OBITUARY
Marianist Brother James Roberts designed the Mystical
Rose Oratory
The Marianist brother who helped create one of the most beautiful
worship places in Hawaii
has died.
Brother James William Roberts, a former faculty member of Chaminade
University of Honolulu, and designer of its Mystical Rose Oratory, died in Cupertino, Calif., on May 10. He was
75 and a religious brother for 52 years.
A memorial Mass was scheduled in Honolulu
for May 15 in the Mystical Rose Oratory.
Born in Los Angeles,
Brother Roberts became acquainted with the Society of Mary while stationed in San Diego serving in the U.S. Navy. He entered
the novitiate in Santa
Cruz, Calif.,
the day after his discharge from military service.
He professed his first vows on Aug. 15, 1955, in Santa Cruz.
From 1957 to 1961, Brother Roberts taught at ArchbishopRiordanHigh School in San Francisco. From 1962-1968, he served as
assistant director of novices for the Society of Mary and taught at Chaminade
University of Honolulu.
In the 1960s, he established Chaminade’s art department and for a
while was its only instructor. It was during this period that he designed the
Mystical Rose Oratory, the prominent and beautiful campus chapel, working
closely with island artist Jean Charlot.
Brother Roberts also served as assistant director of novices in Santa Cruz, and from 1968 to 1975, worked at the
MarianistArtCenter
in Santa Cruz. In 1975,
Brother James returned to Archbishop Riordan, where he taught until 1991.
He then returned to the Marianist community in Honolulu where he maintained an art studio on
the Chaminade campus from 1991 to 2005. He retired in Cupertino in 2005, the year he celebrated this
50th anniversary of religious life.
Erected in 1966, the Mystical Rose Oratory stands high above Kaimuki
with a spectacular view of Diamond Head.
Brother Roberts’ design features 13 columns representing Christ and his 12
disciples. The chapel’s circular form is conducive to intimate worship
services, lectures and classical vocal concerts, thanks to its superb
acoustics.
Brother Roberts directed the renovation of Mystical Rose in 2000 which
included a new floor, new seating, tinted windows, and the addition of central
air conditioning. Brother Roberts also traveled to Italy
to choose a new stone altar and ambo.
Brother Roberts was a prolific artist, working in ink, watercolor, oil
on canvas, pencil, sculpture and serigraph. His styles have included abstract,
pointillism, realism, portrait, landscape and still life.