About Diocese of Honolulu
The Diocese of Honolulu (Latin: Dioecesis Honoluluensis) is the Roman Catholic diocese serving the entire State of Hawaiʻi and its outlying islands, including Johnston Atoll. Erected by Pope Pius XII on January 25, 1941, from the former Vicariate Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands, it is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical Province of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Its mother church is the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu — the oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States — with the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in Kalihi-Palama serving larger pontifical liturgies. The diocese today comprises roughly 66 parishes, 27 mission churches, and 36 Catholic schools, and is home to two canonized saints of the Church: Saint Damien de Veuster and Saint Marianne Cope, both servants of the Kalaupapa leprosy patients on Molokaʻi.
- Bishop
- Michael T. Castori, S.J.
- Established
- 1941
- Cathedral
- Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (Honolulu)
- Territory
- The entire State of Hawaiʻi and Johnston Atoll — including the islands of Hawaiʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Niʻihau, Kahoʻolawe, and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
- Parishes
- 66 parishes and 27 mission churches
- Province
- Archdiocese of San Francisco (Ecclesiastical Province of San Francisco)
History of the Diocese of Honolulu
The Catholic Church arrived in Hawaiʻi on July 7, 1827, with missionaries of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (the Picpus Fathers). Pope Leo XII had formalized the mission as the Prefecture Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands in November 1825. After a decade of persecution (1829–1839) during which priests were expelled by royal order, religious freedom was restored through the diplomatic intervention of the French frigate Artémise. Bishop Stephen Rouchouze broke ground on a permanent coral-block cathedral on August 6, 1840, and it was dedicated as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace on August 15, 1843. Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Honolulu on January 25, 1941, ending 116 years of missionary-vicariate status, and installed Bishop James J. Sweeney on September 10, 1941 — three months before Pearl Harbor.
- 1825 — Prefecture Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands erected (Pope Leo XII)
- 1827 — First Picpus missionaries arrive in Honolulu, July 7
- 1828 — Hawaiʻi's first Catholic church built on the cathedral site
- 1829–1839 — "Dark decade" of anti-Catholic persecution; priests expelled
- 1840 — Ground broken on permanent cathedral, August 6
- 1843 — Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace dedicated, August 15
- 1844 — Prefecture raised to Vicariate Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands
- 1847 — Renamed Vicariate Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands
- 1941 — Diocese of Honolulu erected by Pope Pius XII (Jan. 25); Bishop Sweeney installed (Sept. 10)
- 1946 — Saint Stephen Diocesan Seminary opens in Kalihi Valley
Vicars Apostolic and Bishops of Honolulu
From 1833 to 1940 the Hawaiian mission was led by six Vicars Apostolic, all members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts (SS.CC.). Since the diocese's erection in 1941, five bishops — and now a sixth — have shepherded the faithful: James J. Sweeney, John J. Scanlan, Joseph A. Ferrario, Francis X. DiLorenzo, Clarence "Larry" Silva, and the current Bishop Michael T. Castori, S.J. (installed July 28, 2026). Clarence Silva was the first native Hawaiian to lead the diocese.
- Étienne Rouchouze, SS.CC. — Vicar Apostolic 1833–1843 (lost at sea)
- Louis Désiré Maigret, SS.CC. — Vicar Apostolic 1847–1882
- Herman Koeckemann, SS.CC. — Vicar Apostolic 1882–1892
- Gulstan Ropert, SS.CC. — Vicar Apostolic 1892–1903
- Libert Boeynaems, SS.CC. — Vicar Apostolic 1903–1926
- Stephen Alencastre, SS.CC. — Vicar Apostolic 1926–1940
- Bishop James J. Sweeney — 1st Diocesan Bishop 1941–1968
- Bishop John J. Scanlan — 2nd Bishop 1968–1981
- Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario — 3rd Bishop 1982–1993
- Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo — 4th Bishop 1994–2004
- Bishop Clarence "Larry" Silva — 5th Bishop 2005–2026 (first native Hawaiian)
- Bishop Michael T. Castori, S.J. — 6th Bishop, installed July 28, 2026
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace
The mother church of the diocese sits on Fort Street Mall in downtown Honolulu on land granted in 1827 by 14-year-old King Kamehameha III. Built of coral blocks harvested by Native Hawaiian volunteers from the Ala Moana shoreline and dedicated on August 15, 1843, it claims the title of oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States and is the oldest existing building in downtown Honolulu. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 7, 1972, and on May 10, 2014 Pope Francis elevated it to the dignity of a Minor Basilica. The cathedral houses the relics of Saint Damien de Veuster and Saint Marianne Cope, both of whom prayed within its walls.
