Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
in downtown Honolulu is the seat of the Diocese of Honolulu, a memorial to the patroness of the Hawaiian islands.]]
The
Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, also called the
Hawaii Catholic Church, is the ecclesiastical see of the bishop of
Honolulu, Hawaii in the
United States. The see covers the entire
State of Hawaii. The
Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in
downtown Honolulu is the
mother church of the diocese. A second
cathedral was consecrated in
1984 as the
Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus. The diocese ministers in eleven languages:
Chinese,
English,
Hawaiian,
Ilocano,
Japanese,
Korean,
Samoan,
Spanish,
Tagalog,
Tongan and
Vietnamese. Though a suffragan of the
Archdiocese of San Francisco, the diocese has absolute independence in its affairs and governance.
Edict of Toleration
Since the establishment of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810 by Kamehameha the Great, Christian missionaries became influential in shaping modern Hawaiian society. The first Christian missionaries in the kingdom were Congregationalists from New England. Congregationalists were vehement anti-Catholics and in 1837, persuaded Queen Regent Kaahumanu and her son Kamehameha III to expel Catholicism from the kingdom. Native Hawaiians who were converted to Catholicism were imprisoned, beaten and tortured upon the advice and counsel of senior Congregationalist ministers as treatment ordained by God.
issued the Edict of Toleration legalizing Catholicism.]]
On July 10, 1839, the French frigate Artemise sailed into Honolulu Harbor and issued a manifesto to Kamehameha III to secure the freedom of Catholics to worship in Hawaii. Kamehameha III's Edict of Toleration dismantled the ban and Catholics had permission to establish itself in Hawaii.
On July 9, 1840, immediately after gaining freedom of religion, ground was broken for the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace on land donated by Kamehameha III to heal the rift created by the monarchy and Catholics. The following January, a contingent of missionaries sailed back to France to recruit new priests for the kingdom. On the return trip, the contingent that included the first bishop of Hawaii was lost at sea. Hawaii was left without official Catholic leadership. A French priest named Louis Maigret, ss.cc., took temporary control before being appointed officially.
Apostolic Vicariate of the Sandwich Islands
Before becoming an independent diocese, the Hawaiian islands was designated an apostolic vicariate, a type of colony of the Roman Catholic Church administered by missionary religious orders such as the Jesuits or Marianists. At first, the Hawaiian islands was governed by the Apostolic Vicariate of Oriental Oceania. The episcopal see included governance over Tahiti and Marquesas. After a few years the Apostolic Vicariate of the Sandwich Islands was created, administered by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a French society of priests and brothers also called the Society of Picpus.
Bishop Maigret became Vicar Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands on July 11, 1847 by Pope Pius IX. The pope had given up on the search for Etienne Jerome Rouchouze, ss.cc, lost at sea. Bishop Maigret is credited with building the Hawaii Catholic Church to what it is today. Upon dying in 1881, Bishop Maigret was honored by being interred in the crypt of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. It wasn't until the 1990s that another bishop would be given the honor.
Vicars Apostolic of Oriental Oceania
Vicars Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands
Diocese of Honolulu
was best known for his work with youth and his controversial ministry of gays. He was the first American bishop accused of molesting a boy.]]
In the late 1930s, with the advice of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary to the Roman Curia, the apostolic vicariate was elevated to the status of an independent diocese with jurisdiction over its own affairs and governance. It was deemed appropriate to grant the elevation as the Hawaii Catholic population was experiencing exponential growth. A San Francisco, California priest, James Joseph Sweeney was appointed and installed as the first bishop of Honolulu in 1941.
In 1968, an Irishman from County Cork was installed as bishop of Honolulu. Upon his retirement, a Scranton, Pennsylvania priest and school teacher was elevated to the position in 1982 by Pope John Paul II. Joseph Anthony Ferrario led the Hawaii Catholic Church through a controversial path. A political liberal, Bishop Ferrario began ministering to the gay community of Hawaii and was an impassioned supporter of Pax Christi. He also became the first American bishop accused of molesting a young boy. Bishop Ferrario excommunicated six of his critics, an action overruled by the Vatican. He retired early due to poor health and was succeeded by another Scranton-native, Francis Xavier Dilorenzo. Early 2004, the pope reassigned Bishop Dilorenzo to Richmond, Virginia.
Bishops of the Diocese of Honolulu
Resources
\n* Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu\n* Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace\n* Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
Category:Honolulu Category:Religion in Hawaii
