January 2025 - At home with the ALOHA of the Lord Jesus Christ
I recently returned from a November cruise to the Hawaiian Islands on which I served as the Catholic priest chaplain. I had some amazing experiences both on board the ship for 10 at-sea days and in the various Hawaiian ports, but the unexpected and unplanned highpoint of my travels took place in Kalua-Kona. It was there that I happened to stumble upon St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, which stands on the coastline in the heart of Kailua Town on the “Big Island” of Hawaii.
We are all probably familiar with the phrase, “Catholics can always come home.” Based on my experience in Kaliua-Kona, I’d like to suggest a variation of this phrase: “Catholics are always at home.” On a Friday afternoon, the doors to the church were propped wide open, inviting me to climb the outdoor flight of lava rock stairs into the quiet sacred space away from the bustling street below to reveal a large, towering modern church with beautiful mosaics on the back walls, a massive baptismal font and pool with flowing water, and a huge wood-carved crucifix suspended over the sanctuary. Alone in the church, I immediately felt at home and drawn to prayer. As I knelt before the Blessed Sacrament, I could literally feel the gentle breeze of the Spirit and hear the chirping of the birds since, being in Hawaii, there were no side walls separating interior and outdoors. The two side narthexes of St. Michael’s were open-air covered patios with outdoor seating on either side of the church. Not a very practical design for our Maine churches, I’m afraid.
When I was about to leave the church, I noticed the “caretaker,” clad in shorts and a T-shirt, move the paschal candle that was in the sanctuary. I met him on the way out as he was arranging plants near the baptistry. I remarked to him what a beautiful church it was, and when he asked me where I was from, I explained that I was the Catholic priest cruise ship chaplain from the Diocese of Portland, Maine. To my surprise, he introduced himself as the pastor, Father Konelio Faletoi. I immediately thought of Mary Magdalene’s initial confusion on Easter Sunday in mistaking the Risen Christ for the gardener! He, too, was the pastor of one parish with several worship sites (six churches in all—more than my three churches) and, like me, he was the vicar forane of his corner of the Diocese of Honolulu, which, like the Diocese of Portland, comprises the entire state.
St. Michael the Archangel Church was built in 1850 only to suffer irreparable damage during the Kiholo earthquake that ravaged the island in 2006. In the years that followed the earthquake, the Catholic community gathered in a tent on church grounds until funds could be raised to rebuild the church on its original footprint, which occurred only 10 years ago. I was reminded of the resilience and tenacity of our own Maine Catholics in meeting challenges.
A portion of the mission statement of St Michael’s Parish proclaims: “We are happy to welcome people of all backgrounds and faiths with the ALOHA of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Aloha, by the way, has three meanings: “hello,” “goodbye,” and “I love you.”
So, that was my unforgettable experience. I urge you to make one of your own because Catholics are always at home regardless of where they travel, be it near or far. The next time you go on a trip or vacation, make a point to visit the local Catholic church, be it a medieval cathedral, a magnificent basilica, or a simple parish church because, as a Catholic, that worship site is your home as well. Your visit to your newly discovered home might include a Sunday or daily Mass, or, like my experience, it may just be a matter of stopping in for a few minutes to admire the sacred architecture and art and visit Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. Marvel at both the similarities and the differences between your own parish and the church you are visiting. It will give you an amazing appreciation for our wonderfully universal and multicultural Catholic Church, and a blessed feeling of homecoming even if you don’t encounter the pastor of the parish as I did, even if you don’t even encounter another human being. Light a candle, put a donation into the poor box, take a bulletin with you as a souvenir, and make yourself at home!
Father Louis Phillips is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Westbrook
