Witness to Jesus | Feast of Our Lady of Peace
Here is the prepared text of the homily delivered July 9 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, Honolulu, marking the opening of the bicentennial of the Catholic faith in Hawaii.
Arrivals are never the beginning of a journey. As we prepare to celebrate the momentous event of the arrival of the first Catholic missionaries in Hawaii at this time in 2027, we recall that it was probably at this time 200 years ago that the journey began.
First, the newly formed Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary had to decide to accept the Holy Father’s mission to Oceania. They then had to discern which of their members would be sent on this dangerous journey, going to unknown territory with no assurance of the success of their mission.
Money had to be raised for the long voyage of at least six months for the three missionaries who were to be sent. Prayers were offered for their safety and the success of their mission. Without any resources to learn the Hawaiian language from their place in Europe, they had to resolve to be good and attentive students, so that they could quickly and effectively speak to their new flock. Provisions had to be gathered not only for the long journey, but for the proper flourishing of the faith once they arrived.
Father Alexis Bachelot, who was appointed the head of the mission, visited the King’s Garden in Paris and took the seed of an algaroba three growing there, with the intention of planting it in their new mission so that, just as it would take root and propagate throughout the islands, so would the Catholic faith. The arrival of the missionaries in 1827 was not the beginning of the journey.
In a very real sense, although the people of Hawaii could not have known much beforehand of the arrival of the missionaries, God had also prepared the hearts of the people to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
They were already a religious people, with many stories similar to the stories of the Bible. They were a people who valued community and whose hearts were hospitable with the aloha spirit. So, their openness to the Catholic faith did not start with the arrival of the first Catholic missionaries. God had already prepared the ground for the planting of that great seed of the Word of the True and Living God.
So it has always been. In 2033, the Church throughout the world will celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of the most pivotal event in the history of the world, the death and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
But that great event did not just happen in an instant. It was carefully and lovingly prepared for by God himself. After sin had entered the world, God worked diligently to call humanity back to his love, choosing the people of Israel to be his special messengers, sending prophets and working mighty works to woo the hearts of his beloved people back to his love. And no matter how often he was rejected, no matter how difficult the mission was, God kept giving more and more to once more be able to embrace his beloved humanity.
He chose a humble virgin and performed the unheard-of miracle of impregnating her through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that the Son she would bear would be truly a human being like his mother and truly God like his heavenly Father.
His birth was announced by placing him in the context of the entire history of God’s beloved people, and by assuring Mary that her son would be the descendent of David that God had promised would reign forever — a promise many thought God had violated by sheer neglect, but that he fulfilled in an unimaginable way. This wondrous seed that was planted in the womb of the Virgin Mary was to grow in her womb and develop for 33 years after his birth, when it would fall to the ground and die and then yield a rich harvest.
As we begin this one-year journey to the grand celebration of the arrival of the Catholic faith in Hawaii, we should think not only of a year from now, but of 100, 200, and even more years beyond.
How is the way we live our faith today going to assure that it will continue to flourish and grow throughout these islands and throughout the world? How will the seed of the Word of God be planted in hearts that do not know Jesus Christ, unless we are the ones who plant that seed in their hearts? What preparations do we need to make now to be equipped and motivated to allow the Word to become flesh once again in our neighbors’ hearts, to become missionaries of his love, planting the seed that God will send others to water and still others to reap?
We celebrate the past, remembering that a “people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” We “rejoice as people rejoice at harvest.” We focus not so much on programs, institutions and organizations, which are the necessary skeleton for providing infrastructure to our faith, but we focus more on the one who is named “Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” We give witness to Jesus, Son of David, Son of God and Son of Mary, our dear Queen of Peace.
Who knows when we will arrive or what surprises we will find? But we commit ourselves to prepare for this journey of evangelization, to follow in the footsteps of those brave and devoted missionaries who first came to us, to be filled with “the zeal of the Lord of hosts,” and to open the ground for the flourishing of the true and living Word of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Above: Masses were held across the Diocese of Honolulu July 9 to kick off the yearlong countdown to the bicentennial of Catholicism’s arrival in Hawaii. Bishop Larry Silva celebrated Oahu’s Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu, which turned out to be a double celebration as he was honored for his 21 years as shepherd of the diocese. Hundreds of faithful and dozens of priests and deacons joined the liturgy, at top. Below, state Sens. Brandon Elefante, left, and Mike Gabbard flanked Bishop Silva as he held a proclamation from the state Legislature declaring July 9, 2026, as “Bishop Clarence ‘Larry’ Silva Day.” The bishop also received a commendation from the Honolulu City Council. (Photos by Celia K. Downes / Hawaii Catholic Herald)