Dismay at the co-cathedral’s renovation

Shortly after the publication of the photo illustrating the “renovation” of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, I addressed a letter to Bishop Silva expressing my dismay and posed the following questions:

“1) Question: What motivated this “reconstruction which will change the interior of the church back to its original east-facing vertical orientation”? The “renewal” of St. Theresa Church was processed through the Diocesan Liturgical Commission and approved by Bishop Joseph Ferrario. In 1984, Bishop Ferrario petitioned Pope John Paul II to elevate St Theresa as a co-cathedral wherein a papal decree was granted in July of 1985. In the design of the renewal of the worship space, the NCCB/USCC guidelines at that time, “Environment and Art in Catholic Worship” (1978), was carefully adhered to. A scrutiny of the design would have shown that it continued to meet the current USCCB guidelines, “Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture and Worship” (2000), for the construction of and renovation of worship spaces.

2) Question: What process was used to receive input from those who are knowledgeable on liturgy and current ecclesial documents before undertaking this particular renovation? I am aware that renovations of parish facilities must be processed through the Diocesan Planning and Building Commission. Their Volume II — “Planning Process for Parishes” document indicates in paragraph I.4.a. “When a worship space is part of the project, compliance with the ‘Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture and Worship’ issued by the United States Conference of Bishops, provides the appropriate direction.” If the renovation was processed and approved by the Commission, their recommendation to you and its rationale in light of the diocesan policies should be made public. I would be very grateful for the opportunity to read this document.”

The bishop’s response in part was as follows:

“The current project of renovating the Co-Cathedral to its original basilica-style seating arrangement was not initiated by me but by the pastor and the people of St. Theresa Parish. Despite its identity as the co-cathedral of our diocese, it is primarily a parish church, and so the pastor and people of the parish rightly took the initiative. The pastor, of course, sought my permission, which I gave. The normal consultation was done with the parish pastoral council and parish leadership, and then moved on to the approval process of the Diocesan Building and Planning Commission, which includes a representative of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission. Moreover, the pastor and I also met with Brother William Woeger, FSC, the director of the Office of Worship in Omaha, who is nationally known as a highly qualified liturgical consultant. We all were in agreement that, while the most recent configuration on which you worked under the direction of Bishop Ferrario, was acceptable, it was not the optimal configuration for the building. The parish felt that it was time to restore the building to its original configuration.”

He further stated: “The notion that the renewal of liturgy called for by the Second Vatican Council means everyone being as close to the altar as possible seems to have prevailed in the Diocese of Honolulu and elsewhere, and many churches were ‘turned on their sides.’ There is nothing in any liturgical document that suggests much less demands that such a thing be done. What the Council called for was a ‘full, conscious, and active participation’ in the liturgy …”

The bishop went on to say: “The active participation of the liturgical assembly therefore does not all require that the members of the assembly all be in view of each other,” while in fact, the USCCB’s “Built of Living Stones” clearly and implicitly directs the need to see one another.

§ 229 § “If a church building is to foster the worship of those who gather there, it must first meet minimum standards of hospitality, which means that those gathered for worship will be able to see as well as to hear one another. In the design of the lighting scheme for a church, the highest priority should be given to the ability of the worshipers to see both the faces of those with whom they gather as the Body of Christ and the faces of those who minister to them.” (letter writer’s emphasis)

In closing, the bishop stated: “I believe that the documents were read in the 1970s and 1980s through the lens of liturgists with a particular bias. Such a bias may be legitimate, but it is not the only legitimate lens through which the documents can be interpreted.”

It appears by that statement that he is intent on applying his bias even to the extent of reversing worship spaces that even to this day, some 20 years later, continue to meet the guidelines of the current USCCB “Built of Living Stones.” Could this mean that a bias in the future will reverse these 2009 reversals?

Besides reversing the benefits that were gained in bringing the gathered people closer to the liturgical celebrations and the choir and musicians as an integral part of the celebrating community, I am equally concerned about the expending of precious funds raised during these difficult economic times.

My concerns for the proposed reversing of the renewed spaces of the 1970’s through 2000’s extend far beyond just the seating. It is my heartfelt concern that all of the guidance contained in the USCCB “Building of Living Stones” will be respected albeit with whatever particular bias is claimed to be legitimate today as the document is applied and interpreted.

Bob Tsushima, Newman Center/Holy Spirit Parish

A servant leader

I want to express my admiration for the article on Mickey Reich.

You did an outstanding job of capturing the essence of a local saint in a few paragraphs. I knew Mickey when she was doing the sandwich ministry and I was campus minister at Maryknoll. I took students to help serve several times. She exemplified a servant leader, submitting to the Lord with a smile, even when the institutional church and clergy stood in her way.

Thanks for a great tribute,

Cathy Agor, Kapolei

A special lady

Thank you for the warm and authentic tribute to Mickey Reich. It was a lovely picture of her on the front page.

She was indeed a special lady who made a huge difference in the lives of those less fortunate. It is wonderful to see such “faith in action” from one so committed to the Gospel of Jesus.

I am happy to have called her my friend.

Rest in peace, Mickey.

Suzanne Ching, Honolulu

Courage, grace and generosity

I wanted to make sure you knew how grateful I am that you wrote an article about Mickey Reich, a woman who taught me to keep a child’s faith in God despite adversity.

Mickey encountered so much adversity but the difficulties that hurt her most were the ones from people she hoped would consider her family and would protect her and champion her cause and did not. She persevered in spite of everything.

Few could do what Mickey did, and do it with the courage, grace and generosity — and faith in the overall goodness of God’s people — that Mickey demonstrated daily. It was difficult to believe that when I met her, she was already well into her 80s. Her energy and perseverance never failed to amaze and inspire me.

She had this amazing reputation and street cred among every outreach coordinator and minister in the state. She was legendary among them. But she was also well-known outside the Catholic outreach ministries as your article indicates. There are many in the community that help the disenfranchised, the mentally ill that are not institutionalized, the homeless, the marginalized and the people on the doorsteps of the cathedral, who will miss that gentle, nurturing spirit.

Your article struck just the right tone and reflected Mickey’s gentle, forgiving nature.

Her picture on the front of the Hawaii Catholic Herald is a reminder to us all of what Catholic outreach and social justice should be.

Patricia Boyd Rivera, Honolulu