Kudos to Bishop Larry
I would like to respond to Bob Tsushima’s letter of Sept. 4 regarding the renovation of the co-cathedral.
In the 1960s, as parishioners of St. Theresa, my husband Bob, now deceased, and several men in the parish formed a building committee to address the rebuilding of the entire plant at St. Theresa’s. First would be the church, second the school, the convent and finally the rectory, in that order, within a five-year time frame.
Because Msgr. Benedict Vierra was the vicar general of the diocese, besides being our pastor, we were made aware that the new church would eventually be designated the co-cathedral because of the parking situation at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and the congestion in downtown Honolulu at the time. With this in mind, it was decided that special attention would be given to the environment of the interior of the church. However, it would first become our gathering place of worship.
The committee then began the campaign to raise monies by soliciting pledges from Catholics and non-Catholics within the parish boundaries. It was a successful campaign because of the design of the church and its towering steeple.
With its high cathedral-like ceilings, an exquisite gold mosaic that enhanced the wondrous white marble Cross of Our Lord, crafted in Italy, and the lifetime marble Stations of the Cross, it became the symbol of the Faith of a proud parish. Parishioners came forward to individually sponsor the beautiful stained glass windows, also crafted in Italy.
Then, in the late 1970s, there began a building frenzy in the diocese. Without the consent or the input of parishioners, the interior of the church was redesigned. It left a lot of hurt souls who left the parish. Those who stayed suffered the indignity of being “outsiders.”
Kudos to Bishop Larry for his understanding and for listening to the voices of St. Theresa. Kudos also, to the parishioners who have the courage to reclaim their church.
The circle is now complete. It is Kina‘ole. “To do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons for the people, because it is the right thing to do.”
Margaret M. Boyd
Honolulu