The history of the Filipino Catholic Clubs in Hawaii

By Josephine Pablo | Special to the Herald

Msgr. Osmundo A. Calip

It is said that the spiritual faith of the Filipinos in Hawaii was restored because a first lady was deeply concerned for her people.

After Manuel Luis Quezon became the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth, in 1935, he and first lady Dona Aurora De Quezon would travel frequently to the United States, stopping to visit Filipinos in Hawaii. Dona Aurora noticed that as Filipinos here gained social and economic prestige, their spiritual life often suffered. Many left the Catholic Church for other faiths.

Disturbed by this, the president’s wife relayed her observations to the Archbishop of Manila and the Archbishop Santiago Sancho of Nueva Segovia in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. As a result, then-Bishop of Honolulu James J. Sweeney and Archbishop Sancho agreed that a Catholic priest would be sent from the Philippines to Hawaii with the assignment to revitalize the faith of his former countrymen and women.

The clergyman chosen for the task was a young energetic army chaplain from Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur — Father Osmundo A. Calip, who later would receive the title “monsignor.” He arrived in Hawaii on Dec. 4, 1948, presented his credentials to Bishop Sweeny, and spent the next six days at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, preparing for the enormous undertaking.

His plan was to conduct spiritual conferences and retreats throughout the Islands. His mission turned into a religious, educational and social crusade. As he evangelized and socialized, he gained the approval and cooperation of pastors and the community leaders. His programs started with prayers followed by the singing of popular Filipino and English songs. He then invited Filipino leaders, including labor representatives, to address the groups.

When it was his turn to speak, Father Calip reminded his audience, in their own dialect, of their struggling families back in the Philippines. He encouraged them to be thrifty and to support their relatives back home. Most important, he cautioned them not to forget their Catholic faith.

At the height of his enthusiastic evangelizing, he urged the creation of a club that could bring them together and help their pastors reach out to those who left the faith. The suggestion was met with tremendous approval.

Father Calip started at St. Theresa Church in Kekaha, Kauai, where many Filipinos were concentrated, establishing Hawaii’s first Filipino Catholic Club in 1949. The pastor, Marist Father Joseph Robeck conducted the installation ceremonies and celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving. The church was packed as Father Calip delivered the sermon. After Mass, everyone enjoyed entertainment, refreshments and speeches in the parish hall. Father Robeck promised his full support and the new officials pledged to spread the spirit of renewal in the faith.

Parish after parish on Kauai responded to Father Calip’s call to organize. The priest concluded his work on the Garden Island by calling all the parish clubs’ officers to a general meeting in St. Raphael Community Hall in Koloa. There the delegates recognized the need to unite the parish groups under a single island council.

The Kauai Council of Filipino Catholic Clubs was Hawaii’s first island council. Its first president was Lorraine Erum. Its first spiritual director was Father Francis Keymolen of Koloa.

Building on his Kauai successes, Father Calip established clubs and councils on Oahu and the other islands. Within two and a half years, the priest’s guidance, encouragement and hard work gave birth to strong local leadership and great enthusiasm.

Then, to build further solidarity, Father Calip helped convene the Territorial Congress of Filipino Catholic Clubs — later called Diocesan Congress of Filipino Catholic Clubs — covering all the islands. The first territory-wide convention was held Nov. 16-18, 1951, in St. Patrick Parish Hall in Kaimuki. Alfred Kilantang of St. Michael’s Filipino Catholic Club in Waialua was the first DCFCC president. Kauai’s Father Robeck was chosen as the first territorial spiritual director.

For the organization’s patron, Father Calip suggested St. Joseph of Nazareth, husband of Mary and father of Jesus. He argued that Filipinos are hard working people who can draw strength from St. Joseph, the humble carpenter and patriarch of the universal Catholic Church.

Today the diocesan congress is comprised of 16 FCC units in Oahu, five on Kauai, three on Maui, and two on the Big Island. Conventions are scheduled each year in November.

At the first convention, Bishop Sweeny said, “It is my fondest hope and prayer that all members attending this convention will consider seriously the plight of our Filipino brethren living in the diocese. Many have fallen by the wayside.”

That was the initial motivation for establishing the Filipino Catholic Clubs. It is a core problem that continues to face the Filipino people. This is why the FCC exists today.