became the Vicariate Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands. Bishop Maigret completed the construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. He also invited the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary to open proper Roman Catholic schools. The priests and religious brothers of the Society of Mary (Marianists) were invited to do the same. Bishop Maigret died on 11 June 1882 and was buried in a crypt below the sanctuary of the cathedral he built and loved.

Koeckemann

Pope Leo XIII immediately elevated Bernard Hermann Koeckemann, a Picpus Father from Germany, as the second Vicar Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands. He was consecrated as the titular bishop of Olba. During his episcopacy, Bishop Koeckemann saw a wave of new Roman Catholics from the exponentially growing plantation laborer population in the Hawaiian Islands. The Roman Catholic Church in Hawai‘i embraced new parishioners from the Philippines, Poland, Portugal and Spain among others. There were so many devout Portuguese members that churches often had to include Portuguese language Masses.

Bishop Koeckemann also saw the rise of leprosy cases throughout the kingdom. He received Blessed Damien of Moloka‘i and Blessed Marianne Cope into the vicariate to serve the ailing lepers residing in an isolated colony on the Makanalua peninsula on the island of Moloka‘i. Both would have causes for canonization opened for them by their respective religious orders.

On February 22, 1892, Bishop Koeckemann died and was buried at the Honolulu Catholic Cemetery.

Ropert

It took several months before Pope Leo XIII appointed someone to succeed Bishop Koeckemann. On June 3, 1892, the pope chose a Picpus Father from France, Gulstan Francis Ropert to become the third Vicar Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands. He was consecrated as titular bishop of Panopolis. It was during his reign that the Kingdom of Hawai‘i was embroiled in revolution. American businessmen plotted to overthrow the peaceably reigning Queen of Hawai‘i. United States Marines marched towards Iolani Palace, a neighbor of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, and arrested Queen Lili‘uokalani. A provisional government was proclaimed before a republic was established. Bishop Ropert received pleas by his Native Hawaiian followers to defend Lili‘uokalani, being tried by a military court for treason against the newly created government. Unfortunately, there wasn't much Bishop Ropert could do. He would become the sole bishop of an new Republic of Hawai‘i.

Bishop Ropert also was responsible for the spiritual needs of local families whose children were sent overseas to fight in the Spanish-American War. He also consoled Filipinos whose families were lost in the Philippine-American War. Later in his reign, the Hawaiian Islands became a territory of the United States becoming the first bishop of the Territory of Hawai‘i. Bishop Ropert died on January 4, 1903 and was buried in Honolulu Catholic Cemetery.

Boeynaems

Again it would take several months before Pope Leo XIII appointed someone to succeed the episcopacy in the Hawaiian Islands. On April 8, 1903, the pope appointed a Picpus Father from Antwerp in Belgium, Libert Hubert John Louis Boeynaems to become the fourth Vicar Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands. He was consecrated titular bishop of Zeugma. During his reign, Bishop Boeynaems observed many of his faithful being sent to fight in Europe during World War I. He also oversaw the increasing militarization of the Hawaiian Islands. The entire coastline of the island of O‘ahu was fortified and several United States military bases were established, including: Fort Shafter, Pearl Harbor and Schofield Barracks. With the absence of an established military ordinariate in the United States, Bishop Boeynaems began to pastor the thousands of Roman Catholic service members. After a period of illness, Bishop Boeynaems died on May 13, 1926 and was buried in Honolulu Catholic Cemetery.

Alencastre

When Bishop Boeynaems became ill, Pope Pius XI elevated the first person to have grown up in the Hawaiian Islands to become a vicar apostolic. The pope appointed Stephen Peter Alencastre, a Picpus Father born in Portugal who was brought as an infant to the Hawaiian Islands with his family to live. Bishop Alencastre was raised and educated in Hawai‘i, living on the various islands. He subsequently graduated from Saint Louis College and was accepted into the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. He was ordained to the priesthood and educated in Europe by the Picpus Fathers with a doctorate in sacred theology. He was later appointed and consecrated as coadjutor vicar apostolic and titular bishop of Arabissus to assist the ailing Bishop Boeynaems, suffering in hospital. Upon Bishop Boeynaems' death, Bishop Alencastre succeeded as the fifth and final Vicar Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands. Seeing a need for new locally trained priests, Msgr. Alencastre established Saint Stephen's Seminary in Kalihi Valley, named after his personal patron saint. Bishop Alencastre also oversaw the renovation of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, modernizing it in time for the centennial celebration of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawai‘i in 1927. Bishop Alencastre died aboard a ship en route from Los Angeles on November 9, 1940.

