About Our Lady of the Mount · Honolulu, Hawaii
Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish nestled in Kalihi Valley on the island of Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, in the Diocese of Honolulu. The parish's roots stretch back to 1870, when a small wooden-frame church served the original Kalihi Valley community, and it was reborn in 1903 when Portuguese Madeiran immigrants built a second church on Monte Street and dedicated it to Nossa Senhora do Monte (Our Lady of the Mount). Today the parish continues that multicultural legacy, celebrating Mass in English and Ilocano and serving a vibrant Filipino, Ilocano, Visayan, and broader Kalihi community through faith formation, music, outreach, and the long-standing August 15th feast with prayer, music, dance, and fireworks.
- Established
- 1870 (original chapel); 1903 (current Monte Street parish)
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Mount (Nossa Senhora do Monte)
- Rector
- Rev. Edgar B. Brillantes
- Diocese
- Diocese of Honolulu (Vicariate: West Honolulu)
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Mount is a small, multigenerational parish where Portuguese-Madeiran heritage and Filipino, Ilocano, and Visayan Catholic traditions meet in the heart of Kalihi Valley. Members come for the daily 6:30 a.m. Mass, the Saturday Vigil, the monthly Ilocano Mass, and a rich devotional life that includes daily Rosary and Divine Mercy devotions, monthly First Friday Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, and the joyful August 15th feast. With active ministries in faith formation, Respect Life, Eucharistic and Lector ministry, altar service, Knights of Columbus, the Kokua Food Pantry, and a youth and young adult group, newcomers are quickly folded into a tight-knit community that still carries its 1870/1903 heritage.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Mount
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM, or by appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month: 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM — Eucharistic Exposition & Benediction
About Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church
Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Honolulu located in the Kalihi Valley neighborhood of Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. With roots reaching back to 1870 and a parish church on Monte Street since 1903, it is one of the oldest Catholic communities in Honolulu and continues to serve a multicultural, predominantly Filipino and Pacific Islander congregation.
- Parish type: Roman Catholic parish
- Diocese: Diocese of Honolulu (Vicariate: West Honolulu)
- Location: Kalihi Valley, Honolulu, Hawaii
History of the Parish
The original wooden-frame church in Kalihi Valley dates back to 1870, stood near the former Kalihi orphanage, and had no rectory — all early records were kept at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. By the turn of the 20th century the native Hawaiian community had been largely replaced by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira, and the 1870 church had grown too distant to reach. In 1903 a second wooden-frame church was built on Monte Street, named and dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Monte by the Madeiran community, with Father Clement Evrard, SS.CC., as its first priest.
- 1870: Original wooden-frame church built in Kalihi Valley
- 1880s–1900s: Portuguese Madeiran immigrants replace native Hawaiian population; Kalihi Valley becomes one of two main Portuguese settlements in Honolulu
- 1903: Second church built on Monte Street and dedicated to Our Lady of the Mount (Nossa Senhora do Monte)
- 1903: Father Clement Evrard, SS.CC., becomes first priest
- Replica statue of Our Lady from Madeira erected on the mountainside above the church
- Parish remains a center of Portuguese-Madeiran heritage on Oahu
Feast of Our Lady of the Mount
Devotion to Our Lady of the Mount is celebrated every year on August 15th with prayer, music, dance, and fireworks — a living expression of the Madeiran Catholic heritage brought to Hawaii by the founders of the parish.
- Annual feast day: August 15
- Celebrated with prayer, music, dance, and fireworks
Reverend Father Edgar B. Brillantes — Pastor
Fr. Edgar was born on October 30, 1954, in Trinidad, Davao del Sur, Philippines, the eldest of eight children of teachers Augusto Brillantes and Tita Bueno. He began seminary formation at the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Vigan, pursued Theology at the ICST Regional Seminary of Northern Luzon, and was ordained to the priesthood on April 14, 1980, in San Juan Bautista, San Juan, Ilocos Sur, for the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia by Archbishop Juan Sison.
- Born October 30, 1954, in Trinidad, Davao del Sur, Philippines
- Ordained April 14, 1980, in San Juan, Ilocos Sur
- Arrived in Hawaii August 6, 1999
- Previous assignments: St. John the Baptist (Kalihi Uka); St. Joseph / Malia Puka O Kalani (Hilo); Our Lady of Sorrows (Wahiawa); Saints Peter & Paul (Ala Moana)
- Installed Pastor of Our Lady of the Mount on July 1, 2014
Reverend Father Adrian R. Gervacio — Pastor Emeritus
Fr. Adrian was born on September 18 and completed his Bachelor of Arts at the Immaculate Conception Major Seminary in Vigan, before serving as Spiritual Director and Professor at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology. After retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2006 he was sent to St. John Apostle and Evangelist in Mililani as interim administrator, then served as pastor of Our Lady of the Mount from June 2007 until retiring from active ministry in June 2014. He celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination on March 18, 2017, and remains at the parish as Pastor Emeritus.
