On July 10, 2026, the Diocese of Honolulu began a year-long celebration that will culminate in 2027 with the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the first Catholic missionaries to the islands. During the Opening Mass, Bishop Larry delivered a profound homily centered on a fundamental truth: arrivals are never the true beginning of a journey, but the result of providential and loving preparation.
The hidden journey before the arrival
Bishop Larry recalled that although the arrival of the Catholic Mission in Hawaii formally took place in 1827, the spiritual and logistical journey began much earlier, within the newly formed Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Europe. The missionaries had to discern who would go to an unknown and dangerous territory, with no guarantee of success, while also raising funds and preparing to learn an entirely new language.
As a beautiful metaphor for this effort, the homily highlighted Father Alexis Bachelot, appointed head of the mission, who before departing visited the King's Garden in Paris to gather seeds from a mesquite tree (Kiawe). His intention was to plant it in the new mission, hoping that just as the tree would take root and spread across the islands, the Catholic faith would flourish in the same way.
Hearts prepared by God
The homily also emphasized that preparation did not come only from the missionaries' side. In the same way, God was already preparing the hearts of the Hawaiian people long before they saw the first mission ship. Being a deeply religious culture, with deeply rooted communal values and great hospitality toward the Holy Spirit, the ground was already ready to receive the seed of the word of God.
This dynamic of patient preparation reflects the very history of salvation. The bishop drew a parallel with the upcoming 2000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in 2033, recalling that this key event did not happen overnight, but was lovingly prepared by God throughout the history of Israel and culminated in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
A call to be the missionaries of the future
Beyond commemorating the past, Bishop Larry's homily was an energetic call to action looking toward the future. He invited the faithful to ask themselves how their current living out of their faith will ensure that it continues to grow 100 or 200 years from now.
"How will the seed of the word of God be planted in hearts that do not know Jesus Christ unless we are the ones who plant it?" the prelate asked. His final exhortation was not to focus solely on the Church's institutional or organizational structures — which function as a necessary skeleton — but on the person of Jesus himself, the Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace.
As this jubilee year begins, the Catholic community of Hawaii commits to following in the footsteps of those courageous missionaries, renewing its evangelizing zeal to continue preparing the ground where the living word of God can flourish for future generations.
(You can watch the full homily on Dominic Olaso's YouTube channel via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2OKnPfXY6w)
07/11/2026