St. Anthony Parish in Kalihi continues its 100th anniversary celebration this year with a gala celebration June 12 starting with Mass at 9 a.m. in the church 
followed by festivities at Dole Cannery’s Pomaikai Ballroom.
Vicar general Father Gary Secor will celebrate the Mass, which recognizes the following day’s feast of St. Anthony of Padua.
Following the centennial’s theme, “100th year: Growing in Faith, Hope, and Love,” St. Anthony parishioners continue to be inspired by the faithfulness and good works of St. Anthony, striving to strengthen their faith in God while building a community enriched by love.
The gala at Dole Cannery will have music, entertainment, service awards and the recognition of parish ministry volunteers and organizations. The program will include the coronation of the centennial court: Centennial Queen Luzviminda Baclig-Ramelb, Princess of Faith Norma Jacinto, Princess of Hope Justine Pitpit, and Princess of Love Beth Pisbe.
Leading up to the main celebration will be nine days of activities beginning each evening with a novena prayer.
Here is the list of events:
- June 3: Adoration
- June 4: Praise and worship
- June 5: Movie of St. Anthony
- June 6: Bingo night
- June 7: Barbecue night with youth and young adults
- June 8: St. Anthony bread and fellowship
- June 9: Recollection — “We are St. Anthony”
- June 10: Lei making and combined choir
- June 11: Gala preparation
- June 12: Mass and centennial gala
Tucked away on Kalihi’s Puuhale Road, about a block from Oahu Community Correctional Center, St. Anthony Church has kept the Catholic faith alive for a century in a bustling working-class community rich with multigenerational and multiethnic devotions.
The original St. Anthony Church was a wooden structure built in 1916. It was replaced in 1968 by the present circular concrete building.
The parish history actually predates 100 years. According to Sacred Hearts Father Robert Schoofs’ book “Pioneers of the Faith,” the first Catholic priest arrived in Kalihi-Kai in the 1840s, ministering to a small congregation that worshiped in a rented house, decorated with holy pictures and lauhala mats.
