The pews of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace now face front. (HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz)
By Darlene J.M. Dela Cruz Hawaii Catholic Herald
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace parishioners, staff, supporters and its surrounding faith community are prepping their beloved place of worship for a major milestone next year: the church’s 175th anniversary.
The Cathedral Renewal Campaign is rolling along with fundraising and construction efforts to remodel and restore hallmark features of the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the U.S. The goal is to have a second phase of refurbishments ready by Aug. 15, 2018, the 175th birthday of Hawaii’s mother church.
The Cathedral Renewal Campaign website is an excellent resource to keep tabs on the latest phase-by-phase construction updates. The site also provides an easy-to-use interface for online donations. Visit http://www.honolulucathedralrenewal.org for more information.
“The cathedral is very historic,” Bishop Larry Silva says in a promotional video on the website. “I don’t know that there are too many places, outside of Rome of course, that could say that two saints worshipped there.”
Cathedral rector and diocesan vicar general Msgr. Gary Secor in the same short film calls the downtown Honolulu church “part of the legacy of Oahu.”
“I think there’s great reason why it should be preserved and worked on,” said Msgr. Secor, “so that we will ensure for future generations that it will be here as a treasure not only historically, but in terms of our faith.”
Phase I of construction, which included much-needed repairs to the cathedral’s upper seating galleries, was completed in November 2015.
Phase II of upgrades is slated to begin this September or October. Among the aims in this phase are renovation of the sanctuary and cleaning and restoration of four stained glass windows. Initial work will be done as well to create the doorway for a future chapel on the mauka side of the church to house the relics of St. Damien and St. Marianne of Molokai.
The cathedral pews, arranged in prior years to face each other in “monastery-style” seating, were reorganized earlier this month to all face the altar. This is part of the many new touches geared toward providing “a more appropriate liturgical environment,” the Cathedral Renewal Campaign website notes.
Phases 3-6 of the renovation project — new furnishings and flooring, pipe organ restoration, exterior landscaping, construction of the reliquary chapel — will begin after the 175th anniversary celebration.
To finance the entire Cathedral Renewal project, a goal of $15 million has been set. The generosity of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace parish ohana, community members at large and donors from outside of Hawaii has nearly fully funded Phase II of construction as of earlier this summer, according to the campaign website.
For additional ways to give a financial gift to the Cathedral Renewal Campaign, call the campaign office at (808) 585-3329 or email CRC@rcchawaii.org.
To inquire about Mass schedule updates and locations during construction, call the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace office at (808) 536-7036 or email coolop@rcchawaii.org.
