The Diocese of Honolulu is planning a multi-lingual, multi-cultural liturgy to celebrate its 75th birthday at 10 a.m. Sept. 10 in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. Bishop Larry Silva will preside at the Mass which will affirm the multi-island character of the diocesan community and honor Our Lady of Peace, the patroness of the diocese.
It was on Sept. 10, 1941, in the same downtown cathedral that the decree for the erection of a diocese was read and Bishop James J. Sweeney was installed as Hawaii’s first diocesan bishop, succeeding a line of six missionary bishops.
The first Catholic missionaries arrived in Hawaii in 1827 and initially endured rejection and maltreatment by the Hawaiian government that lasted 10 years.
After freedom of religion was established, the Catholic Church in Hawaii flourished, becoming the largest denomination in the Islands. After 114 years as a mission administered by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, it gained its “independence” as a diocese in 1941, just months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and 18 years before statehood.
The Mass will recognize the four diocesan bishops who preceded Bishop Silva. They are Bishop Sweeney, Bishop John J. Scanlan and Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario, all of whom have died, and Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo who is now the bishop of Richmond, Virginia.
The Mass will be followed by a simple reception. All are welcome.
