Hawaii Catholic Herald
Parishes across the state will see leadership transitions this summer as 12 priests receive new assignments and three deacons are ordained to the priesthood.
Some of the changes, which are effective July 1 except for one, will occur within one island, while others will span several.
On Oahu, La Salette Father Adondee Arellano will become pastor of St. Stephen Church in Honolulu; he previously served as parochial vicar of St. Joseph Church in Waipahu. The outgoing pastor of St. Stephen, Father Mario Raquepo, will transition to the Diocese of Honolulu’s Hospital Ministry.
Two multi-island exchanges will involve Maui, the Big Island and Oahu.
In one exchange, Father Arnel Soriano, the pastor of St. Theresa Church in Kihei, will become pastor of Annunciation Church in Waimea. The current administrator of Annunciation is Father Anthony Pangan, who will be reassigned to St. Anthony Church in Kailua. He will take over as pastor from Father William Kunisch, who will become pastor of St. Theresa in Kihei.
In the second multi-island exchange, Blessed Sacrament Father Paterno Labasano will go from in-residence at Mary, Star of the Sea Church in Honolulu to parochial vicar. Blessed Sacrament Father Victor “Junvic” Diolata, who is currently Mary, Star of the Sea’s parochial vicar, will become pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Honokaa. Our Lady of Lourdes’ current administrator, Father Anselmo “Jun” Bobier, will become administrator of St. Mary Church in Hana on Aug. 1. (Father Roel Delos Reyes, pastor of St. Mary, will be returning to the Philippines.)
Departures also mark other assignments that will be taking place.
La Salette Father Rizal Acosta, pastor of St. Raphael Church in Koloa, will be returning to the Philippines. Replacing him will be La Salette Father Ronaldo Guzman, who previously served in Hawaii at Christ the King Church in Kahului and St. Joseph Church in Waipahu.
Father Khanh Hoang, pastor of St. Jude Church in Kapolei, will be going on a health sabbatical. The current pastor of Holy Family Church in Honolulu, Father Rheo Ofalsa, will take Father Hoang’s place. Replacing Father Ofalsa at Holy Family will be Father Dario Rinaldi, currently the parochial vicar at St. Catherine Church in Kapaa.
After Bishop Larry Silva ordains three deacons to the priesthood on May 24, they will be assigned to parishes across Oahu. (Father) Kurt Meyer will become parochial vicar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Ewa Beach; (Father) Hai “Francis” Pham will become parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu; and (Father) Anthony Tran will become parochial vicar of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa on Honolulu as well as chaplain of the Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Community.