Hula students performed a Tahitian dance in the Ho‘ike’s preshow program.
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Sacred Hearts School hosted family, friends and visitors from Maui and beyond on May 9 for its annual Ho‘ike, a joyous evening of dance and fellowship that was made even more poignant by its location — back in Lahaina, where the school’s campus was destroyed by the deadly 2023 wildfire.
The program’s theme was “E Hoi I Ka Piko (Return to the Source),” which honored the resilience, faith and spirit of the school community and of Maria Lanakila Church, Sacred Hearts School’s mother parish which miraculously survived the devastating flames.
Reinforcing the theme was the Ho‘ike’s location — back in Lahaina, on the outdoor Koraleski Kahua stage that was built just a couple years before the wildfire.
(Sacred Hearts School managed to reopen just weeks after the August 2023 wildfire at Sacred Hearts Mission Church in Kapalua. Students, faculty and staff spent the 2023-24 academic year in makeshift tents; meanwhile, a new temporary campus was secured and furnished in Kaanapali, in time for the school to move there for the 2024-25 academic year and at least the next couple years.)
Students were the stars of the Ho‘ike, beginning with preshow dance performances by the ballet and hula clubs. A blessing by Maria Lanakila’s pastor, Missionaries of Faith Father Kuriakose Nadooparambil, followed, as did a crowning ceremony for Mary, who is honored in the month of May.
The Ho‘ike’s royal court was then introduced, featuring a prince and princess from each grade representing each island of Hawaii. The court’s king and queen came from the graduating eighth grade class.
The main program recounted the story of creation, with a hula for each day performed by the different grades.
The Ho‘ike also marked the debut of Sacred Hearts School’s Lahaina Legacy Recovery Fund, which aims to preserve tradition and build an innovative future.
For more information and to find out how to support the school, visit www.shsmaui.org.
A prince and princess from each grade level — representing the Hawaiian islands — lined up after they were introduced to the enthusiastic crowd. (Photos by Celia K. Downes / Hawaii Catholic Herald)