Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings | Page 118

February 24, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Church of England Mission

“Polynesian Church (1861) – The committee for promoting the establishment of a Church in Honolulu, in communion with the Churches of England and America …”

“… having taken into consideration the King of Hawai‘i’s desire to receive a mission from the Church of England headed by a Bishop, are of opinion that measures should be taken for fulfilling the desire thus put, we trust, by God into the heart of His Majesty.”

“That having respect to the importance of these Islands as a probable centre of Christian influence in the North Pacific Archipelago, as well as to the immediate needs of the actual population of the Hawaiian group, an earnest appeal for support be made to the Church at home.”

“That as it appears by letters from the Bishops of California and New York, that there is a readiness on behalf of the American Church to unite in this effort …”

“… the committee hail with gratitude to God such an opening for common missionary action between the two great branches of the Reformed Catholic Church.”

“That the Bishops of California and New York be requested to convey to the Church in America most earnest invitations from this committee to unite in the work.”

“The city of Honolulu contains, besides its native population, European and American residents. The French Roman Catholics possess a cathedral, with a Bishop, clergy, &c., and the American Congregationalists have also places of worship.”

“The King offers on his own behalf and that of his subjects and residents who desire the establishment of the English Church, a yearly payment of £200 and to give the site for a church, parsonage, &c.”

“It is also probable that a grant of land may be made for the future support of the Mission. The resources of the Islands can probably not do much more at present than this, and the committee appeal with earnestness to their fellow Churchmen to assist in sending forth labourers into this part of the Lord’s vineyard.”

“The two venerable Societies, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, immediately signified their approval of the movement by liberal grants in its aid.”

And so was formed the mission of the Church of England (Anglican) to the Islands.

“A farewell service for the Mission party was held in Westminster Abbey, when the Bishop preached, and the Holy Communion was administered to a large number, chiefly the friends and supporters of the undertaking.”

“The Mission party, consisting of the Bishop of Honolulu and family (Right Reverend Thomas Nettleship Staley,) the Rev. G. Mason, M.A., and the Rev. E. Ibbotson, embarked at Southampton for the Isthmus of Panama, on the 17th of August, 1862.”

“The weather was propitious. On the twelfth day of the voyage Molokai and Maui were passed, looking beautiful in the setting sun. In the morning the vessel was off Honolulu.”

“Full of thankfulness and hope, the Bishop and his companions held their last service in their little barque. Scarce had they risen from their knees, than they were greeted with the sad tidings, brought on board by the pilot, ‘The Prince of Hawaii is dead!’” (Prince Albert, son of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma.)

“Every member of the Mission felt this as an almost fatal blow. The baptism of the Prince had been anticipated as the inauguration, so to say, of the work.”

(“It was found on inquiry, that a Congregational minister had been summoned to baptize the little fellow privately, his distracted parents having first sent to the British man-of-war, ‘Termagant,’ which had lately arrived in port, to see if there were a chaplain on board. Alas there was none.”)

“(A) wooden temporary church was erected, to be used until the completion of the cathedral. This structure stands on the land given for the church by Kamehameha IV., one of the very best sites in Honolulu; and near to it are the Clergy House on one side, and the Female Boarding School on the other.”

With Honolulu as the base for the mission, at Lāhainā, “The Female Industrial Boarding School … (also) carries on there an English school for boys, supported mainly by the Board of Education. This is in addition to the spiritual work of the Mission, which with services, as at Honolulu, in both the English and the Hawaiian language”.

In Kona, “The Rev CG Williamson, trained at S. Augustine’s, Canterbury, and ordained Deacon by the Bishop of Oxford, assisted by the Bishop of North Carolina, who was then in England, arrived in the Islands in March, 1867, to take part in the Mission.” Likewise in Wailuku, Maui, “The Rev GB Whipple, brother of the Bishop of Minnesota, opened his station early in 1866”.

