Molokai History: [from Hawaii Catholic Herald, December 23, 2011] A Welcoming Church for a Friendly Isle [At the dedication of the new St. Damien church in Kaunakakai by Bishop Silva] Following the homily, Father Guerreiro crouched under the altar to insert the altar stone through a trap door that opened under the top. Imbedded in [...]
Molokai History: [from "Hawaii Catholic Herald", December 23, 2011] "Molokai blesses its long-awaited St. Damien Church in Kaunakakai" At the church's entrance, the chairman of the parish building committee, Stephen Petro, welcomed Bishop Silva and presented him with official documents and the key to the front door. The bishop passed the keys to pastor, Sacred [...]
Molokai History: [from Hawaii Catholic Herald, December 23, 2011] It's a welcoming church appropriate for a friendly isle. The people of Molokai blessed their long-awaited St. Damien Church in Kaunakakai on Dec. 9 with an inaugural congregation too large for the new building to hold, expressing a joy too great to hold in. Bishop Larry [...]
Molokai History: [a reprint from the Hawaii Catholic Herald of May 20, 1966] Father Damien built two other churches on the East End of Molokai. They were St. John the Evangelist at Moanui and St. Ann at Halawa. He built these in 1876. St. John's was torn down in 1934 and St. Ann's was abandoned [...]
Molokai History: [from Hawaii Catholic Herald, May 20, 1966] The distance from Kaunakakai to Kamalo, St. Joseph's Church and a mission of St. Sophia's is eleven miles, but the road is good. St. Joseph's was built in 1876 by Father Damien and is still in use today. It never had a resident priest but it [...]
Molokai History: [from Molokai Catholic Community Report to the Vicariate, February 12, 1998] The island of Molokai was visited by Sacred Hearts priests from O'ahu and then Maui from the middle 1840's. Catechists who fled the persecution on O'ahu built up a small community of believers on Moloka'i but they faced more persecution from the [...]
Molokai History: [from The Catholic Herald, June 25, 1937] With succeeding years, Kaunakakai's population increased gradually to the point where the little church there had become much too small to accomodate the growing Catholic congregation. Plans were made several times to enlarge the building, but it never went further than planning, as other localities in [...]
Molokai History: [from The Catholic Herald, June 25, 1937] His Excellency Stephen P. Alencastre To Bless New St. Sophia Church At Kaunakakai, Molokai Even excepting Kalawao in the Molokai Leper Settlement, no other island has so many memories of Father Damien's missionary labors than the Island of Molokai. For when in 1873 Father Damien became [...]
Molokai History: (from Hawaii Catholic Herald, about the mother of parishioner Joe Reich of Kamalo. She is buried at St. Joseph's cemetery in Kamalo) Margaret M. "Mickey" Reich was the outreach coordinator of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu for over 25 years. She worked out of a small back office [...]
Molokai History: [from a letter written by Fr. John Van Gils, ss.cc., St. Sophia's Church to Very Rev. Msgr. Marzen, Catholic Herald, Nov. 14, 1964] On Friday evening, Nov. 13th, a dinner was held for our C.C.D. members to honor Mrs. Daphne Foster who for 25 years has been a lay-teacher of religion or commonly [...]