The Diocese of Honolulu is preparing to mark a historic moment as it commemorates 200 years since the arrival of Catholicism in Hawaii.
The diocese announced bicentennial celebrations honoring the July 7, 1827, arrival of the French brothers of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary — the first Catholic missionaries in Hawaii — at a June 17 press conference.
Bishop Larry Silva, who is retiring this summer, said the celebration is “not just about the early missionaries” but also commemorates “the people of Hawaii that embraced the Catholic faith and lived it for generations. They received that faith and wanted to share it with others, as we do today.”
Bishop-designate Michael T. Castori, SJ, will be installed as the bishop of Honolulu on July 28.
Kickoff events of the yearlong celebration of 200 years of Catholic life in the islands will take place on July 9, the feast of Our Lady of Peace, who is the patroness of the diocese and of the cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
Silva said Masses will take place that day at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu and simultaneously at parishes on six other islands.
The bishop told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo on June 17 that the celebration is taking place “not only to observe the 200 years but to help us be better evangelizers in this culture in which we live, to be missionaries to not only to the world but to the people right here in Hawaii.”
He told EWTN News he hopes that through the yearlong celebration, the faithful will “appreciate the efforts that the missionaries made in coming here.”
Silva said he wants the faithful today to be “aware that they, too, are called to be missionaries and that the battle will not be easy at all times. There will be many joys, but there will be many challenges as well. But we can meet those challenges with the help of the Lord.”
He explained that the Hawaiian culture at the time of the missionaries’ arrival “was a very religious culture,” so the missionaries “werenʼt starting from scratch.”
However, native Hawaiians “certainly did not know about Jesus Christ. And so it was an uphill battle, but a battle that was fought valiantly and for much good fruit,” he explained, noting that two years after Catholicism’s arrival in Hawaii, it was outlawed for 10 years.
“But the faith has thrived” nevertheless, he said.
In preparation for the bicentennial, the historic Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace — where one of Hawaii’s best-known saints, St. Damien of Molokai, was ordained — is undergoing renovations.
St. Damien of Molokai, a Belgian priest in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, ministered to lepers in Hawaii from 1873 until his death in 1889.
The rededication of the 183-year-old church is targeted for Aug. 16, 2027, the anniversary of its original dedication in 1843.
A reliquary chapel featuring relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope, a Franciscan nun who also ministered to lepers, will become part of the renovated basilica.
Celebrations will culminate next year, from July 7–9, 2027, anchored by a closing Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, which Silva described as a “sending forth” for missionaries.
“There are many who have not heard of Jesus Christ here in Hawaii,” he said at the press conference. “Who will tell them about him if we don’t?”
“It is my hope the celebration … will be a way for all of us to be recommitted and remotivated to go out and share the good news to others, so Jesus may be known, may be loved, may be honored, and may be glorified,” the bishop said.
Deacon Mike Browning, chair of the bicentennial planning committee, said at the press conference that the diocese is also planning a heritage pilgrimage to France in October 2027, led by Silva and perhaps Castori, to visit the Sacred Heart community where the first missionaries originated.
He also announced the launch of the bicentennial website, which will be a hub for event information, historical stories, pilgrimage details, and opportunities for the community to participate.
The Diocese of Honolulu became a diocese just months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Today there are 66 parishes and 23 mission churches ministering to Catholics on six islands within the boundaries of the Diocese of Honolulu, making it “a diocese like no other,” Silva said.
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