About St. Anthony Church - Kalihi-Kai · Honolulu, Hawaii
St. Anthony Catholic Church, also known as St. Anthony – Kalihi-Kai, is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu located at 640 Puuhale Road in the Kalihi Kai neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1916 under the title of Saint Anthony of Padua and historically served by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts Fathers (Picpus Fathers), the parish today is a vibrant, multilingual community offering Masses in English, Ilocano, Tagalog, Visayan, and Samoan. Long known for its Catholic elementary school that educated generations of local children, the parish continues to serve Honolulu's diverse immigrant and working-class families through worship, faith formation, youth and young-adult ministries, and Eucharistic adoration.
- Established
- 1916
- Patron
- Saint Anthony of Padua
- Rector
- Rev. Arlan Intal
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu (West Honolulu Vicariate Forane)
Why belong here
St. Anthony Kalihi-Kai is a welcoming, multilingual parish where almost every major Filipino language is heard in the pews each Sunday, alongside Samoan, English, and Ilocano Masses. It is a place where families are formed through faith formation, youth and young-adult ministry, and weekly Eucharistic adoration, and where a long tradition of Catholic education lives on even after the parish school closed in 2018. For visitors and parishioners alike, it offers daily and Sunday Masses, Saturday confessions, devotions such as Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Wednesdays, and Solemn Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on First Fridays.
Mass times at St. Anthony Church - Kalihi-Kai
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Also by appointment
- Seasonal communal services
Adoration times
- First Friday of the Month: 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM (Solemn Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
History of St. Anthony Kalihi-Kai
Catholic worship in Kalihi traces back to about 1840, when Brother Calixtus erected an altar in a rented store for Sunday Mass. The parish was canonically erected in 1916 when Father Ulrich Taube, SS.CC., built a wooden church, consecrated that same year under the title of Saint Anthony of Padua by Vicar Apostolic Msgr. Libert H. Boeynaems, SS.CC. The first resident priest, Father Hubert Nijs, SS.CC., arrived in 1927 and within a year opened a parish school that grew over the decades. In 1967 the wooden church was replaced by the present concrete church designed by Ray Akagi, and the new building was consecrated on August 25, 1968 by Bishop John J. Scanlan.
- 1840 — Brother Calixtus establishes Mass in a rented store in Kalihi.
- 1916 — Parish canonically erected; first wooden church built and consecrated.
- 1927 — Father Hubert Nijs becomes first resident priest.
- 1928 — Parish elementary school opens on September 2 with 128 students.
- 1947 — New three-story school and rectory built; old rectory cottage razed.
- 1967 — Wooden church demolished to make way for new concrete church.
- 1968 — Present concrete church consecrated on August 25.
Architecture & Interior
The present church, designed by Honolulu architect Ray Akagi and built at a cost of $226,800, has a distinctive semicircular floor plan with a domed roof. Its interior is notable for the mosaic depicting the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, floral stained-glass windows, additional stained-glass windows commemorating events in the parish and diocesan history, and walnut pews manufactured by the Trappist monks of Lafayette, Indiana.
- Architect: Ray Akagi (1967)
- Construction cost: $226,800
- Floor plan: semicircular
- Domical (domed) roof
- Mosaic of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist
- Floral and historical stained-glass windows
- Walnut pews by Trappist monks of Lafayette, Indiana
Clergy, Staff & Religious Community
St. Anthony Kalihi-Kai is today led by Pastor Rev. Arlan Intal, with Rev. Elias Escanilla in residence and Deacon Renier Torres serving in active ministry. The parish is supported by a dedicated lay staff handling secretarial, faith-formation, youth, and young-adult ministry work.
- Rev. Arlan Intal — Pastor
- Rev. Elias Escanilla — Priest in Residence
- Deacon Renier Torres — Active Ministry
- Profita Espiritu — Secretary
- Mario Joseph Javier — Office Assistant
- Alma Rosqueta — Youth Ministry
- Leeza Agpoa — Religious Education
- Malou Bulagay — Faith Formation Coordinator
- Ryan Agcaoili — Young Adult Ministry
Faith Formation, Youth & Young Adult Ministry
St. Anthony Kalihi-Kai places strong emphasis on forming the next generation of Catholics, with separate coordinators for children's religious education, youth ministry, faith formation, and young adults. Together these ministries support sacramental preparation, catechesis, and fellowship for parishioners from childhood through adulthood.
- Religious Education — Leeza Agpoa
- Faith Formation — Malou Bulagay (Coordinator)
- Youth Ministry — Alma Rosqueta
- Young Adult Ministry — Ryan Agcaoili
Parish School (Historical)
From 1928 to 2018, St. Anthony Parish operated a Catholic elementary school on its campus. It originally opened under Father Hubert Nijs with two Maryknoll sisters and 128 students in grades 1–2, and was later served for many years by the Philippine province of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, who lived in an adjacent convent. The school closed in 2018, ending a 90-year legacy of Catholic education in Kalihi Kai.
- Founded: September 2, 1928
- First 128 students in grades 1–2
- Initial staff: two Maryknoll sisters
- Long-serving religious order: Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (Philippine province)
- Closed: 2018
Visiting the Parish
St. Anthony Church is located at 640 Puuhale Road in Honolulu's Kalihi Kai neighborhood (ZIP 96819), and serves as a gathering place for one of the most linguistically diverse Sunday congregations in Hawaii. Parishioners are warmly invited to attend any Mass, schedule confession, or inquire about faith formation, youth, or young-adult ministries through the parish office.
- Address: 640 Puuhale Road, Honolulu, HI 96819-3304
- Phone: 808-845-3255
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
- Vicariate: West Honolulu
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Ulrich Taube, SS.CC.1916–1927
Founder and first pastor; built the original wooden church; commuted daily from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace rectory.
- Father Hubert Nijs, SS.CC.appointed after 1927; served into the 1940s
First resident priest in Kalihi Kai; opened the parish school in 1928; purchased adjacent lots and oversaw construction of convent, school buildings, and new rectory/school in 1947.
- Father Maurice Coopman, SS.CC.1950–1962
Erased the parish debt accrued during school and rectory construction; expanded school facilities.
- Father Anselm Ernest Gouveia, SS.CC.1962
Appointed after Father Maurice's retirement due to illness; previously served as pastor in Kaneohe.