NEWS FROM PAGES PAST
50 years ago — Oct. 21, 1966
The Most Reverend James J. Sweeney began the blessing of the new buildings of Our Lady of the Mount Church in the entrance to the convent. He is seen reciting the liturgical prayers of blessing surrounded by Father Joseph Ferrario, Father Eugene Morin, SS.CC. and Father Anselm Gouveia, SS.CC.; latter priests are respective pastors of St. Elizabeth’s in Aiea and St. Anthony’s in Kalihi.
25 years ago — Oct. 25, 1991
Guam’s possible Roe vs. Wade challenge to be heard here
The court case which could lead to overturning the U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion will be heard in Hawaii on Nov. 4 by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Pro-life and pro-abortion groups here are using the occasion to demonstrate their point of views.
The case is Guam Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists vs. Ada. On August 23, 1990, U.S. district Judge Alex Munson ruled unconstitutional a Guam law which virtually banned abortion from that U.S. territory.
The law, which forbids abortion except when the life of the mother is in danger, was passed unanimously by Guam’s single chamber 21-member legislature and signed by the Governor Joseph Ada in 1990.
The judge ruled that the law, the most restrictive in the nation, violated a woman’s right to an abortion as defined by the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision.
10 years ago — Oct. 20, 2006
Most quake damage minor for Big Isle churches
The biggest earthquake to shake Hawaii in more than two decades caused minor damage to Catholic churches across the state and major damage to at least one mission church on the Big Island.
A 6.7-magnitude quake centered in the ocean off the west side of the Big Island hit at 7:07 a.m., Sunday morning, Oct. 15, as many parishes were just beginning 7 a.m. Mass. A second 5.8-magnitude quake followed seven minutes later with aftershocks continuing the rest of the day. Electrical power was out through most of the state for much of the day. …
Major beams cracked, the choir side wall collapsed, and bathrooms were damaged in the church building of St. Joseph Mission in Paauilo on the Big Island’s north coast. A nearby hall also shifted three inches during the quake.