By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Close to half of the priests serving in Catholic parishes in Hawaii are here on loan from other largely foreign dioceses, according to the 2019 Directory of the Catholic Church in Hawaii.
There are 116 priests in active ministry in the Islands. They include 32 who belong to the Diocese of Honolulu, 29 from mostly foreign, outside dioceses, and 55 from 10 religious orders. About half of the religious order priests are from foreign countries, mostly the Philippines.
A diocesan priest is a clergyman from a diocese, a geographical area governed by a diocesan bishop. Priests in Hawaii from other dioceses are here generally on temporary assignments with the permission of their home bishops.
Religious order priests, such as the La Salette Fathers and the Jesuits, are groups of often international men, living in a community, with a specific charism or mission.
Of the 29 priests here from outside dioceses, 19 priests come from 10 dioceses in the Philippines, three priests are from Latin American dioceses, three come from Africa, two are from Mainland dioceses, one is from Samoa-Pago Pago, and one is from a diocese in Korea.
The Diocese of Honolulu also has three of its priests working outside of the diocese, though one of them, Father Peter Dumag, is currently serving as a military chaplain on Oahu.
There are now 25 retired diocesan priests, almost as many as the 32 active diocesan priests serving in Hawaii. The number of retired priests is up 4 from the 2017 directory count.
New priests on the way
The Diocese of Honolulu received a new priest in 2018 with the ordination of Deacon William ‘Pila’ Tulua. Deacon Romple Emwalu and Deacon Vincent Anh Vu are set to be ordained diocesan priests in May. Bishop Larry Silva ordained both as transitional deacons in 2018.
Ten years ago there were 33 active diocesan priests, 24 priests from other dioceses serving in Hawaii, and 64 religious order priests, for a total of 121 active priests at island parishes.
As those numbers show, over the past decade, there has been a small increase in priests from other dioceses serving in Hawaii and an 18 percent decrease in religious order priests here.
The permanent diaconate continues to be well-established in the islands. There are 49 active permanent deacons listed for the Diocese of Honolulu and 11 more from other dioceses serving in the islands. One Diocese of Honolulu permanent deacon is serving in another state. An additional 18 are retired.
In 2009, with the addition of four new Micronesian permanent deacons to the diocese the year prior, Hawaii’s permanent deacon count was at 56. Since then a 2015 class of 13 men and a 2017 class of 10 men replenished the permanent deacon ranks as other deacons retired or died. The ordinations of two more groups of permanent deacons are anticipated in 2020 and 2023.
Number of sisters down
The 2019 directory also lists 147 religious sisters, both working and retired, in 16 congregations living in Hawaii, down by 41, or 22 percent, from the 188 total of a decade ago. There is also one diocesan hermit woman religious and one consecrated virgin.
This year’s directory also lists 24 active and retired religious brothers, down from 34 in 2009.
The directory has listings for 66 parishes, 25 missions, 12 ethnic ministries, 15 preschools, 20 elementary schools, seven high schools and one Catholic university.
St. Anthony School in Kalihi closed at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. With the closing of Saint Francis School at the end of the 2018-2019 school year, the Catholic high school number will drop to six, elementary to 19 and preschools to 14. A virtual high school that started at St. Catherine School on Kauai in 2016 ended a year later.
Twenty-one diocesan departments are listed. The directory also lists 29 associations of the faithful, which are mostly lay organizations such as the Legion of Mary and the Knights of Columbus.
The 68-page directory is available for purchase from the Hawaii Catholic Herald office. Copies are $20 each, plus postage. Call 585-3321 to order one.
