Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Diocese of Honolulu will welcome hundreds of new Catholics this year as the number of catechumens sees another increase since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago.
Across the 70 parishes, ethnic communities, oratories and military chapels that provided reports, 329 adults and children will receive the sacraments of initiation — baptism, first holy Communion and confirmation — at Easter Vigil liturgies on April 4. Thirteen congregations did not list any catechumens in their reports.
The total this year is 45 more than in 2025, when 284 people were welcomed into the Catholic faith. Last year’s total was a 43-person increase over 2024.
St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani will welcome 20 new Catholics, the most in the diocese. The next-largest report comes from St. Jude Church in Kapolei, which has 17 catechumens. Other congregations with a dozen or more catechumens include the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu; the Vietnamese Holy Martyrs Catholic Community; St. Elizabeth Church in Aiea; St. Ann Church in Kaneohe; St. Joseph Church in Hilo; and St. Anthony of Padua Church in Kailua.
Father Alfred Omar Guerrero, director of the diocese’s offices of worship and of vocations, cited possible drivers behind the increase such as the National Eucharistic Revival initiative from 2022-24; an increased desire for community among Catholics, especially younger generations; and the widely discussed “Pope Leo XIV” effect following the election last year of the first American pontiff.
“At the end of the day, it is by the grace of God that people are coming to awareness of the fullness of truth and grace found in the Catholic Church,” Father Guerrero said.
The catechumens will next participate in rites of election to make public their intention to enter the Catholic Church. The rites, during which catechumens sign their names in the Book of the Elect, will take place the first weekend of Lent, Feb. 21-22:
- Kauai Vicariate: Feb. 21, 5 p.m., Immaculate Conception Church, Lihue (Mass with vicar forane La Salette Father Edison Pamintuan)
- Maui Vicariate: Feb. 22, 1 p.m., St. Anthony Church, Wailuku (Liturgy of the Word with vicar forane Msgr. Terry Watanabe)
- East Hawaii Vicariate: Feb. 21, 5 p.m., St. Joseph Church, Hilo (Mass with Bishop Larry Silva)
- West Hawaii Vicariate: Feb. 21, 4 p.m., St. Michael the Archangel Church, Kailua-Kona (Mass with vicar forane Father Konelio “Lio” Faletoi)
- Oahu vicariates: Feb. 22, 1 p.m., Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, Honolulu (Liturgy of the Word with Bishop Silva)
For parishes on Lanai and Molokai, Bishop Silva has delegated each pastor to preside over the rite of election in his own parish.