Bicentennial of Catholicism in Hawaii
By Lisa Dahm
Hawaii Catholic Herald
As the Diocese of Honolulu prepares to celebrate 200 years of Catholicism in Hawaii, it is recalling the early pioneers who laid the groundwork for the vibrant network of parishes, schools, organizations and many thousands of Catholics in Hawaii today.
On July 7, 1827, French Catholic missionaries came to Hawaii, led by Sacred Hearts Father Alexis Bachelot. Their faith, courage and charity endured despite persecution and challenges, resulting in, among other many notable individuals, the arrival of two eventual saints: Damien de Veuster (ordained a Sacred Hearts priest in Honolulu in 1864) and Franciscan Mother Marianne Cope.
Stories of the church’s early trailblazers were masterfully retold by the late Father Louis H. Yim, the diocese’s archivist and historian from 1985 to the 1990s. Father Yim, who died in 2022 at age 90, faithfully and meticulously researched the stories of Catholicism’s rich history and published many historical accounts in the Hawaii Catholic Herald.
His work covered everything from profiles of the first missionaries to the building of the Our Lady of Peace Cathedral, to Father Damien’s early years in Hawaii, to the annals of historic neighbor island churches.
Father Yim’s mother was Hawaiian and knew the culture and language, and his father was the cook for the cathedral fathers, giving him special insight. Since the Christmas season lasts until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Jan. 11, we honor Father Yim with an excerpt from his work, “Christmas comes to the islands,” first published in the Herald in 1985 and reprinted in 2020.
Christmas comes to the islands: How the spirit of the season found its way to Hawaii
The Catholic influence
“The Catholics were the only ones who maintained a religious observance of Christmas Day. But undergoing persecution in the 1830s and struggling to reestablish their missions in the 1840s, they made little impact on Hawaii’s early Christmas scene. In fact, the first Catholic missionary, Father Alexis Bachelot, had a most unpleasant experience during Christmas of 1831. Ordered to leave the Islands by the Hawaiian government, he had pleaded: ‘But we should be happy to put off the departure if it be possible till after Sunday which happens to be Christmas day … and which we should like to pass on shore.’ The request was denied and he was expelled from Hawaii on Dec. 24.
“With the granting of religious freedom in 1839, the Catholic missionaries resumed their Hawaii mission the following year. That Christmas of 1840, Father Louis Maigret succinctly scribbled in his journal: ‘It is the beautiful feast of Christmas.’ No mention was made of the festive Christmas Mass that probably was celebrated in the old Mission chapel on Fort Street. But the next year, 1841, Brother Calixte Lecomte wrote in his journal: ‘For Christmas, about 350 received Communion at the first Mass.’ And he also informed us that ‘Father Mathias had forgotten to tell the parishioners on the previous Sunday about abstinence.’
“Our Lady of Peace Cathedral was completed during the summer of 1843. That first Christmas in the new church in 1843, Brother Lecomte wrote: ‘… over 500 people received Communion. Father Maigret has baptized 32 people today, Christmas Day.’ In 1847, Father Maigret was consecrated a bishop and was made vicar apostolic of the Catholic Mission in Hawaii. Christmas in the Catholic cathedral of Honolulu was now observed with all the splendor of the traditional Roman Catholic pontifical high Mass. (…)
Glimmer of hope
“Although the Catholics maintained a low profile in their Christmas observances, they did not go unnoticed in 1861 when the Polynesian had this to say: ‘… among the many Christian Churches in this town, the Catholic Church ALONE devoted a portion of the day to religious services, and that portion of the population, foreign and native, alone seemed to remember that on that day a child was born.’
“But Christmas in mid-19th century Hawaii was witnessing a glimmer of change among the Protestant missionaries. An event during the Christmas of 1857 in Honolulu received some attention to this effect. Rev. Samuel C. Damon, chaplain of the Seamen’s Bethel Church (which gave Bethel Street its name) was commended in the Pacific Commercial Advertiser.
“The turning point in the history of Christmas in Hawaii would have to be its celebration in 1862. The Hawaiian Kingdom from hereon, would designate Christmas as a national holiday on its calendar and, gradually, all of its citizens, ‘foreign and native,’ would be involved with the Christmas observance.”
Over the next 18 months, the diocese plans to offer spiritual preparation that aims to inspire people to renew their faith, reflect on the past and look toward a future filled with bold action. Events will include liturgies — including a large-scale Mass on the actual anniversary date — retreats, days of study, pilgrimages, various types of entertainment, student involvement and more.
Above: Bishop Louis Maigret — who also served as vicar apostolic of the Catholic Mission in Hawaii — was not only a trailblazer for Catholicism in the islands he also was a leader in perpetuating the celebration of Christmas. (HCH file photo)