An aerial photo taken Aug. 10 shows the community of Lahaina after wildfires driven by high winds burned across most of the town Aug. 8-9. (OSV News photo/Marco Garcia, Reuters)
Pope Francis promises prayers; Lahaina’s parish church survives; diocese collects relief aid
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
In the days following the fierce Maui wildfire that burned to the ground the town of Lahaina Aug. 8-9 in the deadliest natural disaster in state history, Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with those “suffering from this tragedy,” the Lahaina Catholic church was found to be still standing, and the Diocese of Honolulu began taking donations to aid the thousands of victims.
Bishop Larry Silva, in an Aug. 11 message to Hawaii Catholics, expressed “unwavering support” for the fire victims and how to help them financially through the Hawaii Catholic Community Foundation.
“As a community of faith, we are called to come together and provide unwavering support to those who are suffering,” he said. “It is in times like these that our collective love, faith and compassion can make a tremendous difference.”
The diocese’s Hawaii Catholic Community Foundation (HCCF) was established to support Hawaii’s parishes and schools. It has a dedicated webpage for donations to Maui wildfire relief efforts.
“This is an opportunity for us to show our solidarity as a Catholic faith community and lend a helping hand to those who have lost so much,” Bishop Silva said.
To make a donation, go to https://tinyurl.com/MauiCatholic.
“Let us also remember the power of prayer,” the bishop said. “In our collective prayers, we ask for strength, resilience, and healing for the fire victims and their families. May we find the grace to rebuild our families, their livelihoods, and the physical structures that were lost. Let our faith guide us as we navigate the challenges ahead, knowing that with the grace of God, all things are possible,” Bishop Silva said.
Maui County officials confirmed Aug. 13 that at least 96 people have died and dozens more were injured. But those numbers are expected to rise. About 11,000 others evacuated.
As many as 3,000 homes may have been destroyed.
Other Maui communities affected by fires include Kihei and Kula, which burned more than 500 acres.
Personal closeness
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, sent a letter Aug. 11 to Bishop Silva on behalf of Pope Francis, who, he said, “expresses his personal closeness to you and to the people affected by the terrible consequences of the ongoing wildfire on the Island of Maui.”
“His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and the destruction caused by the wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui,” the letter states, “and he expresses his solidarity with all those suffering from this tragedy, especially those whose loved ones have died or are missing.”
“His Holiness also offers the assurance of prayers for the dead, injured and displaced, as well as for the first responders and emergency personnel,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. “As a sign of his spiritual closeness the Holy Father willingly invokes upon all the people of Maui, Almighty God’s blessings of strength and peace.”
Catholic Charities Hawaii was also collecting donations for wildfire victims at catholiccharitieshawaii.org/maui-relief.
“We can only imagine the distress and heartache that many are currently experiencing from the destructive wildfires on Maui, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted,” said a statement posted on the website of Catholic Charities Hawaii.
“As a community of hope we can help those in need to overcome this tragedy and rebuild their lives through recovery efforts,” the agency said.
Zoom rosary
The Maui blaze began the night of Aug. 8. The National Weather Service said strong winds from Hurricane Dora, passing hundreds of miles to the southwest of the Hawaiian Islands, were partly to blame for fueling the fires.
When the fire struck, Bishop Larry Silva was taking a few vacation days in California on his way back from World Youth Day in Lisbon. His office quickly organized a Zoom virtual rosary to pray for the victims.
“What is needed is prayer for those who have lost their homes and businesses,” he said, introducing the virtual prayer session that was attended by about 300 people, “prayers for our firefighters and first responders and police, and all those you are trying to protect the community, prayer for our social service agencies, which are gearing up to help those who are most in need in this time of crisis and trial.”
“And so we pray to our Blessed Mother for victory over all these tragedies,” he said, noting that Maria Lanakila translates into “Our Lady of Victory.”
“We ask the Lord to quench those fires immediately, so that they will no longer do any damage, so that they will be a memory of the past so we can begin the work of recovery and rebuilding,” he said in closing.
Bishop Silva flew to Maui Saturday night, Aug. 12, with plans to visit the area affected by the fire. He hoped to celebrate Mass at Maria Lanakila’s mission church, Sacred Heart in Kapalua about nine miles away, and to spend time with the people there, many of whom have lost homes and livelihoods.
Lahaina’s Maria Lanakila Church and rectory appear unscathed Aug. 9, the day after a wildfire destroyed Lahaina town on Maui. (Photo courtesy of James Ortiz)
Church still standing
Lahaina’s Maria Lanakila Catholic Church miraculously survived the blaze.
