By Caroline Wright
Special to the Herald
Most of us are familiar with King Street Catholic Cemetery. Many of us have driven or walked by the old graveyard countless times. Some of us have even noticed the sign on its closed and weathered gate: “Private property/no trespassing.”
Not many years ago, the sign on the gate read “Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.” If a man named Doc Hall has his way, this lovely cemetery — a significant landmark in the history of the Catholic Church in Hawaii — will soon open regularly once again.
Perseverance, patience
A member of the University of California, Irvine’s second graduating class, Richard “Doc” Hall went to dental school in San Francisco, did a four-year Navy stint, and practiced dentistry for 35 years in Lake Tahoe.
In 1988, Doc and his wife Nancy decided, from scratch, to start a Christmas tree farm on 12 acres they owned. “That meant clearing the land of brush,” he remembered. “We had to build a pond with an irrigation pump to water all 12 acres. My trees started out as 6-inch fingerlings.”
Challenges over the years included a flood and a forest fire, but the Halls hung in there — learning, Doc said, “the benefits of perseverance, patience and hard work.”
When the Halls retired in 2013, they moved to Oahu. It wasn’t long before they began applying their horticultural expertise to the gardens at their newly adopted parish, St. Augustine by-the-Sea in Waikiki.
Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Deacon Keith Cabiles, chancellor of the Diocese of Honolulu, saw the work they’d done and approached Doc Hall at a Christmas party in 2023 with a request: Would he be interested in spearheading efforts to restore King Street Cemetery?
Local landmark
The resting place for many of Hawaii’s early Catholics, including its first four bishops and many priests and missionaries who established the faith in the islands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, King Street Cemetery is a vital link to the church’s history here. High rises, hospitals and parking garages stand sentinel over this curiously graceful anachronism in the center of downtown Honolulu.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, vandalism and people camping on cemetery grounds, the irrigation system had been shut off for several years, and the place was heavily overgrown. After a visit, Hall estimated he’d need about four years to remove weeds, restore the grass, repair headstones and make the area safe.
The cemetery still hasn’t established opening hours, but Hall began working there in July 2024. He’s there four or five times per week, often joined by Nancy.
“As I work, I always leave the gates open,” he added. “On most days, people come in looking for relatives buried here. Many comment that they’ve tried to visit but the gate was always locked. Many also comment that the appearance of the cemetery has noticeably improved.”
“We’ve seen what’s possible in just a few months,” Deacon Cabiles said. “And we’re hoping to keep that momentum going. If the cemetery holds meaning for you or your ohana, or if you simply value preserving sacred spaces like this one, we warmly invite your support.”
The little team is always in need of supplies, including Miracle-Gro garden soil and garden feeder, Roundup weed and grass killer (exclusive formula) and Vigoro Weed and Feed 20-0-0 (ready to spray).
“If you’re able to donate any of these items, or would like to make a small monetary contribution instead — or better yet, volunteer a few hours — please feel free to reach out,” Deacon Cabiles said. “Every little bit helps, and we are truly grateful.”
“It’s an achievable and worthwhile project,” Hall said. “I want it to be visually appealing and open to all to enter, learn, and share its history… to honor the aina and the individuals buried there.”