About St. Stephen · Honolulu, Hawaii
St. Stephen Catholic Parish is a Catholic parish in the Nuuanu neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, situated along the historic Pali Highway (the ancient Royal Center road leading through the Koʻolau mountains to windward Oʻahu). Established in 1932 as one of three new Honolulu parishes commissioned by Vicar Apostolic Bishop Stephen Peter Alencastre during the Great Depression, it is today served by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (La Salette Fathers) and belongs to the West Honolulu Vicariate of the Diocese of Honolulu. The parish shares its campus with the historic Stephen P. Alencastre Memorial Building and worships in both a main church and the intimate St. Catherine's Chapel.
- Established
- 1932
- Patron
- St. Stephen
- Rector
- Rev. Adondee Arellano, MS (La Salette Father)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Honolulu (West Honolulu Vicariate)
Why belong here
St. Stephen is a small, welcoming Nuuanu parish that combines the daily intimacy of weekday Mass in St. Catherine's Chapel with a vigorous Sunday community life. Visitors are greeted at every Mass with coffee and cookies served by rotating parish committees, and the parish is growing — Mass attendance is up roughly 30% year-over-year under a deliberate 'welcoming parish' effort. With active Religious Education, Youth Ministry, RCIA, Bereavement, Homebound and Outreach ministries (plus the Knights of Columbus), plus a unique historic link to St. Damien of Molokai through the 1872 Kohala bell preserved inside the church, St. Stephen offers both a grounded devotional life and a tightly-knit ʻohana for new and returning Catholics.
Mass times at St. Stephen
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM (Main Church)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- First Wednesday of the month: All-day Adoration (8:30 AM – 6:00 PM)
Parish History & Origins
St. Stephen Parish was founded in 1932 in the Nuuanu neighborhood of Honolulu as part of Bishop Stephen Peter Alencastre's Depression-era expansion of Catholic parishes on Oʻahu. Its original church was blessed by Bishop Alencastre on November 6, 1932 — the same bishop for whom the parish's Alencastre Memorial Building is later named. The parish grew out of the bishop's realization that his plans for a grand new cathedral on the slopes of Punchbowl could not survive the economic collapse of 1929, so he redirected resources to serve the city's growing Catholic population neighborhood by neighborhood.
- Established: 1932
- Founding bishop: Vicar Apostolic Stephen Peter Alencastre
- Original church blessed November 6, 1932
- Present-day church built by parishioners in 1968 under Father Joseph Turk
- Named for St. Stephen, the bishop's own patron saint
The St. Damien Bell of Kohala
A treasured relic inside St. Stephen links the parish directly to St. Damien of Molokai. When the 1932 church was built, an old bronze bell — cast in 1872 at a Paris foundry — was installed in the tower. The bell had originally hung in the mission church of Waiapuka in Kohala on the Big Island, where a young Father Damien de Veuster SSCC served before being sent to Kalaupapa in 1873. In his 1869 letter to his parents, Damien wrote of waiting for 'the bell that Auguste has so often promised me' for his newly built Kohala church. When Father Servatius Thys dismantled the Waiapuka mission in 1932, its bell was sent to the new Honolulu parish and hung in St. Stephen's tower. In 1968, when the present church was built with its modernistic bell tower, the old Damien-era bell was retired to the grounds. In the 1990s parishioner Robert 'Uncle Bob' Dong mounted the bell on a display harness, and it was later moved inside the church, where it sits today in the back corner. On October 11, 2009 — the day Pope Benedict XVI canonized Father Damien in Rome — pastor Father Khanh Pham-Nguyen rang the historic bell again during parish Mass in the new saint's honor.
- Bell cast in 1872 at a Paris foundry
- Originally hung in Father Damien's Waiapuka mission church in Kohala
- Reinstalled in St. Stephen's original 1932 bell tower
- Retired in 1968 and now displayed inside the present church
- Mounted on a display harness by parishioner Robert 'Uncle Bob' Dong in the 1990s
- Rung in honor of St. Damien's canonization, October 11, 2009
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently pastored by Rev. Adondee Arellano, MS, a member of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (the La Salette Missionaries). He is assisted by Senior Deacon Ronald T.Y. Choo and a dedicated lay staff and ministry team. The parish keeps office hours Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to noon, and a part-time secretary plus five parish volunteers ensure the phone is answered during business hours.
- Pastor: Rev. Adondee Arellano, MS (La Salette Father)
- Senior Deacon: Ronald T.Y. Choo
- Homebound Ministry: Sr. Marykutty Kottuppallil, MSMHC & Ginny Jordan
- Bereavement Ministry: Helen Luke
- Religious Education: Velma Guieb-Mamuad / Julie Abcede
- Youth Ministry: Bryan Laroya
- RCIA: Debbie Fujiyama
- Liturgy Coordinator: Frank Jordan
- Outreach: Stan Contrades
- Secretaries: Patti Silva & Justine K. Welch
- Office hours: Tue–Thu, 9:00 AM – 12:00 noon
A 'Welcoming Parish' — Hospitality & Community
Under Father Adondee Arellano's leadership, St. Stephen has deliberately embraced becoming a 'welcoming parish,' expanding its hospitality Sundays from once a month to every weekend and every Mass. Different committees take turns providing coffee and cookies after each liturgy, and a monthly social in the parish hall encourages Mass-goers to linger and connect. The result, reported by the Hawaii Catholic Herald, has been a 30% year-over-year increase in Mass attendance and approximately 5% growth above pre-pandemic figures.
