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| Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace | |
|---|---|
| French:Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la PaixPortuguese:Catedral de Nossa Senhora da PazHawaiian:Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui Latin:Basilicæ cathedralis Sanctæ Mariæ de Pace | |
 Façade from the North | |
 Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace | |
| 21°18′39″N157°51′34″W / 21.31075°N 157.859417°W /21.31075; -157.859417 | |
| Location | 1175 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Website | honolulucathedral |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral Minor basilica |
| Dedicated | August 15, 1843 |
| Relics held | Sts.Damien de Veuster &Marianne Cope |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Basilica |
| Style | Romanesque Revival,Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | July 9, 1840 |
| Completed | August 15, 1843 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 600 |
| Length | 155.4 feet (47.4 m) |
| Width | 51.3 feet (15.6 m) |
| Materials | Coral,marble,plaster,terra cotta,Acacia koa |
| Bells | 2("Maigret" & "Aubert") |
| Administration | |
| Province | San Francisco (Region XIII) |
| Diocese | Honolulu |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Clarence R. Silva |
| Rector | Pascual G. Abaya, IV |
 | |
Our Lady of Peace Cathedral | |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000418 |
| Added to NRHP | August 7, 1972 |
TheCathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is themother church andcathedral of theDiocese of Honolulu.
The first Catholic missionaries to Hawaii, three priests of theCongregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (also known as the Society of Picpus), arrived in Honolulu from France on July 7, 1827.Apostolic prefectAlexis Bachelot celebrated the first recordedCatholic Mass on Hawaiian soil on July 14 in a grass hut on a rented lot.[1] On August 30, 1827, the missionaries acquired a royal land grant from 14-year-oldKing Kamehameha III with the help from the Catholic governor of Oahu, high chiefBoki.[2] On this property, in January 1828, the French erected the first Catholic church in Hawaii where the sanctuary of the cathedral is today.[1]
However, KingKamehameha III under pressure by both AmericanProtestant missionaries and theKuhina Nui,Kaʻahumanu,[3] Catholic priests were expelled from the islands between 1829 and 1839 to thwart any French or Catholic influence.[4] During this “dark decade” of anti-Catholic persecution, foreign priests were deported and not allowed to come to shore, and known converts were tortured and imprisoned.[5][6] Under the threat of force from the French government, theHawaiian government issued theEdict of Toleration on June 17, 1839, creatingfreedom of religious expression.[7][8] As reparation, Kamehameha III gave the first Roman Catholic missionaries under the leadership ofVicar ApostolicÉtienne Rouchouze, a piece of the royal estate on which to build the first Roman Catholic church in the kingdom and $20,000 in compensation for the deportation of priests and the incarceration and torture of converts.[1][7][9] The1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii enshrined religious liberty.[10]
The missionaries broke ground for the new church on July 9, 1840, coinciding with the Feast ofOur Lady of Peace,patroness saint of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts and dedicated their first church in the new land under this title of the Virgin Mary.[1] A Mass was celebrated on the day of groundbreaking and 280native Hawaiians received thesacraments ofbaptism,confirmation, and firstEucharist. The cornerstone of the building was ceremonially laid on August 6, 1840.[1] Construction continued after groundbreaking withnative Hawaiian volunteers harvesting blocks ofcoral from the shores ofAla Moana,Kakaʻako, andWaikīkī. Down the street,Congregationalist missionaries had earlier begun the construction ofKawaiahaʻo Church.[11][12]
On August 15, 1843, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace was consecrated and dedicated, and about 800 people receivedholy communion.[1][13]
WhenLouis Désiré Maigret inherited the church, the interior was furnished with a simple woodenaltar,communion rail andpulpit. Instead ofpews, thenative Hawaiians preferred to sit on the floor covered inlauhala mats. Maigret had purchased a tower clock andcathedra, and a new largerbell. Maigret had built the first domed bell tower in the Hawaiian Islands, but he would later replace it with a woodenspire topped with aglobus cruciger and a stationary roosterfinial in 1866, often mistaken for aweather vane.
