Leading with aloha and respect

Bishop Larry Silva marks 20 years since his ordination and installation as bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu

By Celia K. Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald

Two decades in, the job of guiding Hawaii’s Catholics hasn’t gotten any easier.

Bishop Larry Silva is as busy as ever — in fact, he won’t even be in town on July 21, the date 20 years ago of his ordination and installation as bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu.

Instead, he will be joining the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary in Iloilo, Philippines, as they mark their order’s founding 100 years ago.

It’s been a remarkable 20 years, ranging from the highs of overseeing two canonizations and dozens of priest and deacon ordinations to the lows of coping with school closures, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now Bishop Silva is spearheading a major renovation of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu (and raising money to fund the project); meeting with various commissions and boards; visiting parishes and laypeople; and administering sacraments, among many other duties.

Through it all, he remains as dedicated as ever to his flock, and continues to express gratitude for the opportunity to lead the Catholic Church in Hawaii.

“I thank God every day for the privilege of being bishop to such a wonderful community, committed to the Lord and his mission!” he told the Hawaii Catholic Herald.

Bishop Silva’s previous longest assignment was for five years, when he was Father Larry Silva in the Diocese of Oakland, California. He said he was not certain how long he would serve as bishop of Honolulu — relocations are always a possibility, as the islands saw with Bishop Silva’s predecessor, the late Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, who was appointed to serve as bishop of Richmond, Virginia, in 2004 after nearly 11 years in Hawaii.

“I am glad … that I was not transferred to another diocese, because I have been so blessed to be here in Hawaii with such wonderful people,” Bishop Silva said.

In fact, Bishop Silva last year celebrated his 75th birthday in Honolulu, a milestone that is also the mandated age of retirement for bishops. While he submitted his resignation letter to the Vatican, he has not yet heard whether a successor has been picked.

“At our last USCCB (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) meeting in San Diego in mid-June, I had a conversation with the apostolic nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre,” Bishop Silva said. The apostolic nuncio to the U.S. is usually responsible for vetting bishop candidates before he sends his recommendations to the pope, who makes the final decision.

“I was very happy to know that (Cardinal Pierre) understands that Hawaii is a unique place with a unique culture, and he will do his best to try to match the new bishop with Hawaii,” Bishop Silva said. “There was no indication when my successor will be named, but assurance that his office is actively working on the matter.

“As I prepare to hand over the responsibilities to my successor, I pray that he will be at least as well accepted and loved as I have been,” he added.

‘Steadfast leadership’

Priests in the Diocese of Honolulu whose lives have been touched by Bishop Silva reflected on his tenure and his impact across the state.

Father Paul Li, administrator of St. Philomena Church in Honolulu, and Father Peter Miti, pastor of Resurrection of the Lord Church in Waipio, along with the late Father Cletus Mooya comprised the first class of diocesan priests ordained by Bishop Silva in 2007. (In 2005, Bishop Silva ordained Johnathan Hurrell to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.)

In the early 2000s, the three men were preparing for ordination as Oratorian priests at Holy Trinity Church in Kuliouou. However, the future of the Oratory — the community that then-Holy Trinity pastor Father Halbert Weidner, an Oratorian priest, was trying to establish — became uncertain, and Bishop Silva invited the three men to become priests for the Diocese of Honolulu.

Fathers Li, Miti and Mooya were ordained June 8, 2007.

“One door was closed and another opened, thanks to Bishop Larry,” Father Miti said.

Father Li recalled that “with characteristic warmth, he embraced me, Peter and Cletus as diocesan seminarians, offering not just ordination but steadfast support during a transitional chapter.

“His kindness became a testament to how God weaves unexpected grace into our calling.”

Father Miti offered some examples of the “eye-opening tangible activities” that Bishop Silva has manifested, including stewardship as a way of life and vocations, especially to the priesthood.

Father Li commented on Bishop Silva’s “faithful embodiment of his episcopal motto: ‘Witness to Jesus,’” which can be seen in his advocacy for human dignity and “steadfast leadership through transitions.”

Examples of the latter include mentoring clergy, especially international seminarians; fostering collaborative governance across the islands; and practicing accessible leadership through parish visits and dialogue with young people, Father Li continued.

Fathers Li and Miti also shared their hopes for his successor, emphasizing a focus on vocations as one of the desired traits of Honolulu’s next bishop.

“Having served and grown in my vocation under Bishop Larry’s leadership all my priesthood, I feel the next bishop should have openness to savor and mentor, especially young vocations, and be a fatherly figure to all the faithful of the diocese,” Father Miti said.

52 years of friendship

Bishop Silva possessed these traits even before he became a priest, according to Msgr. Gary Secor, vicar general for the diocese and a longtime friend of the bishop.

Msgr. Secor has known Bishop Silva since 1973, though he said their family connections “go way back.”

That year — in September, to be exact — he and Msgr. Terry Watanabe arrived in California to attend St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park as freshman seminarians. Among the people who greeted them at the airport was upperclassman Larry Silva.

Msgr. Watanabe, pastor of St. Anthony Church in Wailuku, Maui, and vicar forane of the Maui-Lanai Vicariate, recalled that then-student Silva “took good care of the Hawaii seminarians when we were in seminary together” — not a surprise, considering the Silva ohana’s deep roots in Hawaii (Bishop Silva’s great-grandparents immigrated here from the Portuguese Azores; he was born in Honolulu but raised in California).

Msgr. Secor said that then-student Silva became a regular visitor to Hawaii over the course of his seminary studies and later as a priest, further solidifying his love of the islands and connection to the people here.

Those qualities likely guided the Vatican’s decision in 2005 to appoint Father Silva to be the Diocese of Honolulu’s next bishop, more than a year after Bishop DiLorenzo’s departure, Msgr. Secor said.

Msgr. Secor said that when he learned of Father Silva’s appointment, “I thought to myself, oh, that is wonderful. They (the Vatican) knew that it would be important that someone would have a connection here.”

Msgr. Secor was vicar for clergy in 2005, and had returned to parish life as pastor of Holy Trinity Church when he was appointed by Bishop Silva in 2011 to serve as vicar general — effectively second in command in the diocese.

He said working alongside Bishop Silva for the past 14 years has been a great experience, helped by their long friendship and similar approach to a number of issues.

“He’s very open to my thoughts and my ideas, and sometimes he says yes and sometimes he says no,” Msgr. Secor said. “He consults me on most everything and I express my opinion, and I feel pretty OK with expressing it.”

Msgr. Secor and Msgr. Watanabe cited Bishop Silva’s pastoral nature and respect of pastors as highlights of his tenure in Hawaii, and said they hope these qualities will also be present in his successor.

Bishop Silva is known for reaching out to the faithful and being among them, traits that Msgr. Secor linked to his time as vocations director in the Diocese of Oakland as well as pastor of several inner-city churches.

“You want somebody who can listen and who can bring people together,” Msgr. Secor said. “I think one of the reasons why we haven’t had a lot of polarization in the diocese is because of Bishop Larry’s leadership.”

Msgr. Watanabe said that Bishop Silva “has a lot of common sense, and he respects the pastors and their role,” offering advice and guidance without micromanaging.

He is “always trying to make sure that choices and decisions are made according to the Gospel values that we hold dear to our hearts,” Msgr. Watanabe added.

“(I am) very grateful that God chose Bishop Larry and that he was willing to say yes to this responsibility,” Msgr. Watanabe said, noting that it’s not an easy job and some people even turn it down. “I think we are very fortunate to have someone who has a great love for the Lord and also for Hawaii.”

Bishop Silva “understands what the aloha spirit is for Hawaii.”