- Coffee and cookies after every Saturday Vigil and Sunday Mass
- Rotating committee system prevents volunteer burnout
- Monthly parish social in the hall
- Phone answered by part-time secretary and five volunteers during business hours
- Open invitation to community and visitors at every program and event
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious Education at St. Stephen is coordinated by Julie Abcede (and listed in current diocesan staff as Velma Guieb-Mamuad), with catechists who regularly invite new families to the program. The parish supports both child faith formation and adult initiation through the RCIA process led by Debbie Fujiyama, helping non-Catholics and uncatechized Catholics prepare for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
- Religious Education Coordinator: Julie Abcede
- RCIA Coordinator: Debbie Fujiyama
- Active team of parish catechists
- Bible Study groups meet regularly
Youth Ministry & Knights of Columbus
St. Stephen maintains a Youth Ministry program coordinated by Bryan Laroya, working with the diocesan Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM) based at the St. Stephen Diocesan Center in Kāneʻohe. The parish also has an active Knights of Columbus council whose members are noted for being consistent inviters to parish programs.
- Youth Ministry Coordinator: Bryan Laroya
- Active parish Knights of Columbus council
- Bible Study leaders and catechists engaged in outreach
Outreach, Bereavement & Homebound Ministry
The parish's Outreach coordinator (Stan Contrades) organizes works of charity and community connection. Helen Luke coordinates Bereavement Ministry, walking with families through funeral planning and grief. The Homebound Ministry is led by Sr. Marykutty Kottuppallil, MSMHC (Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary) and Ginny Jordan, who bring Holy Communion and pastoral care to parishioners who cannot attend Mass in person.
- Outreach: Stan Contrades
- Bereavement: Helen Luke
- Homebound: Sr. Marykutty Kottuppallil, MSMHC & Ginny Jordan
- Pastoral visits to the sick and housebound
Sacraments
St. Stephen prepares parishioners for the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Baptisms, Confirmations, First Communions, Marriages and Funerals are scheduled through the parish office. Confession is heard Saturdays from 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM and by appointment. Adults seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are welcomed into the parish's RCIA program. Homebound parishioners receive Communion regularly through the Homebound Ministry.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- First Eucharist
- Marriage
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral rites
- RCIA for adult initiation
The Campus & Facilities
St. Stephen's campus on Pali Highway includes the Main Church, St. Catherine's Chapel for daily Mass, the Stephen P. Alencastre Memorial Building (housing a conference room used for parish breakfasts, gatherings and ministry meetings), and parish offices. A recent round of campus renovations by parish volunteers was celebrated at a blessing breakfast hosted by the women of the parish in June (the article referenced the 'Stephen P. Alencastre Memorial Building conference room'). The historic Damien-era bell is displayed inside the main church building.
- Main Church (weekend Masses)
- St. Catherine's Chapel (daily Mass)
- Stephen P. Alencastre Memorial Building (conference room, gatherings)
- Parish offices (Tue–Thu, 9 AM–noon)
- Historic 1872 Damien-era Kohala bell displayed inside
Visit, Contact & Directions
St. Stephen is located at 2747 Pali Highway, Honolulu, HI 96817, on the right side of Pali Highway roughly 1.5 miles after the H-1 Pali Highway exit, heading north toward the Koʻolau mountains. The parish office can be reached at (808) 595-3105 or [email protected], and is open Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to noon. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any Mass or event.
- Address: 2747 Pali Highway, Honolulu, HI 96817-1430
- Phone: (808) 595-3105
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://ssccpali.com/
- Office hours: Tuesday–Thursday, 9:00 AM – noon
- From H-1, take Pali Hwy (Hwy 61) north; church on the right ~1.5 miles from the exit
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph Turk1968
Pastored the parish while the present-day St. Stephen church and its modernistic bell tower were built by the parishioners.
- Rev. Khanh Pham-Nguyenca. 2009
Hosted the parish Mass on Oct. 11, 2009 the day Pope Benedict XVI canonized St. Damien de Veuster, and rang the historic 1872 Kohala bell in the new saint's honor.
- Rev. Mario R. Raquepo2023–2024
Listed as pastor in the Diocese of Honolulu's 2023–2024 Directory.
- Rev. Adondee Arellano, MS (La Salette Father)by 2026
Current pastor. Cited by the Hawaii Catholic Herald for leading a parish-wide hospitality initiative that grew Mass attendance by roughly 30% year-over-year and 5% above pre-pandemic levels.