“The Church is growing rapidly in the outside districts, such as Kona, Wailuku and Lāhainā. The local judge on Molokai, who is a member of our Church, states that there is a nice opening on that island; and, as the King lives a good deal there, a resident clergyman would not be out of the way.”

Initially the church was called the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church but the name would change in 1870 to the Anglican Church in Hawai‘i. In 1902 it came under the Episcopal Church of the US. (Information is from Project Canterbury.)

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St._Andrew’s_Pro-Cathedral-called the English Church-was the temporary cathedral until the actual cathedral could be finished

February 6, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

‘Ōpūkaha‘ia – The Inspiration for the Hawaiian Mission

In 1808, a young Hawaiian boy, ʻŌpūkahaʻia, swam out to the ‘Triumph’, a trading ship anchored in Kealakekua Bay. Both of ʻŌpūkahaʻia’s parents and his younger brother had been slain during the battles on the island.

Also on board was Hopu, another young Hawaiian, as well as Russell Hubbard. They eventually headed for New York. “This Mr. Hubbard was a member of Yale College. He was a friend of Christ.… Mr. Hubbard was very kind to me on our passage, and taught me the letters in English spelling-book.” (ʻŌpūkahaʻia)

They landed at New York and remained there until the Captain sold out all the Chinese goods. Then, they made their way to New England.

ʻŌpūkahaʻia was eager to study and learn. He “was sitting on the steps of a Yale building, weeping. A solicitous student stopped to inquire what was wrong, and Obookiah (the spelling of his name, based on its sound) said, ‘No one will give me learning.’”

The student was Edwin Dwight. “(W)hen the question was put him, ‘Do you wish to learn?’ his countenance began to brighten. And when the proposal was made that he should come the next day to the college for that purpose, he served it with great eagerness.” (Dwight)

Later, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) formed the Foreign Mission School; ʻŌpūkahaʻia was one of its first students. He yearned “with great earnestness that he would (return to Hawaiʻi) and preach the Gospel to his poor countrymen.” Unfortunately, ʻŌpūkahaʻia died on February 17, 1818.

Dwight put together a book, ‘Memoirs of Henry Obookiah’ (the spelling of the name based on its pronunciation). It was an edited collection of ʻŌpūkahaʻia’s letters and journals/diaries. The book about his life was printed and circulated after his death.

ʻŌpūkahaʻia, inspired by many young men and women with proven sincerity and religious fervor of the missionary movement, had wanted to spread the word of Christianity back home in Hawaiʻi; his book inspired missionaries to volunteer to carry his message to the Hawaiian Islands.

In giving instructions to the first missionaries, the ABCFM, noted: “You will never forget ʻŌpūkahaʻia. You will never forget his fervent love, his affectionate counsels, his many prayers and tears for you, and for his and your nation.”

“You saw him die; saw how the Christian could triumph over death and the grave; saw the radient glory in which he left this world for heaven. You will remember it always, and you will tell it to your kindred and countrymen who are dying without hope.”

On October 23, 1819, the Pioneer Company of American Protestant missionaries from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) set sail on the ‘Thaddeus’ for the Hawaiian Islands. Their 164-day voyage ended They landed at Kailua-Kona April 4, 1820.

Over the course of a little over 40-years (1820-1863 – the “Missionary Period”), about 180-men and women in twelve Companies served in Hawaiʻi to carry out the mission of the ABCFM.

On August 15, 1993, ʻŌpūkahaʻia’s remains were returned to Hawai‘i from Cornwall and laid in a vault facing the ocean at Kahikolu Church, overlooking Kealakekua Bay.

Click HERE to view/download Background Information on ʻŌpūkahaʻia

Planning ahead … ʻŌpūkahaʻia Celebrations – the Hawaiian Mission Bicentennial is approaching; the following are some of the planned activities (it starts in about a year):

Hawaiian Mission Houses – February 17, 2018 – Free Open House marking the start of the Hawaiian Mission Bicentennial, Reflection and Rejuvenation 1820 – 2020 celebrations – activities follow services at adjoining Kawaiaha‘o Church commemorating ʻŌpūkahaʻia (details to follow).

