The Church of Hawaiʻi, originally called the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church, was the
state church and
national church of the
Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1862 to 1893. It was the
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sever ...
of the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
in
Hawaiʻi.
History
As a young prince, King
Kamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...
had visited
England and was impressed by the rich ceremony of the
Church of England, compared to the dour simplicity of the American missionaries who educated him as a child. His
queen consort Queen Emma had a British grandfather and was brought up in a house of a British Anglican doctor. Their 1856 wedding ceremony included Anglican prayers but had to be performed by the
Congregationalist minister.
In 1859, Emma wrote to
Victoria of the United Kingdom to request a clergyman from the English church. The King's foreign minister,
Robert Crichton Wyllie
Robert Crichton Wyllie (October 13, 1798 – October 19, 1865) was a Scottish physician and businessman. He served for twenty years as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Early life
Wyllie was born October 13, 1798, in an area c ...
, also made requests through diplomatic contacts. In 1860,
Samuel Wilberforce suggested expanding the mission to include a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
who could organize a new branch.
William Ingraham Kip of the
Episcopal Church in
California also supported the idea, but the
American Civil War prevented any help from them.
The idea was approved by
John Bird Sumner and British Foreign Secretary
Lord John Russell. The first Bishop was
Thomas Nettleship Staley, consecrated on December 15, 1861.
The sending of Staley caused friction with the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...
even before he arrived in 1862; making him a bishop bothered the
Congregationalists, who opposed any kind of religious hierarchy.
Rufus Anderson, of the American Board, became a fierce critic, accusing him of
ritualism. The officially chartered name of "Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church" provoked criticism as "
papist". After Kamehameha IV died, an elaborate funeral service was held that was compared to a
Pontifical High Mass
A Pontifical High Mass, also called Solemn Pontifical Mass, is a Solemn or High Mass celebrated by a bishop using certain prescribed ceremonies. Although in modern English the word "pontifical" is almost exclusively associated with the pope, an ...
.
Staley was even attacked by American writer
Mark Twain, and others whom he called "
Puritans".
The Church of Hawaiʻi became the official royal church, with land donated from the royal family's holdings, not the government. Emma was baptized, followed by a young
David Kalākaua
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
who would later also become king. The
Royal Mausoleum was built with a private chapel, which contrasted to the simple unadorned graveyards preferred by earlier missionaries. Observance of the holidays of
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
and
Good Friday was begun. Since Kamehameha IV had died on the feast of
Saint Andrew
Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
, the first cathedral constructed in Hawaiʻi by his brother the new King
Kamehameha V was called the
Saint Andrew's Cathedral. The cornerstone was laid in 1867, and it became the official residence of the bishop. Two associated schools were also started:
Saint Andrew's Priory School for Girls, and a boys' school named for
Saint Alban
Saint Alban (; la, Albanus) is venerated as the first-recorded British Christian martyr, for which reason he is considered to be the British protomartyr. Along with fellow Saints Julius and Aaron, Alban is one of three named martyrs recorde ...
, which eventually became part of
Iolani School Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk
Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, s ...
.
After the
overthrow of the monarchy in 1893 and
United States annexation
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
in 1898, the Church of Hawaiʻi was dissolved and became the
Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi as territorial jurisdiction was transferred to the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
See also
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
References
External links
The Church in Hawaiʻi{{Christianity in Hawaii
Christianity in Hawaii
Hawaii
Religious organizations established in 1862
Anglican organizations established in the 19th century
1862 establishments in Hawaii
1898 disestablishments in Hawaii
Religious organizations disestablished in 1898
Christian organizations established in the 19th century