In the 1870s, after returning from theFirst Vatican Council, Maigret was inspired to continue improvements to the cathedral. In 1871, the low roof was replaced withredwood and raised by four feet. A vaulted ceiling with panels of hand-painted gold leaf decorations was installed. A choir loft and galleries overlooking the nave were built to increase the seating capacity and newstained glass windows were added.[14] Thirty-six statuettes of the saints were placed above the gallery overlooking thenave partly as spite towards theCongregationalists andPresbyterians who accused Catholics ofidolatry. Extensive work was done to install a Frenchmarble altar which had a poignant backdrop scene ofCalvary. It was crowned by the gilded statues of theVirgin Mary,Saint Joachim andSaint Anne. The clock, which was originally positioned at the base of the tower, was now fitted on the back wall after the roof was raised and remains the oldest clock in Hawaii.[15] Throughout his thirty-five years as bishop, Maigret transformed the humble grass hut into a European-styled church before dying in 1882.[1]
The cathedral would remain rather unchanged for the next two decades. In December 1893, on the sixty-second anniversary of the first expulsion from the Hawaiian Islands of the first prefect apostolic, Msgr.Gulstan Ropert dedicated a large bronze statue of Our Lady of Peace, a recreation of an original 16th century wooden carving still venerated by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in their Parisconvent.[1]
WhenLibert Hubert John Louis Boeynaems inherited the church in 1903, he idealized the cathedral to be like the more famous Gothic churches of his native Europe, perhaps motivated by the nearbyAnglicanSt. Andrew's Cathedral which was completed in 1902. He commissioned the construction of an elaborate porch which was completed in 1910. However, the Gothic endeavor became too costly to complete. Instead, he replaced the termite damaged wooden floors with cement and the wooden spire with a concrete bell tower topped with the original orb and cross installed by Maigret.[1]
In 1926,Stephen Peter Alencastre assumed the episcopacy of the Hawaiian Islands. Not long after his appointment, Alencastre purchased land at the base ofPunchbowl Crater to build a new cathedral. Stymied by theGreat Depression of 1929, the project was cancelled. Instead, he established the present-dayRomanesque revival style for the cathedral. The Gothic porch was replaced by aportico ofdoric columns. New stained-glass windows from Germany were installed. The Italian government presented a gift of a newCarrara marble altar with statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary andSaint Joseph, in anticipation for the celebration of the centennial of the arrival of the first Roman Catholic missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands. In 1940, steeltrusses and concretebuttresses were added to support theterra cotta tiled roof that were installed in 1926.[14][1]
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James Joseph Sweeney, was the first bishop of newly formedDiocese of Honolulu. In 1956, Bishop Sweeney made some significant changes to the interior. The wooden crucifix was removed and replaced with one made of marble, and behind it, the Calvary scene was painted over and a simplefleur-de-lis patterned wallpaper was added. A gothictester (or "baldachin") was positioned above the high altar to match the canopy over the cathedra, then a bronzetabernacle andcommunion rails were fitted.[1]
Liturgically innovative ideas in the 1960s and 1970s took hold of some liturgists and theologians after theSecond Vatican Council. These ideas, which claimed to follow the "spirit of the council," inaugurated controversial changes in the architectural standards of churches worldwide, which some Catholics dub a "wreckovation".[16] Sweeney, acouncil father at the Second Vatican Council, ordered for the communion rails to be removed and a freestanding altar constructed to allow a priest to face the congregation during Mass instead ofad orientem as indicated in the changes to the newRoman Missal. The elevated canopiedpulpit was also removed in favor of a simplelectern to serve as anambo. The ideology of this time encouraged churches to use native cultural implements in church architecture.Koa woodwainscot along the walls and heavy koa wood doors were installed.[1]
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The cathedral had become too small to accommodate the increased population since its vicariate apostolic times.Joseph Anthony Ferrario, the third bishop of the diocese, successfully petitionedPope John Paul II to elevateSaint Theresa Catholic Church to aco-cathedral in 1984.
Meanwhile, Ferrario was also responsible for sending the thirty-six statuettes of saints back toFrance to be professionally preserved. When the statues returned, they were placed in a new, more logical order of placement in accordance with theLitany of the Saints. In one of the most drastic changes yet, pews were re-arranged to face each other while the altar and ambo were positioned in the center aisle in 1993. A eucharistic devotional area was created in front of the tabernacle and a semitransparent screen was raised to separate it from the rest of the church. The cathedra of the bishop was placed in front of this screen and thesedia, or the chair of the priest-celebrant, was positioned among the pews.[1]
Francis X. DiLorenzo, fourth bishop of Honolulu hired architects to draft plans for an expansion of the cathedral but never progressed. DiLorenzo's capital improvement projects included the replacement of the flooring with stone tiles and installation of new sound systems.
