The ruins of the old St. Joseph Church in Kapaahu, located about 3 miles from Kalapana on the Chain of Craters Road, were engulfed in a sea of lava in the summer of 1987.
St. Joseph was the first permanent stone church constructed in the Big Island’s Puna district. Sacred Hearts Father Clement Evrard, who was ordained alongside St. Damien de Veuster in Honolulu in 1864, built the church during his first priestly assignment on the Big Island.
St. Joseph had erroneously earned the nickname of “Father Damien’s Church” because the Belgian priest served in Puna just after his ordination as well. St. Damien, however, is reported instead to have built a grass-hut chapel there before moving on after a few months to minister in the district of Kohala.
The street on which St. Joseph Church was located prior to the lava flow was called “Father Damien Drive.” Lush trees and floral bushes had originally surrounded the ruins.
Honolulu Advertiser photo | Bruce Asato