HCH file photo

Island Treasure honorees line the stage at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel in the 2007 celebration.

Catholic Charities Hawaii and the Diocese of Honolulu has “suspended” the popular annual Island Treasures celebration that, for the past 11 years, honored outstanding lay parish volunteers from across the state with a joyful Waikiki banquet and award ceremony because the event had gotten too expensive.

The decision was announced in a letter on Catholic Charities letterhead dated Jan. 17 and sent to pastors, chaplains and heads of lay organizations.

It was signed by Jerry Rauckhorst, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Charities; Rix Maurer III, chairman of Catholic Charities board of directors; Bishop Larry Silva; and the two co-chairwomen of the event, Mary Lou Brogan and Rose Domondon.

“After much consideration and discussion, Catholic Charities Hawaii and the Diocese of Honolulu have decided to suspend this event,” the letter stated. “Due to escalating costs we could no longer afford to pay for the gap in funding or pass on even greater expense to attendees in higher ticket costs.”

The event is not being replaced. However, the signers wrote, “If circumstances change we will revisit this difficult decision.”

They added, “We are also exploring other ways to recognize and thank our many “island treasures.”

The event last year brought more than 1,200 people together under the huge sparkling chandeliers of the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel’s largest banquet hall at the cost of about $50 per guest. This year the price was expected to be about $60. Honorees always attended free.

A dozen years ago, Catholic Charities came up with the idea of paying tribute to the “unsung heroes” that keep Hawaii’s Catholic churches and missions running through their countless hours of selfless service — often behind the scenes. The agency sponsored, planned and coordinated the event yearly as a gift to the diocese.

The committee that planned each celebration had been chaired from the beginning by the lively pair of Brogan and Domondon, lay volunteers themselves. A core of committee members were employees of Catholic Charities, which itself volunteered much of the resources for the project.

Largest diocesan celebration

Island Treasures was the diocese’s biggest regular state-wide gala celebration. It was unique in that it wasn’t a fundraiser, and it honored people who deserved, but would not ordinarily receive, diocese-wide recognition.

For the sake of the honorees, the planners purposely put on the ritz within a workable budget. After a special menu of, for example, soy glazed beef tenderloin and macadamia nut encrusted mahimahi, accompanied by wine contributed by a generous donor, the award ceremony would begin.

Dozens of catechists, ushers, cleaners, lectors, eucharistic ministers, decorators, carpenters, gardeners, launderers, cooks, sacristans, painters and handymen dressed up and laden with leis, were announced individually by name and parish, and escorted by their pastors up the red carpet to the stage to receive an engraved calabash from the bishop and have their picture taken with him.

By the end of the presentations, the sight of nearly 100 people beaming in multicolored rows across a wide stage would bring their friends and fellow parishioners to a standing ovation.

Many of the hundreds honored had been mainstays at their parishes for decades, receiving for the first time recognition from the broader church. Some were in their 90s when honored. Some died shortly afterwards.

A majority of island parishes participated in the event which, except for one year, was voluntary. Also selecting volunteers to be honored were ethnic Catholic communities, military base chapels and lay organizations. Last year, 91 people were recognized.

The gathering featured Hawaiian entertainment often including music by local music legends Nina Kealiiwahamana and Mahi Beamer and routines by comedian Frank De Lima.

The evening always ended with everyone standing and singing a popular Catholic hymn.

Last year the hotel set the price at about $38 per person for the meal alone. Catholic Charities charged $50 per guest, using the extra money to cover the honorees’ costs, printing, leis, the engraved awards and other expenses. This year, the hotel’s meal ticket would have jumped to $44.

Parishes usually paid for their attending parishioners. Even as costs rose, the event grew bigger each year, more than tripling the first year’s attendance, and eventually filling Sheraton’s largest ballroom.

The event was budgeted to pay for itself, though Catholic Charities often took a loss, as it did last year of about $5,000.