By Marvy Marciel Gibbs
Special to the Herald
During 2021, island Catholics have been encouraged to embrace the “Year of St. Joseph” and make a pilgrimage to the churches named after the husband of Mary.
Our remote St. Joseph Mission at Kaupo is one of the two pilgrimage sites on Maui.
At our Mass on Sunday, Aug. 29, we were honored to welcome a family from Nanakuli, Oahu, who included our Mass in their St. Joseph pilgrimage trip.
For all the Faithful considering visiting St. Joseph Mission in Kaupo, please know that our remoteness does present some challenges:
Due to prior vandalism, the church building is locked when not in use or when a volunteer is not present on the grounds.
Our grounds are easily accessed through our pedestrian turnstile at the gated entrance.
The toilet facilities are unavailable when a volunteer is not present on the grounds.
Many unfortunate incidents of facility abusiveness (i.e., breaking down doors, leaving behind messy/unsanitary conditions, leaving water running, etc.) have caused us to take the drastic measures to protect our facility and sacred grounds when the church is not in use or when any of our volunteers are not present.
We encourage pilgrimage visitors. To facilitate your visit, we encourage you to contact us so we can coordinate arrangements with you. Please call St. Mary Church in Hana (808-248-8030) or Ben Perry (808-495-3914 or 808-248-5310).
Because Mass is celebrated only when there is a fifth Sunday in any given month, our next and LAST Sunday Mass for 2021 is at noon on Oct. 31. We will celebrate Mass and Benediction to honor St. Joseph.
E komo mai!
Marvy Marciel Gibbs is a member of the Friends of St. Joseph-Kaupo.