The Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus is a co-cathedral of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and its Diocese of Honolulu. Located in the outskirts of

downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The principal cathedral of the diocese remains the

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (French: ''Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la Paix''; Portuguese: ''Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Paz''; Hawaiian: ''Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui''; Latin: ''Basilicæ cathedralis Sanctæ Mariæ de Pa ...

. It was named in honor of the Saint Theresa of Lisieux. Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus - Honolulu 09

The original church

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

was established in 1931 by Msgr. Stephen Alencastre,

Vicar Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands The Apostolic Vicariate of the Hawaiian Islands was the jurisdiction of the prelate of the Catholic Church in the Hawaiian Islands, created in 1847 by the Holy See. In 1848, the phrase ''Sandwich Islands'' was dropped and replaced by ''Hawaiian Is ...

Construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...

was completed only a year later, in September 1932. Reflecting the growth of

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the immediate community, then pastor and diocesan

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

Msgr. Benedict Vierra led a major fundraising effort to replace the church's wooden structure, showing signs of deterioration in 1956. Vierra's efforts were successful and the renovated church was dedicated on August 15, 1963. Having found a need to have a larger space for pontifical liturgies - since the

had become too small to accommodate the increased population since the vicariate apostolic was elevated to a diocese - Bishop Joseph Ferrario petitioned

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1984 to elevate Saint Theresa church to the dignity of a co-cathedral, as it is larger in physical size. A papal decree elevating Saint Theresa Catholic Church to co-cathedral was issued and the church was consecrated on July 28, 1985. Its interior was reconfigured and a second

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

for the bishop was placed in the church. The Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus is most often used for pontifical liturgies such as the annual Mass of the Chrism during which the holy oils (oil of the sick,

oil of catechumens The Oil of Catechumens, also known as the Oil of Exorcism, is the oil used in some traditional Christian churches during baptism; it is believed to strengthen the one being baptized to turn away from evil, temptation and sin. The Oil of Exorcism ...

, and the holy Chrism) used in several of the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...

s are consecrated by the bishop before being distributed to the parishes of the diocese. Ordinations and episcopal installations are sometimes celebrated at the co-cathedral.

External links

Cathedral Website

Diocese of Honolulu Official Website

Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway (comprehensive Web site about the life, writings, spirituality, and mission of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Co-Cathedral Of Saint Theresa Of The Child Jesus Christian organizations established in 1931 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1963 Theresa of the Child Jesus, Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in Honolulu, Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, Co-Cathedral of Saint Roman Catholic churches in Honolulu 1931 establishments in Hawaii 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

See also

External links