Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace
1184 Bishop St
Honolulu, Oahu
Built in 1843, it is the oldest Catholic cathedral in Hawaii and the site of the ordination of Father Damien.
Our Lady Queen of Peace has been the patroness of the Catholic Church in Hawai‘i since 1827.
The first Catholic missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands arrived at Honolulu Bay on July 7, 1827. These missionaries -- Reverend Fathers Alexis Bachelot, Patrick Short, and Abraham Armand and lay-Brothers Theodore Boissier, Melchior Bondu and Leonard Portal -- were members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of Perpetual Adoration. Upon their arrival, these Sacred Hearts missionaries dedicated their labors to the patroness of the Congregation, Our Lady Queen of Peace and placed the Islands under her protection.
It was in her honor that these missionaries erected the first Catholic Church. After more than a decade of contentious relations with the Hawaiian government, the missionaries were finally allowed to proceed with their evangelization work. In thanksgiving, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace was erected. Completed in 1843, a statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace was placed in the niche above the main altar. The Cathedral was solemnly blessed and dedicated to Our Lady of Peace on the feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1843.
Blessed Damien de Veuster was born on January 3, 1840 in Tremelo, Belgium. He was a simple man whose parents were farmers so he had a body that was square, sturdy, and well-conditioned. Blessed Damien was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on May 21, 1864 in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace two months after his arrival in Hawai‘i. He was assigned to the Big Island where powerful bonds of Christian love developed between him and his people.
Directions:
The Cathedral is located at the top of Fort Street Mall (near the corner of Beretania Street and Bishop Street). Underground parking is available at Century Square Garage, 1188 Bishop Street. Parking is free on Sundays and validated parking is available to visitors and parishioners during the week at the Rectory.
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