ASHES OF FAITH

 

Hawaii’s bishop, Larry Silva, visited Lahaina yesterday and was overwhelmed by what he saw.  His bishopric encompasses the entire state of Hawaii, including Maui, which is the second-largest of the Hawaiian islands and the third-most populated.  So while he is based in Honolulu, the people of Maui are his people.

 The bishop commented  on the “miracle” of the local Catholic church, Maria Lanakila (Our Lady of Victory) which escaped any damage while everything surrounding it was destroyed including the school.

 Maria Lanakila Catholic Church serves 700 to 800 families, celebrating six Sunday Masses every weekend.  The parish was founded in 1846 by Father Aubert Bouillon of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (the order of St. Damien of Molokai). Its stone church was finished in 1873 and most probably why it still stands, as most of the town was built of wood.

 The historic Congregational church founded by Hawaiian royalty  burned to the ground. Waiola Church celebrated its 200th anniversary in May. It stood on the site of Wainee Church, established in 1823 by Queen Keopuolani, the first Hawaiian baptized as a Protestant Christian. Hawaii’s kings and queens are buried in the church graveyard, the first Christian cemetery in Hawaii. Many missionaries’ children are also buried there.

 We pray to the saints of Hawaii as well as our Lady of Victory, that the people of Maui have courage and faith as they sift through the ashes of their lives.