Diocese

Bishop Alencastre's premonition that the vicariate would be elevated to diocesan status was fulfilled earlier than expected. Upon Bishop Alencastre's death, Blessed Pius XII decided that the Hawaiian Islands no longer needed a missionary church. Rather, its flourishing Roman Catholic community was mature enough to be administered as a fully independent body of its own. The pope canonically erected the new Diocese of Honolulu on January 25, 1941.

Sweeney

After several months of consideration, the Pope looked outside of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary for a successor to the last vicar apostolic. Pope Pius XII appointed a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, James Joseph Sweeney as the first Bishop of Honolulu on May 20, 1941; Msgr. Sweeney was subsequently ordained to the episcopate on July 25, 1941 in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Assumption in San Francisco, California.

Bishop Sweeney's first few months in episcopacy happened in the advent of the most tragic event to happen to the Hawaiian Islands. On December 7, Japanese imperial forces bombed Pearl Harbor and scraped metropolitan Honolulu. Hundreds died, including civilians under Bishop Sweeney's spiritual care. Explosions were heard around the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. Throughout World War II, Bishop Sweeney comforted families who lost their children overseas.

Blessed John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962, Bishop Sweeney became one of a handful of prelates from the United States to attend the sessions. Inspired by the reforms agreed upon in Rome, Bishop Sweeney did not hesitate to enact major changes in liturgy and worship in the Diocese of Honolulu. One of his actions was to strip the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and renovate it in keeping with new standards. Soon all parishes under Bishop Sweeney's care offered Mass primarily in the English language and altars were built facing the congregation instead of the sanctuary wall. Slowly, other languages were incorporated into the Mass including the Hawaiian language.

Bishop Sweeney fell ill and could not perform his duties with full vigor. His request for an auxiliary bishop was granted. Years later, Bishop Sweeney died on his birthday on June 19, 1968. He was buried near San Francisco, where he spent his early years as a priest.

Scanlan

Pope Paul VI appointed John Joseph Scanlan, the diocese's auxiliary bishop and apostolic administrator as its second ordinary on March 6, 1968. A San Francisco archdiocesan priest from County Cork in Ireland, Bishop Scanlan witnessed the growth of a young state of Hawai‘i. He was maintained cordial relations with the Roman Catholic Governor of Hawaii, John A. Burns even when the Hawaii legislature passed a bill permitting abortion on demand and Governor Burns allowed the bill to become law without his signature. Scanlan was also remembered for his invitation of several religious orders to establish themselves in the Hawaiian Islands. Among such groups were the Society of Jesus, the Religious of the Virgin Mary, and the Dominican Sisters of Iloilo. The Jesuits minister to the students of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

In 1977, Bishop Scanlan served as the principal consecrator of Father Joseph Ferrario as an auxiliary bishop to assist him in his duties. His age was beginning to affect his work. Feeling the pressures of being 75 years old, Bishop Scanlan chose to retire on June 30, 1981. Bishop Scanlan died on January 31, 1997 in a California retirement home for priests and religious, Nazareth House. His funeral was held at the metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption and later at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu. Bishop Scanlan, a father of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, had the honor of being buried beside Bishop Maigret, a father of the First Vatican Ecumenical Council, in a crypt under the sanctuary of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.

Ferrario

Pope John Paul II appointed the diocese's auxiliary bishop Joseph Anthony Ferrario, a former Sulpcian educator and diocesan priest, as the third Bishop of Honolulu on May 13, 1982. Bishop Ferrario ministered to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in the diocese. He also served on a gubernatorial commission to fight AIDS and HIV. He also supported legislation to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Conservative Catholics called for Ferrario's resignation. In 1989, Bishop Ferrario became the first bishop to be publicly accused of sexual misconduct in the United States. The Hawaii State Judiciary ruled that the statute of limitations had passed and Bishop Ferrario could not be charged in a 1991 attempt to do so. Bishop Ferrario maintained his innocence for the rest of his life.

