By Lee Rivera
Special to the Herald
We are blessed to have our Sacred Heart Church in Hawi here on the Big Island. However, the rectory, where our administrator Father Elias Escanilla resides, is badly in need of repair and renovation, inside and out.
The house was built in the 1930s, more than 75 years ago. We want to reinforce its foundation, strengthen the present structure and give it a fresh ambiance. We pray that the renovations will provide many more years of residency for our priests.
The parish formed a resource development team to raise funds for the repairs. The co-chairpersons are Maile Lincoln and Carlton Torres. Team members include Phyllis Malasig, Rita Maria and myself.
The estimated cost to fix up the rectory is $100,000. We have solicited financial help from our family and friends, far and near. About a month ago, three letters explaining the repairs and three donation envelopes were distributed after all the weekend Masses. We are blessed by donations already received.
Our goal is $50,000 from ourselves, families and friends. We have scheduled two more fundraisers for 2016 — a bazaar on Jan. 16, which will include a silent auction, and a car wash, dinner and entertainment in June.
We are a small parish in North Kohala on the north point of the Big Island and we know we cannot do this alone. Gifts of any amount are appreciated and you can be sure it will make a difference.
If you are from Kohala, or not, and would like to contribute, we are gladly accepting donations. You may mail a check to Sacred Heart Hawi, P.O. Box 220, Hawi, HI, 96719. On the memo line, please write, “For rectory repairs.” Your donations are tax deductible. A formal acknowledgement letter, upon request, will be sent for all donations. Mahalo!
