Youth take a look at the choir loft of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace on June 29 during a “Youth Day” tour of the historic church. (HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz)
The Cathedral Renewal Campaign, an initiative to raise funds for the renovation of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and to reinvigorate its parish and school programs, is being launched July 20-21 at the downtown Honolulu church.
At the Saturday and Sunday Masses, parishioners and cathedral staff will introduce “Commitment Weekend,” an inaugural push to provide information about the campaign. Community members will be able to make monetary donations and inquire about other ways to participate in the church’s mission.
“The renewal of this historical church will powerfully touch and affect current and future generations,” said Rod Spadinger, cathedral parishioner and the campaign’s communications chairman.
According to Spadinger, the goal of the campaign is to raise “at least $15 million.” Most of the funds will be allocated for the cathedral restoration project, which has been in planning for the past several years.
The 170-year-old church on Fort Street Mall is in need of repairs to its longstanding infrastructure. Work is required, for example, to fix the balcony seating area that was recently damaged by termites. Mason Architects, the local firm spearheading the renovation, plans to rearrange the church floor plan for an open sanctuary and pews facing the altar. The pews currently face each other from the left and right sides, monastery-style.
A new chapel will be added to the mauka side of the cathedral to house the relics of Sts. Damien and Marianne of Molokai.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, dedicated in 1843, is said to be the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the U.S. It is the second oldest building in downtown Honolulu, after Kawaiahao Church which is only a few months older.
Other funds raised through the Cathedral Renewal Campaign will go toward an endowment for future maintenance of the church. Another endowment will be established for the needs of Cathedral Catholic Academy, the parish school located on Nuuanu Avenue, about a mile from downtown.
Although July 20-21 marks the formal launch of the campaign, church staff have been working for several months to bring attention to the cause. In a letter to parishioners, cathedral rector Father John Berger wrote that the renovation project has “come to the critical point where we must reach out to you, and all those like you, who love, support and treasure this magnificent, historic church, in order to take the next steps into the construction phase.”
“This is where the project’s success depends on your and all of our friends’ total commitment and self-giving,” he wrote.
Father Berger also discussed the vision of the renewal campaign in a talk and social hour at Hukilau restaurant, June 14, in downtown Honolulu.
Message aimed to young
On June 29, the cathedral hosted a “Youth Day,” which about 50 kids and teens from the parish attended. Young adult guides provided tours of the church, explaining its unique architectural features and symbols. The event was organized by the campaign’s “Generations Team,” which was established to spread word of the renewal to congregants of all ages.
“Since the youth is key to the growth of the cathedral, as they will introduce their families to our church during the next generations, the youth tour was intended to be one of the events that will plant a seed for future growth,” said communications chair Spadinger.
Ashlyn Funtanilla, one of the young adult tour guides, said the event was effective in getting the youth to appreciate their parish home.
“The kids were very interested in the history of the church and constantly asked questions,” Funtanilla said.
Capuchin Franciscan Father Gordon Combs, who lives and works at the cathedral, gave a 20-minute talk to the youth about the renewal campaign. He shared with them the story of St. Francis, who had heard God ask him to “repair my church.” Father Combs said he hopes the youth will find ways to be part of the cathedral’s physical renovation and in reigniting the spirit of its community.
“We want to ask you to help us to change your lives, and hopefully change the lives of the rest of the parishioners,” he said.
Spadinger said these activities will likely be repeated during the course of the Cathedral Renewal Campaign. Although there is no definite date set for the parish to reach its fundraising goal, Spadinger said “donations will be accepted throughout the two- to three-year renewal project.”
To kick off the commitment weekend, an 12-minute video featuring interviews with cathedral historians and longtime parishioners is being produced by veteran television broadcaster Emme Tomimbang.
For more information or to donate to the Cathedral Renewal Campaign, call 536-7036 or visit facebook.com/colp.renewalcampaign.
