Our Lady Of Seven Sorrows Church
Stay current with all the on going events in the St. Damien Catholic Community by following them on St. Damien Catholic Church Facebook Page
The St. Damien Parish now has a You Tube page where Fr. Brian has recorded daily mass and Sunday mass during the mandatory quarantine period of 2020. You can also visit the St. Damien Parish blog to read words of inspiration from Fr. Brian and interesting articles that relate to the story of leprosy in Hawaii and the history of Catholicism on Molokai and in Hawaii, including stories and letters of St. Damien of Molokai.
For parishioners of St. Damien of Molokai Catholic Parish, you can now make donations directly to our parish online at the Diocese web page. Just select St. Damien of Molokai Parish. You will be able to make a payment by way of credit card or set up a bank withdrawal. Please know that 100% of your donation goes towards the St. Damien Parish of Molokai.
The St. Damien Parish of Molokai could use your help by way of donations. This parish community is unique in many ways. It has four church buildings to maintain: the St. Damien Church in Kaunakakai, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows on the east side of the island, St. Joseph in Kamalo and St. Vincent Ferrer in Maunaloa. Our parish community is very small and most are on fixed incomes. You can help our parish community by sending in your tax deductible donation today. You can make your donation here via the Pay Pal button (you do not need a Pay Pal account to do so) or donate by way of a check made payable to: St. Damien Parish of Molokai and mail it to:
St. Damien Parish of Molokai
P.O. Box 1948
Kaunakakai, HI 96748
We thank you for your support!
Are you planning to visit Molokai while celebrating a wedding anniversary? Why not renew your wedding vows at one of our masses? Why wait for for a ‘milestone’? Every year is a milestone! Contact our parish office to make arrangements. What better place than here on Molokai to renew your vows?
Address: 8011 Kamehameha V Hwy, Molokai HI
Clergy: Fr. Patrick Fanning, ss.cc.
A bit of history about Our Lady of Seven Sorrows church in Kalua’aha:
Saint Damien helped to build seven churches on the island-two of which are still standing today with Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church being one of the two. It is located in Kalua’aha right across from Ni’aupala Fishpond and was built in 1874. Here is an excerpt from a letter written in 1873 that Damien wrote to his superiors expressing the need for a church on the ‘topside’ of Molokai:
“Beyond the leprosarium, I have to visit the whole island, which in length is two days travel. There is neither chapel nor house for the priest; there are about 200 Catholics scattered about. During two visits, I have had the honor of baptizing about 25 adults and infants. A good number are catechumens. We are preparing ourselves to build a chapel and a presbytery in the principal area of the island where the mission has a good piece of land [Kaluaaha]. I therefore ask you, very reverend Father, to please take into consideration the very difficult circumstances where I find myself.”
Damien describes the construction in one of his letters: “During the summer, I went to another part of this island, where I remained four months, in the character of carpenter, putting up a new church, 44 feet long, 22 wide, with 10 Gothic windows and a tower 50 feet high.” The crucifix is the central focus of the worship space.
In the early 1960s, the church was rebuilt. The new structure retains the character, dimensions and styling of Father Damien’s original church.
A large wooden cross on the expansive lawn on the property, faces the ocean and serves as the site for the parishes’ annual Easter Sunrise Mass.
Our Lady Of Sevens Sorrows Catholic Church on Molokai, built by Father Damien (now St. Damien)
Sunrise Easter Sunday Service at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (photo by Richard Rader)