The Molokai Catholic Community is taking its fundraising efforts to Honolulu in a big way

By Maria Sullivan

After 10 years of raising money on Molokai for the island’s new parish church, the Molokai Catholic Community is taking its fundraising efforts to Honolulu in a big way — a “show stopper.”

The Molokai parish’s “A Lei of Aloha for Father Damien — A Gala Dinner Event,” Friday, Sept. 8 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom, will feature a fine dinner, a Father Damien historical gallery and a slate of some of the finest entertainers “homegrown” on the Friendly Isle.

The event is open to the public and organizers are hoping Hawaii Catholics from every island will join the festivities. The primary purpose of the gala is to raise funds for the new “Blessed Damien Church” which will replace the 60-year-old St. Sophia, the island’s main Catholic church in Kaunakakai.

Among the scheduled gala entertainers are Na Hoku Hanohano award winner Raiatea Helm, composer-pianist Robert Mondoy, who is music director at St. John Vianney Church in Kailua, Auntie Moana’s Hula Halau, the Zack Helm Band and Henry Tancayo. Non-Molokai boy Frank DeLima will add his comedic touch.

Bishop Larry Silva has given his full and active endorsement to the event and serves as its honorary chairman.

New church is badly needed

Molokai’s gala organizers decided to take their appeal for funds for the Blessed Damien Church to Honolulu, much like Father Damien traveled to Honolulu more than a century ago to request funds and supplies for his Hansen’s disease patients in Kalaupapa.

One committee member stated the need plainly. “We have exhausted our limited island resources after 10 years of fundraising. We are asking the greater Hawaii Catholic community for help.”

“We believe in our need,” she said, “and we reach out to others to share in our mission to provide a safe and adequate place for worship and contemplative prayer for our parish families and island visitors.”

“The need for a new church building is basic and central to our mission to nourish the faith to our children,” she said.

Many families must now sit in the carport outside St. Sophia Church for the 9 a.m. Mass. They enter the church and see the celebrant only at Communion time. One religious education teacher asked her students to come to Mass early to find a seat inside to see what was going on in order to better understand their class lessons on the liturgy.

The lack of adequate seating impacts all parishioners, not just children. One parishioner who has had to sit outside too often, commented, “We feel disconnected from the Eucharistic celebration. It is difficult to say that we are truly celebrating the Eucharist with our brothers and sisters.”

The old church has other problems. It is not readily wheelchair accessible, does not have proper hand washing facilities and is suffering extensive termite damage.

“Yes, our message is pretty simple,” said a gala organizer. “Help us build a new church, a place where we and our fellow Hawaii Catholics and our visitors can go to worship as one family. Help us build a church where our children, our families and our visitors can contemplate the wonderful stories of service and mission of Blessed Damien and Blessed Marianne.”