Father Ornoldo Cherrez
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Bishop Larry Silva on Sept. 8 incardinated into the Diocese of Honolulu Father Ornoldo Cherrez who is originally a priest of the Apostolic Vicariate of Galapagos, Ecuador.
“We congratulate and welcome him!” the bishop wrote Sept. 5 in his official announcement of the priest’s new status.
Incardination, generally speaking, is the act of a priest or deacon joining a diocese.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Galapagos is on the archipelago famous for its giant tortoises and swimming iguanas and for inspiring Darwin’s theory of evolution. A two-hour plane ride off the Pacific coast of Ecuador, it has approximately 20,000 Catholics, about 75 percent of the total population.
An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction headed by a bishop generally in mission regions. (Hawaii was an apostolic vicariate before it was elevated to the status of diocese.)
Father Cherrez told the Hawaii Catholic Herald that Hawaii reminds him of home.
Father Cherrez, 55, was born and raised in Chillanes, Bolivar, Ecuador, the sixth of eight children of the Manuel Cherrez and Teresa Andagoya. His parents and two brothers are deceased.
“I had the good fortune of having a wonderful family and devout Catholic parents,” he said.
“From a young age, the seed of faith was planted in my heart by the grace of God which led to my priesthood formation at the seminary of San Jose Pontifical Catholic University in Quito,” the capital of Ecuador,” he said.
Bishop Manuel Balarezo ordained Father Cherrez on June 28, 1997, for the Apostolic Vicariate of Galapagos.
He first worked in the Galapagos and then eight years in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles where he learned that Bishop Silva was looking for a Spanish-speaking priest to serve the Hispanic community in the Diocese of Honolulu.
After a visit and an interview, he came to Hawaii to work on May 4, 2015.
Galápagos sea lion in Punta Pitt, San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Father Cherrez says he sees a lot of similarities between San Cristobal and Hawaii (CC via Wikimedia)
Father Cherrez’ first Hawaii appointment was as parochial vicar of St. Michael Parish in Kailua-Kona. Eight months later he was named administrator of St. Benedict Parish in Honaunau, replacing the retiring Father Alfred Rebuldela.
Bishop Silva appointed him chaplain of the Maui Hispanic Community on July 1, 2019. He resides at St. Theresa Church, Kihei.
As chaplain for the Spanish-speaking Catholic mostly immigrant community on Maui, Father Cherrez divides his weekend ministry among three parishes, St. Theresa, Kihei, where he has 80-90 Mass-goers; Christ the King, Kahului, with about 200 attendees; and Maria Lanakila, Lahaina, also with a community of about 200.
He celebrates weekday Masses in Kihei and at St. Anthony Parish in Wailuku.
Msgr. Terrence Watanabe, vicar forane of the Maui vicariate and pastor of St. Theresa, described Father Cherrez as a “hard-working, quiet, very spiritual person, with a genuine concern for his people.”
Father Cherrez said that after 13 years in the United States, the last five in Hawaii, he decided he wanted to be incardinated to the Diocese of Honolulu.
“Hawaii is very similar to the Galapagos,” he said. “I consider Maui as the sister island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos which I like very much.”
“The Diocese of Honolulu is a great place to work, especially with Bishop Larry Silva,” Father Cherrez said. “The staff has been very cordial.”
