Downtown cathedral marks 160 years
Parishioners of the Catholic cathedral in downtown Honolulu will celebrate the 160th anniversary of the historic church next Saturday with a liturgy and a potluck picnic.Catholic Bishop Francis DiLorenzo will preside at a noon Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, better known as the Fort Street Cathedral. The celebration will continue on the mall outside from 1 to 5 p.m. with food and musical entertainment.
The church spire made the stone church the tallest building in the neighborhood when it was dedicated on Aug. 15, 1843, on the site of the first Catholic mission in Hawaii. The stone church near Fort Street Mall and Beretania Street is now dwarfed by surrounding high-rises.
A memorial in the church wall marks the date in 1864 when Father Damien DeVeuster, a missionary from Belgium, was ordained. Damien served the leprosy patients in Kalaupapa on Molokai for 16 years before his death from the disease in 1889 -- service that has put him on the track to canonization as a saint.
The cathedral has been in use since its dedication. Because of its modest size, the larger St. Theresa Church on North School Street was designated a "co-cathedral" and has been the setting of major diocesan ceremonies and services where the bishop presides.
Church of Christ holds annual 'takeout luau'
The folks at the United Church of Christ at 467 N. Judd St. do everything traditional in a luau except for setting the table and serving the feasters.Tickets are on sale for the annual "takeout luau," which will be available for drive-through pickup from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. next Saturday.
To reserve a $17 boxed, 11-course Hawaiian meal, call the church office at 536-8418 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The cooks will let people watch and photograph the ancient cooking method when they seal the pigs, chickens and sweet potatoes into the imu at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Some $5 of the ticket price is tax-deductible. Proceeds will be shared with the Good News Jail and Prison Ministry.
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