Bishop Ferrario's harshest critics were the ultra-conservative followers of the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's Priestly Society of Saint Pius X. Bishop Ferrario, through his judicial vicar, Father Joseph Bukoski proceeded to excommunicate six followers in 1991. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith later reversed Bishop Ferrario's action.

Bishop Ferrario retired on October 12, 1993, citing poor health. He would later be plagued with severe heart problems. Even in retirement, Bishop Ferrario kept a vigorous schedule to raise money for Roman Catholic education in the Hawaiian Islands. He was remembered for his compassion for the poor children in the Diocese of Honolulu. Bishop Ferrario died on December 12, 2003 from heart failure. He was buried in Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery.

DiLorenzo

Upon Bishop Ferrario's announcement of his retirement, the Vatican had appointed Msgr. Francis DiLorenzo, auxiliary bishop of Scranton as Apostolic Administrator of Honolulu. Later, on November 29, 1994, Pope John Paul II, appointed Bishop DiLorenzo as the fourth Bishop of Honolulu. Bishop DiLorenzo spoke forcefully on the Catholic church's positions on birth control, abortion, marriage and homosexuality. Bishop DiLorenzo also created a zero-tolerance policy in the United States concerning such conduct. The Vatican later appointed Bishop DiLorenzo as ordinary of the See of Richmond upon the announcement of the retirement of Richmond bishop Walter Francis Sullivan. Bishop DiLorenzo assumed leadership of the Diocese of Richmond upon installation on May 24, 2004.

With the departure of Bishop DiLorenzo, the diocesan college of consultors of Honolulu elected from their peers a temporary administrator for the Diocese of Honolulu. On 28 May 2004, Thomas L. Gross took the title of Diocesan Administrator of Honolulu. He became the first diocesan priest to be elected in accordance with the Code of Canon Law as administrator of the Diocese of Honolulu. He also served on the committee that screened candidates for the post of Bishop of Honolulu.

Silva

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Clarence Richard Silva, the first native-born person in the episcopacy of the Hawaiian Islands to become the fifth Bishop of Honolulu on May 17, 2005. He also became the first person of Portuguese ancestry in the episcopate since the administration of Bishop Stephen Peter Alencastre. Formerly the Vicar General of the Diocese of Oakland, Silva was ordained to the episcopate and installed as bishop at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena on July 21. Over 3,500 were in attendance, making it one of the largest events held by the Diocese of Honolulu in its history.

The principal consecrator was William Joseph Levada, Archbishop of San Francisco and newly-appointed Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The ordination and installation ceremony was the last official ceremonial function as metropolitan bishop over the Province of San Francisco for Levada; other non-ceremonial functions would continue until his official departure from office. Also in attendance were Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, Archbishop Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, and Anthony Apuron, Archbishop of Agana. Although scheduled to attend the episcopal ordination, Roger Cardinal Mahony, the Archbishop of Los Angeles was unable to be present due to unforeseen airplane problems at Los Angeles International Airport.

Special Anniversaries of Significance to the Diocese

• January 23 - Memorial, Blessed Marianne Cope, religious (2005)
• January 25 - Anniversary of the Canonical Erection by Pope Pius XII of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu (1941)
• May 10 - Memorial, Blessed Damien of Moloka‘i, religious (1995)
• May 17 - Anniversary of the Appointment of Clarence Richard Silva, Vicar General of the Diocese of Oakland, as Fifth Bishop of Honolulu (2005)
• July 9 - Memorial, Blessed Virgin Mary under the Title, Queen of Peace
• July 21 - Anniversary of the Ordination to the Episcopate and Installation of Clarence Richard Silva as Fifth Bishop of Honolulu (2005)
• July 28 - Anniversary of Dedication of the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, Honolulu (1985)
• August 15 - Anniversary of Dedication of the Cathedral of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, Honolulu (1843)

Presbyterium and Permanent Diaconate

See, Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu - Clergy

Parishes

See, Parishes of the Diocese of Honolulu.

Necrology of Clerics in the Honolulu See

See, Necrology of Clerics in the See of Honolulu

See also

• Eastern Catholic Community in Hawaii
• Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii
• Hawaii Catholic Herald
• Hawaii Reformed Catholic Church
• List of the Roman Catholic bishops of Honolulu
• List of the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of the Roman Catholic cathedrals of the United States
• List of the Roman Catholic dioceses of the United States

Sources

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
• Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace
• French in Hawaii by Hawaii History
• Life in Hawaii by Titus Coan