Undated photo of Hawaii’s Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary enjoying some musical moments.
On April 26, the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their mission and ministry in Hawaii with Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Church, Aiea. All are welcome.
St. John the Baptist classroom
The half century of service began with four sisters and grew to what may be now the largest group of working religious women in the diocese. Other congregations list more, but they include retired members.
The Dominicans officially arrived in Hawaii from their base in Molo, Iloilo City, in the Philippines in 1964, but the invitation came several years earlier. It happened when Mother Natividad Vidal and Sister Asuncion Magno, traveling through Hawaii on the SS President Wilson, were introduced by chance to the auxiliary Bishop John J. Scanlan.
Exploring Hawaii in the early years.
On Feb. 3, 1961, three sisters left the Philippines for Siena Heights College in Adrian, Mich., to pursue master’s degrees in preparation for their first foreign assignment — Hawaii. Sister Caridad Pinuela, Sister Helen Magallon and Sister Juanita Veniola completed their studies in June 1964. They then boarded the SS Lurline in San Francisco and arrived in Hawaii to be joined by Sister Felicitas Macsera coming from Molo.
In September 1964, the four opened the new St. Elizabeth School in Aiea with 145 students in grades one through three. Sister Caridad was the principal. The school added one grade a year until it spanned kindergarten through grade eight.
The Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse accommodated the newcomers at their Liliha facilities until their convent was ready, the final preparations being made by the parishioners and the Filipino Catholic Club at St. Elizabeth Church. Bishop James J. Sweeney officiated at the convent blessing assisted by the chancellor Msgr. Charles A. Kekumano and pastor Sacred Hearts Father Philibert Vanfrachem. The blessing and open house of the new school followed.
Gathering at St. Elizabeth School in Aiea.
Not quite four years later, the Dominican Sisters were invited to expand to other schools in the diocese. They went to St. Joseph School, Makawao, Maui, in 1968; Holy Cross School, Kalaheo, Kauai, in 1969; St. Catherine School, Kapaa, Kauai, in 1969 and St. John the Baptist School, Kalihi, Oahu, in 1976.
They left St. Joseph in 2009, Holy Cross in 1991 and St. Catherine in 2000, but remain at St. Elizabeth and St. John the Baptist.
Expansion to California
Subsequently, the Archdiocese of San Francisco invited the sisters to manage St. Charles Borromeo School in 1982, St. Finn Barr School in 1992 and Holy Angels School at Colma in 2000.
They left St. Finn Barr School in 2003, but are still at St. Charles Borromeo and Holy Angels.
Adjusting to the new culture, language and locale, the Dominicans’ early years in Hawaii were made easier with the help of other experienced Hawaii religious communities.
The Sisters of the Sacred Hearts were the first to open the doors of their convent to the Dominicans as they surveyed the new territory. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet invited the Dominicans into their classrooms at St. Theresa School in Honolulu to observe the American system of teaching.
Taking vows in 1987
When the Sisters later enrolled for graduate and enrichment courses at the University of Hawaii, the Sisters of St. Francis offered hospitality in their St. Francis dormitory in Manoa. The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary welcomed and assisted the Dominicans as they ventured over to Kauai. The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and the Maryknoll Sisters, all of whom staffed Catholic Schools, also provided ready advice and steadfast assistance as the Sisters settled in the land of aloha.
In a letter dated June 20, 1971, the general superior of the congregation, Mother Amparo Elmido, wrote this to the sisters in the fledgling mission,: “I am very glad that Sisters of other congregations are willing to help us. I believe that you are trying your best there and I believe that little by little we will improve. Please be patient and don’t be let down.”
The superintendent of Catholic Schools, Msgr. Daniel Dever, lent his support as well as the Sacred Hearts Fathers and Brothers, the Marist Fathers and the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers under whose parishes in Hawaii the Sisters worked.
In May 1968, Sister Felicitas was elected as the regional vicaress of the sisters in Hawaii. After the approval of a third term in December 1978, Bishop Scanlan wrote to Mother Amparo: “I not only approve of this postulation (term extension), but I commend your Third Regional Chapter for recognizing the dedication and administrative capabilities of Sister Felicitas. I look forward to working with her, as the diocese has benefitted from her service in the past.”
By that time, 35 Dominican Sisters were working in the diocese.
As the congregation in Hawaii grew, the sisters acquired property for a regional house. On June 14, 1986, the Dominican Center in Waipio, Oahu, was blessed. Rosary Pre-School opened on the same property the following January.
Elevation of status
Meanwhile, on Oct. 7, 1985, Pope John Paul II approved the elevation of the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary, a congregation founded in 1929 in the Philippines, to the status of an institute of pontifical right.
Honolulu Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario, in a Dec. 10, 1985, letter, congratulated the sisters on their new standing.
“I am very happy to hear that the (Vatican) Congregation for Religious has granted Pontifical Right Status to your Congregation. There is now official recognition that you have grown from a diocesan group to one of world-wide extension,” Bishop Ferrario wrote. “Thank you very much for your commitment to Hawaii and for the great service to our people.”
Twenty-two years after the sisters arrived in Hawaii, Msgr. Kekumano also expressed his appreciation to the sisters, writing in a letter dated June 18, 1986, “From your first day so many years ago at the old St. Elizabeth’s in Aiea until now, you have not only seen your community grow in numbers but you have seen it grow in spiritual and educational influence. You and your Sisters have brought great blessings to Hawaii.”
Following in the footsteps of St. Dominic de Guzman, who founded the Dominican Order in 1215 in Caleruega, Spain, the sisters continue “to contemplate and share the fruit of their contemplation.”
Their prayer life begins and ends each day with the chanting of the Liturgy of the Hours. Morning Prayer sets the tone for meditation and the Eucharist. Evening and Night Prayer close the day. The last prayer chanted, the “Salve Regina,” honors the Blessed Virgin Mary, for whom the Dominicans have a special devotion. The rosary is recited daily for friends, those whom the sisters serve, and other intentions.
Today the congregation has 35 sisters in active ministry in Hawaii and San Francisco. In 2013, adding to their ministry in schools and parishes, the Dominican Sisters opened the House of Aloha, a skilled nursing facility in Waianae.
The words of the order’s foundress, Mother Rosario Arroyo, is heeded to this day: “My dear sisters, there is plenty of work to be done and plenty of prayers to be said. Do not stop praying while you work, while you travel and wherever you are. … These two magic words, ‘prayer and work,’ should echo in the walls of our convents. I leave the rest of the mission to you.”