- Retired U.S. Navy chaplain (2006)
- Pastor of Our Lady of the Mount: June 2007 – June 2014
- Celebrated 50th anniversary of ordination on March 18, 2017
- Honored as a 2017 Jubilarian by the Diocese of Honolulu
Sacraments
Our Lady of the Mount celebrates all of the usual Catholic sacraments. Baptisms are typically celebrated on the 4th Sunday of the month and are not performed during Lent; appointments for Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and other sacraments can be made through the parish office.
- Baptism (4th Sunday of the month; no baptisms during Lent)
- First Reconciliation / First Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage (by appointment)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral
- Reconciliation / Confession
Ministries and Organizations
The parish runs a wide range of liturgical, faith-formation, outreach, and cultural ministries that reflect its Filipino, Ilocano, Visayan, and broader Pacific Islander community. The Kokua Food Pantry provides practical outreach to neighbors in need.
- Altar Ladies & Decorations Ministry — Corazon Orcino
- Altar Servers — Alvin Baron
- Eucharistic Ministry — Cleo Bala-Casino
- Lector Ministry & Receptionist — Gloria Rodrigues
- Hospitality Committee — Mark Corriea
- Respect Life Ministry — Francisca Kovaloff
- Youth & Young Adult Ministry — Robert Luia
- Prison & Hospital Ministry — TBD
- Filipino Catholic Club — Norma Daligcon
- Ilocano Ministry and Choir — Silverio Palting
- Santo Nino Devotion and Visayan Ministry — Florencio Sipalay
- Knights of Columbus — Herman Monico
- Kokua Food Pantry — Rebecca DeCorte
Parish Committees and Councils
Lay leaders guide parish life through formal committees and councils covering faith formation, liturgy, stewardship, finance, and the historic cemetery that still marks the spot of the original 1870 chapel.
- Adult Education — Fe Go
- Cemetery Maintenance — Kalolo Tuihalafatai
- Liturgy Committee — Francisca Kovaloff
- Outreach Coordinator & Family Fun Night — Rebecca DeCorte
- Parish Planning and Building Committee — Roger Isidro
- Stewardship Counter & Receptionist — Linda Puzon
- Music Ministry & Choir — Mary Ann Llamedo
- Religious Education Coordinator — Francisca Kovaloff
- Parish Bulletin Editor — Francisca Kovaloff
- Web & MyParish Administrator — Mary Ann Llamedo
- Finance Council — Rosemary Mohika
- Pastoral Council — Robert Luia
- Stewardship Committee — Marcelino Ulep
- Parish Data Management & Computer Tech Assistant — Fidel Flores
Parish Staff
Day-to-day operations of the parish are supported by a small staff alongside the clergy.
- Pastor — Rev. Edgar B. Brillantes
- Pastor Emeritus — Rev. Adrian R. Gervacio
- Bookkeeper — Deacon Rafael Mendoza
- Office Assistant — Bella Miranda (per diocesan listing)
- Office Coordinator — TBD
- Custodian — TBD
Contact and Location
The parish office is located on Monte Street in the Kalihi Valley neighborhood of Honolulu, with phone, fax, and email channels listed in the diocesan parish directory.
- Address: 1614 Monte Street, Honolulu, HI 96819-3733
- Phone: (808) 845-0828
- Fax: (808) 845-0826
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: ourladyofthemountkalihi.org
- Diocese: Diocese of Honolulu (Vicariate: West Honolulu)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Clement Evrard, SS.CC.1903–
First priest at Our Lady of the Mount when it opened in 1903; resided at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
- Rev. Adrian R. Gervacio2007–2014
Former Navy chaplain; served as pastor of Our Lady of the Mount from June 2007 until retiring from active ministry in June 2014. Celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination on March 18, 2017; remains at the parish as Pastor Emeritus.
- Rev. Edgar B. Brillantes2014–present
Born in Trinidad, Davao del Sur, Philippines; ordained April 14, 1980 for the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. Arrived in Hawaii August 6, 1999. Installed pastor of Our Lady of the Mount on July 1, 2014.