- Cathedral clock (installed 1852) — oldest tower clock in Hawaiʻi, still running
- Father Damien ordained priest here, May 21, 1864
- Mother Marianne Cope's 1883 arrival Mass was celebrated here
- First pipe organ in Hawaiʻi installed c. 1847
- 1871 — vaulted redwood ceiling raised the roof by about 5 feet
- 1910 — Gothic porch added; replaced by the present Tuscan porch in 1929
- 1866 — original square bell tower replaced by an octagonal steeple
- 1892–1903 — current concrete tower built
- 1940 — architect Josef Van Oort reinforced the walls with concrete buttresses and steel trusses
Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
Originally established in 1931 by Vicar Apostolic Stephen Alencastre and completed in September 1932, Saint Theresa Parish in Kalihi-Palama was rebuilt in concrete and rededicated August 15, 1963, after Msgr. Benedict Vierra's fundraising drive. Bishop Joseph Ferrario petitioned Pope John Paul II in 1984 to elevate Saint Theresa to a co-cathedral because the older Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace had become too small for diocesan liturgies; the decree was issued and the church consecrated on July 28, 1985. The co-cathedral is used for pontifical liturgies such as the annual Chrism Mass, ordinations, and episcopal installations — including that of Bishop Michael T. Castori on July 28, 2026.
- Located in Kalihi-Palama on the outskirts of downtown Honolulu
- Named in honor of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (St. Theresa of the Child Jesus)
- Seating capacity approximately 750 with ample parking
- St. Theresa School opened in 1932 alongside the parish
Catholic Schools in Hawaiʻi
The Diocese of Honolulu operates 36 Catholic schools across the islands, coordinated by the Hawaii Catholic Schools Office at the Saint Stephen Diocesan Center in Kāneʻohe under Superintendent Llewellyn Young, PhD. The system includes stand-alone early learning centers, elementary schools, high schools, and Chaminade University of Honolulu — a Marianist institution descended from St. Louis Junior College (est. 1955). The Office supports WCEA/WASC accreditation, implements the "System for Success Strategic Plan," and coordinates the annual teachers' conference and Holy Spirit Mass.
- Saint Stephen Diocesan Center — 6301 Pali Highway, Kāneʻohe, HI 96744
- Superintendent — Llewellyn Young, PhD
- Chaminade University of Honolulu — ranked #1 in Hawaiʻi for four-year graduation rate
- Hawaii Catholic Schools — https://www.catholicschoolshawaii.org
Faith Formation, Youth & Young Adult Ministry
The Office of Faith Formation provides leadership development, catechist certification, and resources for the sacraments of initiation and First Penance across parish and school programs. The Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry supports parishes, vicariates, and schools through training, resources, and diocesan-wide events. Vicariate-level faith-formation coordinators serve on every major island.
- Kauai Vicariate coordinator — Michael Cruz, St. Catherine Church/School
- Maui Vicariate coordinator — Sr. Angie Laurenzo, CSJ, Christ the King Church
- Oahu vicariate coordinators — Marjorie Fujimoto (St. Benedict) and others
- Saint Stephen Diocesan Center — 6301 Pali Hwy, Kāneʻohe, HI 96744
Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi & Social Services
Rooted in the Gospel and operating as part of the largest private social-services network in the United States, Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi has served the islands since 1947 and now reaches about 40,000 individuals annually. Its Clarence T.C. Ching main campus anchors programs on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island. The Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation (CCHDC) is an independent 501(c)(3) addressing affordable housing across the state.
