New priest enables separation of conjoined Maui parishes

By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald

The arrival of a priest from the Philippines has allowed two north shore Maui parishes to have their own live-in pastors for the first time in 14 years. Holy Rosary Church in Paia and St. Rita Church in Haiku, which have shared a single priest since 1995, were “de-clustered” by Bishop Larry Silva on Nov. 1.

Father Patrick Freitas, the pastor of both places since August 2007, remained as the pastor of St. Rita, which also includes tiny St. Gabriel Mission in Keanae. Father Elias Escanilla, a priest of the Diocese of Sorsogon in the Philippines, is now the administrator of Holy Rosary.

The new arrangement is a welcome one.

“When you become a clustered parish, the pastor becomes part-time and the parishioners become part-time,” Father Freitas explained by phone from Maui last week.

The pastor sensed a growing need for each community to once again have its own priest.

Father Freitas said that, in meetings with diocesan officials, parishioners expressed “a strong desire” to split the parishes.

The two churches, which are separated by a 20-minute drive, began sharing a pastor on Jan. 1, 1995.

According to Father Freitas, the fourth priest in his position, the first two pastors lived in the Paia rectory. The last two lived in Haiku.

The shared arrangement not only economized on clergy, it saved money.

If there is a challenge in the new arrangement, Father Freitas said, it would be financial, with the parishes now having to support two priests. The elderly and retirees are a sizable part of the population of each parish, he said.

Father Freitas estimates there are 100 families in each parish.

He said that while he would classify his neighborhood as “rural,” Haiku has also attracted wealthy mainlanders who have built “large two-acre estates.”

“But many of them are not Catholic,” he said.

The mission of St. Gabriel in Keanae, about an hour’s drive up the winding Hana Highway, is a place with a “different mindset, a different heart,” Father Freitas said.

About 20 people in that native Hawaiian shoreline community of taro farming and fishing attend Sunday Mass.

Before the split, an ordinary Sunday would put Father Freitas on the road in his Toyota Rav4 at 6:30 in the morning and returning around 2:30 in the afternoon. He would start with 7:30 a.m. Mass at Holy Rosary, followed by 9:30 Mass at St. Rita, and finally noon Mass in Keanae.

The total time driving was close to three hours.

The new setup has permitted him to drop St. Gabriel’s Mass at noon — not an opportune time for an agricultural community — in favor of alternating between a 5 p.m. Saturday vigil Mass and a 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass.

Deacon Patrick Constantino has served both parishes since they came together under the “cluster” arrangement made by Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo because “we had a shortage of priests.”

The former Maui County treasurer, Constantino lives in Pukalani, about nine miles from Paia. His home parish is St. Joseph Parish in Makawao.

Sharing a priest had its difficulties, Constantino said. Having the parish office at one place meant the other was neglected.

With one less priest and the availability of a deacon, some of the daily Masses at both parishes became Communion services.

“I think it was getting pretty hard for the pastor,” he said.

He said that with Paia’s new resident priest has come a sense of optimism among the mostly Filipino parishioners.

“They are all excited about starting things,” he said.

The parish now has daily Mass during the week instead of just Tuesday and Thursday, and a Saturday vigil Mass every week instead of every other week.

Holy Rosary’s new administrator, Father Escanilla, came to Hawaii on Oct. 24 and to his new assignment on Nov. 1.

His home diocese of Sorsogon is at the southeastern end of the island of Luzon. He is the only priest now serving in Hawaii from that diocese, which has 25 parishes and 17 schools.

Ordained on June 16, 1984, he has served as the diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools for 15 years, and also as the director of a Catholic college and Catholic high school. His first six years were spent as a parish priest.

He speaks the Philippine dialect of Bicolano which he said is similar to the Visayan language spoken by many of the parishioners in his new parish.

Father Escanilla celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest this year, which is one of the reasons he was free for this assignment.

“There is a program of our diocese that when a priest has served 25 years, he receives a two-year sabbatical,” he said.

How does he like Paia?

“It is good … nice … great!” he said.