Architect’s drawing of new St. Jude Church, Kapolei
Catholics in West Oahu will soon have a big new church to call their spiritual home, thanks to the success of “Building Hope and Community for Generations,” St. Jude Church’s capital campaign.
Parishioners of the Makakilo/Kapolei parish surpassed their $3 million goal when they raised nearly $1 million at Mass during their “commitment weekend” March 12-13, closing the parish phase of the campaign with more than $3.4 million collected and pledged.
The parish hopes to break ground for its new church in the next three years. When built, it will be the largest Catholic church in Hawaii.
St. Jude Parish was established in 1988, after Catholics in Makakilo, Kapolei and Honokai Hale already had been celebrating liturgy for more than 15 years in borrowed school halls, community centers, and even a military bunker.
Over the past few years, the present church, built in 1998 to hold 700 people, has become too small for West Oahu’s exploding population. Today, more than 1,800 people attend Mass every weekend.
The fundraising effort has made it possible to build a church with a 1,400-2,000 capacity at Leihano, a new mixed-use facility in the heart of Kapolei. A diocesan demographic study has indicated that the population of Catholics in the area is expected to increase 28 percent by 2035. For St. Jude, the increase will be closer to 50 percent.
In addition to enlarging its worship space, St. Jude Parish plans to increase its capacity for social outreach programs like its food pantry. The rate of families living in poverty in Kapolei, Ewa and Waianae continues to grow alongside the area’s economic growth.
St. Jude’s master plan includes a community center that would serve the broader community through outreach and partnerships with other organizations.
To learn more about the new church or to give to the capital campaign, visit http://buildinghope.stjudehawaii.org.
