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. WaiolaChurch
celebrated its 200th anniversary in May. It stood on the site of WaineeChurch,
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.