Kahikolu Church (Napo‘opo‘o (Kealakekua Bay)) – 10 am, February 17, 2018
Kawaiaha‘o Church (Honolulu) – 10 am, February 17, 2018
Cornwall, Connecticut – 3 pm (EST) February 17, 2018

ʻAhahui O ʻŌpūkahaʻia is proposing three simultaneous services/celebrations at the above churches on February 17, 2018 (the bicentennial of his death) to honor ‘Ōpūkaha‘ia.

Anticipated activities at Kahikolu Church include a church service, gravesite commemoration and pa‘ina (food). ʻAhahui O ʻŌpūkahaʻia will be coordinating the activities at Kahikolu Church; Woman’s Board of Missions for the Pacific Islands will be coordinating services at Kawaiaha‘o Church.

This replicates the celebrations in 1968, when 3 events were held. The intent is to hold the Hawai‘i events at 10 am (HST), so the Connecticut event would be at 3 pm (EST). Related to this, each site would be on video, then combined into a single video.

Missionary Period

Over the course of a little over 40-years (1820-1863 – the “Missionary Period”), about 180-men and women in twelve Companies served in Hawaiʻi to carry out the mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) in the Hawaiian Islands.

Collaboration between Native Hawaiians and American Protestant missionaries resulted in, among other things, the
• Introduction of Christianity;
• Development of a written Hawaiian language and establishment of schools that resulted in widespread literacy;
• Promulgation of the concept of constitutional government;
• Combination of Hawaiian with Western medicine; and
• Evolution of a new and distinctive musical tradition (with harmony and choral singing)

If you would like to get on a separate e-mail distribution on Hawaiian Mission Bicentennial activities, please use the following link: Click HERE to Subscribe to Hawaiian Mission Bicentennial Updates

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Henry_Opukahaia,_ca. 1810s

February 5, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

London Missionary Society

Captain James Cook made three Pacific voyages, which, with those of Byron and Wallis, covered a continuous period of British exploration in the south Pacific from 1764 to 1780.

Cook’s first expedition (1768-1771) was under the auspices of the British Admiralty and the Royal Society, primarily to observe the transit of Venus from the newly found island of Tahiti. Cook was given command of the bark Endeavour.

Cook’s second voyage (1772-1775) was for the purpose of searching for the south continent. He had two ships, the Resolution, and the Adventure. The ships the Antarctic between the meridians of the Cape of Good Hope and New Zealand. On this trip, Omai, a Tahitian, was taken on board the Adventure and sailed with Cook back to Britain.

Cook’s third voyage (1776-1780) was for the purposes of returning Omai to his home in the Society Islands and seeking a northern passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The Resolution was refitted for her second voyage and the Discovery, under Captain Clerke, was added to the expedition. At the end of Cook’s last voyage, nearly all the important islands in Polynesia had been found.

The Pacific made a particular impression on the British imagination. The revelation of the Polynesian culture, entirely cut off from any exterior force of civilization, touched a chord with Cook’s compatriots.

Britain’s new fascination with the Polynesians was fueled by the arrival in London of a Polynesian – Omai. Joseph Banks, botanist on Cook’s ship the Endeavour, dressed Omai in tailor-made suits, the portraitist Joshua Reynolds painted him.

King George III himself eventually requested a meeting. Omai cheerfully shook hands when the meeting took place, saying `How do, King Tosh,’ to the King’s reported delight. (Hiney; NY Times)

Cook’s Pacific finds later led to questions for the Evangelicals. Why did British Christianity, with the means at hand, lack a missionary history? When had there last been a serious missionary movement among Christians anywhere?

The empire was in place to trade. In 1793 an India Bill went before parliament which renewed the royal license of the East India Company. There was a call for an amendment allowing Christian missions and native schools to be opened in India, but the bid was resisted.