The day after the fire, the Diocese of Honolulu had been unable to verify the fate of the church and its adjoining parish elementary school, Sacred Hearts School, which the day before the fire, Aug. 7, had lost half of its roof to heavy winds.
Father Robert Ni Ni, a Missionaries of Faith priest who is pastor of the Maui parish of St. Rita in Haiku and up until last month was Maria Lanakila’s parochial vicar, said he had heard conflicting reports on the fate of the church.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser had reported that the church had burned down, while another news source reported the church was still standing, Father Ni Ni told the Hawaii Catholic Herald by phone Aug. 10.
The Star-Advertiser corrected its report Aug. 11 with a story that the church survived, seemingly untouched by the flames.
The church is a block or two from Front Street, the famous waterfront stretch of visitors’ shops and restaurants which the Lahaina fire reduced to a smoldering pile of ashes. Pictures showed charred trees across the street from the church.
With all the power and cellphone service out, the fate of Maria Lanakila Church was for several days the subject of rumor. The day after the fire ripped through Lahaina town, the word going around was that the church was “gone.” However, diocesan vicar general Msgr. Gary Secor said on Aug. 9 he had yet to talk with someone who had actually seen the destroyed church, much less shown him a photo of it.
By Aug. 10 the diocese had received enough ground and aerial photographic evidence to determine that the church and rectory survived intact, while the convent, school, and parish hall were heavily damaged by the fire. No one from the church had been able to visit the site because the area was closed off as the search for victims continued.
Father Ni Ni did report that the pastor, Missionaries of Faith Father Kuriakose Nadooparambil, and a visiting priest were safe as were the three Sisters of the Missionaries of Faith who work for the parish and all the school and parish lay employees. However, at least five lost their homes.
Father Nadooparambil has been celebrating Mass at Sacred Heart in Kapalua.
Overwhelming concern
Msgr. Terrence Watanabe, vicar of Maui and Lanai, has been fielding hundreds of calls and emails “from all over the world.”
The outpouring of concern is “overwhelming,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”
The church where Msgr. Watanabe is pastor, St. Anthony in Wailuku, scheduled an ecumenical prayer service for victims, hosted by Bishop Silva, for this past Tuesday.
“We should do what we do best — pray,” the monsignor said.
As of last Friday, several Protestant bishops and ministers had said they would attend.
As of last week, there had been no major increase in hospital anointings or funerals, said Msgr. Watanabe. He expects that to change.
Lahaina holds deep cultural significance for Hawaiians as the district “was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom.” The Lahaina Historic District, which encompassed downtown Lahaina, Front Street and its vicinity, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
During an Aug. 10 visit to a Veterans Affairs medical center in Salt Lake City, President Joe Biden issued a federal disaster declaration for Maui and the Big Island, ordering “all available federal assets on the Islands to help with response.” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green requested the declaration.
Green said in his statement, “This is a tragic day for everyone in Hawai’i and the nation. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and the survivors suffering through the deadliest natural disaster the state has seen in generations.”
A long history
The first Mass in Lahaina was celebrated in 1841 by Sacred Hearts Father Modestus Favens, in a grass structure belonging to the Spanish cowboy Joakini, A bronze plaque in Front Street marks the spot.
According to the parish website, Maria Lanakika Church was established in 1846.
On May 4, 1873, a stone church replaced the old adobe building and grass hut chapels that originally served Lahaina’s Catholic community.
In 1918 Sacred Hearts Father Bruno Bens renovated the termite-eaten walls of the church. According to the book “A Pilgrimage of Time,” edited by Dominican Sister Malia Dominica Wong, that church was torn down in 1928 by Sacred Hearts Father Engelbert de Fries and rebuilt with red tile bricks.
The paintings of St. Joseph and Mary to the left and right of the altar were said to be donated by Hawaiian King Liholiho and Queen Emma.
In 1862, Sacred Hearts Father Aubert Bouillon opened Sacred Hearts School with two classrooms. The English language school was run by lay women until the Sisters of St. Francis took it over from 1928 to 2001.
A new school building and convent, built of donated second-hand lumber, were blessed in 1951 by Bishop James J. Sweeney.
An arsonist burned the school down in 1972. The sisters rebuilt it with donations and by selling sweetbread, pickled mango and other items.
Julie Asher of OSV News contributed to this story.