- President & CEO — Robert Van Tassell
- Clarence T.C. Ching Campus — 1822 Keeaumoku Street, Honolulu, HI 96822
- Main line: (808) 524-HOPE (4673) — Help line: (808) 521-HELP (4357)
- https://www.catholiccharitieshawaii.org
HOPE Services Hawaiʻi
On October 1, 2010 the Diocese of Honolulu's Office for Social Ministry Care-A-Van Program became HOPE Services Hawaiʻi, Inc., the largest homeless-services provider on Hawaiʻi Island. HOPE works to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring through mobile outreach, emergency shelter, transitional and affordable rental housing, the Street Medicine program, and the new Kani Leʻa Apartment Complex in Kailua-Kona (welcoming first residents late 2026).
- CEO — Brandee Menino
- Administrative Office — 357 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720
- Main line: (808) 933-6013
- Hawaiʻi Island: 808-935-HOPE (4673) | Kauaʻi: 241-HOPE (4673) | Maui: 873-HOPE (4673)
- Sacred Heart Community micro-unit shelter for kūpuna
- Keolahou — Hawaiʻi Island's first ʻOhana Zone
Hospital & Prison Ministry
The diocesan Hospital Ministry brings the care of the Catholic community to hospitalized Catholics across Oʻahu. Priests make daily visits and provide sacramental services at The Queen's Medical Center, Straub, Kapiʻolani and Kaiser Permanente hospitals; Sunday and holy-day liturgies are celebrated for patients, staff and visitors. A 24/7 emergency ministry (365 days a year) is maintained for Queen's, Straub, Kapiʻolani and Kaiser. The diocese also supports prison chaplaincy and Catholic campus ministry at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
- Hospital chaplain — Rev. Paterno Labasano, SSS
- Hospital Ministry office — (808) 738-2260
- Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa staffed by the Jesuits since Bishop Scanlan's tenure
Saints of Hawaiʻi
Two of the Catholic Church's canonized saints served the Hawaiian Islands and both rest in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. Saint Damien de Veuster, SS.CC., the "Martyr of Molokai," volunteered in 1873 to minister to leprosy patients exiled to Kalaupapa, where he died in 1889; he was beatified in 1995 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009. Saint Marianne Cope, OSF, led six Sisters of St. Francis from Syracuse, New York to Hawaiʻi in 1883, helped found Kapiʻolani Medical Center, and joined the Molokaʻi mission in 1888; she was beatified in 2004 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012.
- St. Damien — ordained priest May 21, 1864 in the cathedral
- St. Damien canonized October 11, 2009
- St. Marianne Cope canonized October 21, 2012
- Both saints' relics are venerated in the Cathedral Basilica
- Damien and Marianne Educational Center — 808-808-926-0803 — [email protected]
Ethnic & Language Ministries
Reflecting the extraordinary multicultural character of the Islands, the Diocese of Honolulu operates ethnic ministries serving Chinese, Hispanic, Korean, Samoan, Micronesian, Vietnamese, Filipino and other communities. Parishes across the diocese celebrate Mass in Hawaiian, multiple Filipino dialects, Samoan, Tongan, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish, Latin and English.
- Chinese, Hispanic, Korean, Samoan, Micronesian, and Vietnamese ministries
- Filipino Masses offered in multiple dialects
- Hawaiian-language Masses incorporated into the liturgy after Vatican II under Bishop Sweeney
- Bishop-elect Castori serves as a chaplain for Tongan Catholic communities
Bicentennial of Catholicism in Hawaiʻi (1827–2027)
From July 2026 to July 2027 the Diocese of Honolulu will mark the 200th anniversary of Catholicism's arrival in the Hawaiian Islands with a yearlong celebration honoring the Picpus missionaries who first carried the faith to these shores. The Bicentennial Commission invites every island community to participate in liturgies, gatherings, and commemorative events designed to honor the past, give thanks for the living Church today, and inspire the next 200 years of Catholic life in Hawaiʻi.
- Anniversary year runs July 2026 – July 2027
- https://www.catholichawaii200.org
