Deacon class of 1981, in leis. From left, Thomas Rienzi (deacon previously ordained on the mainland), William Hughes, Ronald T.Y. Choo, George Christiansen, Richard Port, Bishop John J. Scanlan, Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario, George Thorp Jr., Thomas Miyashiro, Andrew Gerakas and Robert Cupp.
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
In 1981, eight married men in Hawaii made history by being the first to be ordained permanent deacons for the Diocese of Honolulu.
Five of them will mark the 25th anniversary of that event on Tuesday, Dec. 5, with a special Mass at 6 p.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa celebrated by Bishop Larry Silva.
They are Ronald T.Y. Choo, Andrew J. Gerakas, Thomas H. Miyashiro, Richard J. Port and George W. Thorp Jr. Their wives are Catherine Choo, Juanita Gerakas, Lois Miyashiro, Ann Port and Josephine Thorp.
Bishop John J. Scanlan ordained the first class on Dec. 5, 1981, at St. Theresa Church in Honolulu. Of the original eight, William Hughes died in 1987, George Christiansen died in 1997 and Robert Cupp left the diaconate.
The members of the class were described 25 years ago in the Hawaii Catholic Herald as “a teacher, an accountant, a construction engineer, an educational specialist, a planner, a retired army colonel, a former business manager and a property management consultant.”
At the time, their ages ranged from 36 to 64 and they were married from 11 to 36 years. Seven were parents; two were grandparents. Two were born and raised in Hawaii and both graduated of St. Louis High School.
Though a few of the five have since retired from full time careers, all continue to be active in parish and other ministries on Oahu.
Choo serves at Blessed Sacrament and St. Stephen Churches in Honolulu, Gerakas serves at Star of the Sea Church in Waialae-Kahala, Miyashiro is assigned to Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Pearl City, Port is at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Honolulu, and Thorp serves at St. Anthony Church in Kalihi.
The Diocese of Honolulu has had four more deacon classes to reach ordination after the first one. A sixth class of 17 will be ordained in five ceremonies on four islands in January and February.
Today, Hawaii has 46 permanent deacons. The United States has nearly 15,000 deacons, about half the world’s total.
The diaconate flourished in the early church as a permanent status for single or married men, but later became a transitional step for single men on the way to priesthood.
The Second Vatican Council restored the order to a distinct ministry in the 1960s. By the time the Hawaii eight were ordained in 1981, the mainland already had 4,000 permanent deacons.
Deacons make up one of three “orders” of ordained ministers in the Catholic Church. The other two are priests and bishops.
Deacons are ordained to serve a diocese according to their talents and abilities. Most are assigned to parishes, typically their own. In Hawaii, they are not given a church salary unless hired for a specific paying church job.
Though they are ordained, church work is supposed to be their life’s third priority, behind family and job.
In parishes, they are authorized to proclaim the Gospel, preach, and teach in the name of the church. Deacons also baptize, lead parishioners in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services.
In preparing for the 25th anniversary, deacon Port assembled a list of some 50 activities and ministries credited to this first class.
The list reveals a wide range of work that, in addition to parish work, includes participation in a number of committees and boards, pro-life activities, educational efforts, prison ministry, work with youth, spiritual writing, and lay devotions.
“Deacons do a lot of things,” Port said.