St. Joseph

Parish Overview & Identity

St. Joseph Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Honolulu in the Vicariate of Leeward Oahu, located on Farrington Highway in the heart of Waipahu, Oahu. Officially designated a Stewardship Parish, it is one of the most ethnically diverse congregations in Hawaii and the largest by attendance in the diocese. Its vision: 'We, the parish of St. Joseph and School envision ourselves to be a community of Disciples, called to be One People of God, United in One Spirit, Reconciled to Self, Others and God.' Its mission: 'Nourished and strengthened by our devotion and participation in the Sacred Liturgy of the Eucharist, reach out with unconditional love to serve our universal family.'

History: From Sugar-Plantation Chapel to Largest Parish in Honolulu Diocese

Founded in 1860 as a small adobe chapel and one-room school by Sacred Hearts Father Raymond Delalande, St. Joseph grew with the Portuguese, Filipino, Spanish and Puerto Rican sugar-plantation workers of the Oahu Sugar Company. A larger permanent church was built near Waipahu Depot Road in 1902 under Sacred Hearts Father Leo Taeyaerts; the present concrete-and-tile church with its bell tower was dedicated in 1941 at the current Farrington Highway site. A 2002-2006 renovation expanded the church and added new stained glass, a day chapel and an immersible baptismal font, while preserving the historic crucifix and 14 Stations of the Cross from the older church.

• 1860 — first adobe chapel and one-room school built by Sacred Hearts Fr. Raymond Delalande
• 1902 — larger permanent church built near Waipahu Depot Road
• 1941 — current concrete/hollow-tile church with tower and rectory dedicated
• 1946 — parish school founded (in a former Japanese language school building)
• 1949 — permanent school building completed
• 1986 — Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette take over parish and school
• 2002-2006 — $3.5 million renovation; rededicated July 2006 by Bishop Larry Silva

Architecture & Renovated Church

The 1941 church is a concrete and hollow-tile structure whose 'cathedral-like main entrance, topped by a stained glass rosace, and the square tower to the left' Father Robert Schoofs described as 'entirely in harmony with the vigorous style of the body of the church.' The 2006 renovation extended the building 15 feet on one side and 25 feet on the other, raising seating capacity from 450 to 750 per Mass, and added a state-of-the-art sound system, air conditioning, 16 stained-glass saint windows, an immersible baptismal fountain, a confessional booth and a more intimate day chapel behind the main altar.

• Stained-glass rosace above the main entrance
• Square bell tower
• 16 new stained-glass windows depicting the saints
• Immersible baptismal fountain
• Day chapel behind the main altar
• Original crucifix — on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places
• 14 carved Stations of the Cross preserved from the older church
• Wooden statue of Our Lady of La Salette carved in the Philippines

La Salette Missionaries & Pastoral Team

St. Joseph has been served by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (M.S.) since 1986; before that, the Society of the Sacred Hearts staffed the parish and school for roughly four decades. The parish is currently pastored by Rev. Geronimo (Eric) Castro, M.S., with two La Salette parochial vicars, three active deacons, and a lay staff handling business, office and religious-education duties. La Salette Father Valentine Sun Tun, 23 years professed and 18 years ordained, is one of the vicars; his background includes formation work, serving as master of novices in Myanmar, six years at the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in the French Alps, and refugee-camp ministry.

• Rev. Geronimo (Eric) Castro, M.S. — Pastor
• Rev. Jiju Abraham, M.S. — Parochial Vicar
• Rev. Valentine Sun Tun, M.S. — Parochial Vicar
• Deacon David Bruce — Active Ministry
• Deacon Keith Galang — Active Ministry
• Deacon John Thomas — Active Ministry
• Corazon Tubana — Business Manager
• Mary Cachuela — Office Manager
• Justin Agustin — Office Assistant
• Geraldine Simbahon — Religious Education

Sacraments

St. Joseph celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments. Baptisms are scheduled on Saturdays at 4:30 PM. Reconciliation is offered weekly on Wednesdays at 5:00 PM, the Anointing of the Sick is offered at the monthly Healing Mass on the 2nd Tuesday, and the parish prepares couples for Matrimony and adults and children for Confirmation and First Communion through its Religious Education program.

• Baptism — Saturdays 4:30 PM
• Confirmation & First Communion — via Religious Education
• Reconciliation — Wednesday 5:00 PM
• Matrimony — preparation through the parish office
• Anointing of the Sick — 2nd Tuesday Healing Mass

St. Joseph Parish School

St. Joseph Parish School, founded in 1946 in a former Japanese language school building with 128 kindergarten and first-grade students and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on staff, sits on the same campus as the church and serves Pre-K through 8th grade. After 40 years under the Sacred Hearts Fathers, the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette took over administration in 1986; the school was also once staffed by the Congregation of Benedictine Sisters of the Eucharistic King. Today a mostly lay faculty and staff run the school, which enrolls about 335 students with a 16:1 student-teacher ratio and a Christ-centered, project-based, technology-rich curriculum. Students participate in weekly liturgical celebrations, a March for Life, canned-good offerings to the parish food pantry, recycling drives, a Christmas musical, and a Read-A-Thon.

• Founded 1946
• PreK-8, ~335 students, 16:1 student-teacher ratio
• Run by a mostly lay faculty under La Salette administration since 1986
• Weekly liturgical celebrations
• Religious Education coordinated with the parish

Religious Education & Family Faith

The parish's Religious Education office, under Geraldine Simbahon, coordinates sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation) and ongoing faith formation for parish children and families, working closely with the parish school.

• Director: Geraldine Simbahon
• Sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation
• Family-faith formation tied to the parish school

The Old Cemetery on Waikele Road

The original St. Joseph parish cemetery still sits on Waikele Road and Waipahu Street, next to Waipahu Elementary School, where the first St. Joseph Church once stood before the parish moved to its current Farrington Highway site. Some remains were later relocated to Mililani Memorial Park when apartment buildings went up on part of the old cemetery grounds.

• Located on Waikele Road and Waipahu Street
• Next to Waipahu Elementary School
• Some remains moved to Mililani Memorial Park