Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Church
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Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church of Hawaiʻi in the United States. Located in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, 75-5769 Alii Drive, coordinates 19°38′13″N 155°59′28″W / 19.63694°N 155.99111°WCoordinates: 19°38′13″N 155°59′28″W / 19.63694°N 155.99111°W. The church falls under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Honolulu and its bishop. In 1839, Kamehameha III declared religious freedom in the Kingdom in the Edict of Toleration. A mission named after Saint Michael the Archangel was founded in 1840, the first Catholic Curch on the island. The first services were in a small grass hut. Governor John Adams Kuakini gave the land South of Mokuʻaikaua Church to the Catholic mission in 1841. The present church was completed in 1850 under Father Joachim Merechel. He was buried inside the church in 1859. In 1940 Father Benno Evers constructed a grotto of coral from Kailua Bay over the site of the original well.[1]
The parish is also responsible for some other small churches in the area, such as St. Peter by the Sea Church (known as the "Little Blue Church") on Kahaluʻu bay.
The main church building was forced to close on September 24, 2007, due to lingering damage from the earthquake in the area almost a year prior, on October 15, 2006. The parish continued to hold Mass in a tent on the site. In 2009, the parish announced the church will be demolished in November 2009. A nearby building that served as a convent will be demolished later. A book was published detailing the history of the 159-year-old church.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Kona Historical Society, 1997, A Guide to Old Kona, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 978-0824820107
- ^ North Kona's Catholic Heritage...remembered. North Kona Catholic Community. 2009. http://onecatholicohana.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=84.
[edit] External links
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