In 2010, a $15M campaign was initiated by the fifth and current bishop,Clarence Richard Silva, to renovate the cathedral emulating the appearance of the later 1800s during the time ofDamien de Veuster. The "renewal" project also includes installing replica oil-paintings of theStations of the Cross that were present in the cathedral during the time period, "oil lamp" chandeliers, andconfessionals.[17] Other major plans include building a new chapel that will house the relics of both St.Damien de Veuster and St.Marianne Cope.[18][19]
By 2018, at the hundred seventy-fifth anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral, Silva removed the screen and returned the altar back to an extensively renovated sanctuary area. The pews were also positioned back to theirad orientem direction. Four of the fourteen stained-glass windows were repaired and refurbished inOmaha. A few years later, the pillars were repaired and replastered then repainted to mimic marbled stone, and new paintings of saints Damien and Marianne were placed in the sanctuary wall above the high altar.[20][21][22][23]
Its perilous beginnings and fruitful growth has left an indelible mark on thehistory of Hawaii. The cathedral is reminder of the great religious struggles that took place in the Hawaiian Kingdom between 1820 and 1850, and as a symbol of its final acceptance of the Catholic Church.[14] It was the church in whichDamien de Veuster was ordained to thepresbyterate on May 21, 1864,[24] the starting point in the ministry ofMother Marianne Cope in Hawaii on November 8, 1883,[25] and also the church where theRequiem Mass forJoseph Kahahawai was conducted in 1932.[26] It is the oldest existing building in thedowntown area ofHonolulu. Considering the earliness of its construction date, it is also of considerable aesthetic value and is unique in its architectural design in Hawaii.[14] The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace was placed on theHawaii Register of Historic Places andNational Register of Historic Places in 1972.[27][28]
The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is said to be the oldest cathedral in continuous use in theUnited States.[29][30] Though older, theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary inBaltimore, completed in 1821, was aco-cathedral throughout its history. The currentSaint Louis Cathedral inNew Orleans was completed in 1850 after theGreat New Orleans Fire destroyed the original 1727 church in 1788. TheRoyal Presidio Chapel, completed in 1791, was designated apro-cathedral in 1849.
Following theRequiem Mass (funeral) of BishopLouis-Désiré Maigret in 1882, his body was carried in procession to theKing Street Cemetery but was not buried there. His final resting place goes unrecorded for 100 years until his tomb is discovered under the sanctuary of the cathedral during renovations in 1981.[1] Other vicar apostolics were buried at the King Street Cemetery.
The only other bishop buried at the cathedral isJohn Joseph Scanlan who was buried in an adjacent space near Maigret after his death in 1997. Four additional spaces were created for future prelates in the renovations that were completed in 2018.[20]
The mortal remains of St.Marianne Cope were enshrined on July 31, 2014. TheSisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities announced that they were closing theirmotherhouse inSyracuse where the remains were originally. The remains are encased in a reliquary near the sanctuary next to therelic of St. Damien.[31][32]
Pope Francis, through theCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, conferred the title ofMinor Basilica upon the Cathedral on May 10, 2014, the liturgical memorial ofSt. Damien. The inaugural Mass was celebrated on October 11, 2014, the fifth anniversary of the canonization of St. Damien. The privileges attached to the status of minor basilica include the right of theumbraculum (ceremonial canopy) and thetintinnabulum (ceremonial bell), which were carried in procession and installed at this inaugural Mass.[33][34]
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The firstpipe organ, installed shortly after the cathedral was built, came fromFrance and had onemanual and apedal clavier. The second organ, fitted in 1885, was built inEngland as the gift of parishionerGodfrey Rhodes, featuringgreat,swell, and pedal organs. The large statue ofSaint Cecilia, patroness of sacred music, was placed on the casing in front of the organ in 1906.
The third and present one, Opus 916, consists of great, swell,choir, and pedal organs installed in the choir loft by organ-builder Alfred G. Tickner of theAeolian-Skinner Organ Company ofBoston. It features 3 manuals, 37 stops, 33 ranks, and 2,159 pipes.[35] This instrument was solemnly blessed on September 9, 1934, by Msgr. Stephen Alencastre, followed by a dedicatory recital by organist Don George, broadcast over radio station KGU in Honolulu.
The church at 1175 Fort Street Mall is just one building in a larger campus owned by the Diocese of Honolulu and purchased during theHawaiian Kingdom Era fromCharles Brewer,Charles Reed Bishop, Julius Anthon, Joseph Carter, Alexander Muir,James Makee and Romila Whiting. Much of the land was formerly used as a boarding and day school in the late 1800s – the predecessor institution ofSaint Louis School. The campus includes theDiocesan Chancery which houses the offices of the bishop andvicar general, as well as theHawaiʻi Catholic Herald newspaper. The same high-rise building also houses therectory, the office and residence of the rector, the parochial vicar and other priests serving the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
The diocese has leased some of the campus to commercial entities. The Century Square building, a modern skyscraper at 1188 Bishop Street, is rented as office and residential space. Finance Factors is a minority landowner where the Finance Factors building sits. Plans are in place for a new affordable housing development for seniors where theparish hall used to stand.[36] Directly beneath the campus is a cavernous basin dug by early missionaries as a freshwater well. It is now leased to a private company which operates it as an underground publicparking lot.