It was in this climate that the London Missionary Society was formed. A meeting was called; on the first day, 200 Evangelicals gathered at the Castle and Falcon, paid the guinea membership, and proceeded to elect from among themselves thirty-four regional directors to meet once a year, and a London-based board of twelve to meet monthly. (Hiney; NY Times)

On August 9, 1796, a service was held for the inaugural mission at Surrey Chapel. Just four of the chosen thirty were ordained ministers. All four were in their late twenties: it was vital that they should be young and healthy.

The other, non-ordained missionaries had been chosen for their skills as much as their conviction; among them were six carpenters, two bricklayers, two tailors, two shoemakers, a gardener, a surgeon and a harness maker.

They sailed at six the next morning, on August 10, 1796. Nearly seven months later they anchored off the island of Tahiti, after a voyage via Gibraltar and Cape Horn. Seventeen missionaries were to disembark here, including all those who were married.

The first known Christian missionaries in Polynesia came from the London Missionary Society, an ecumenical Protestant organization; they landed in Tahiti, the Marquesas, then Tongatapu in Tonga. (PCC)

The missionaries soon saw an unforeseen problem. Since Cook’s voyages, other ships of exploration and whaling (Russian, French, British and American) had paid visits to the islands. Rum and firearms were now a part of life, as were disagreements and occasional violence between crews and islanders. Over the years, more London missionaries were sent.

One London Missionary Society member was William Ellis. Born in England, William and Mary Mercy Ellis went to Tahiti in 1817 as part of a new group of highly educated workers. They brought with them the first press and set it up in Moorea. They soon moved to Huahine, where William Ellis helped draft the code of laws. (Boston University)

Then the mission sent them to Hawai‘i. “The time for her departure at length came, and on the 31st of December, 1822, accompanied by her four children, she embarked, with her husband, on board the Active, for the Sandwich Islands.”

“The voyage to the Sandwich Islands, about three thousand miles distant, was safe, and not unpleasant, and by the tender mercy of their heavenly Father, they reached Oahu on the 5th of February, 1823.”

“Here Mrs. Ellis received on landing, a cordial welcome from many of the chief women of the settlement, and from the esteemed American Missionaries, of whose plain but hospitable and comfortable dwelling, she became for several weeks an inmate, and received every attention and kindness as a beloved sister in the Lord.”

“All the affection professed in the invitations they had so kindly forwarded, was practically manifested; and every hope of tenderness and sympathy which they excited, was fully realized. Mrs. Ellis found that the prospects of greater usefulness …”

“In Huahine the influence of the Missionaries could bear on a comparatively small number, but here the town of Honolulu contained not fewer than 8,000, while the population of the island amounted to 20,000, and the influence of the Missionaries was brought to bear indirectly upon 150,000 or 180,000 persons.” (Mary Mercy Ellis Memoirs)

Ellis and the others who joined him from the London Missionary Society (including Tahitians who came with them) worked well with the American Protestant missionaries who arrived in Hawaii in 1820.

In 1823, Ellis and three of the American missionaries, Asa Thurston, Artemas Bishop and Joseph Goodrich, toured the Island of Hawaii to learn more of the country and people, with a view to establishing mission stations there. They were the first white men to accomplish this, being also the first white men to visit the volcano of Kilauea. (Thurston)

Ellis remained in the Islands for eighteen months, but returned to England, due to illness of Mary (she died in 1835.) Ellis later remarried and continued mission work in the Madagascar. Ellis died in 1872.)

British mission activity started in the South Seas, with the first overseas mission to Tahiti in 1796. British missionary work expanded into North America and South Africa. Early mission activities also centered in areas of eastern and southern Europe including Russia, Greece and Malta.

During the 19th century, the main fields of mission activity for the London Missionary Society were China, South East Asia, India, the Pacific, Madagascar, Central Africa, Southern Africa, Australia and the Caribbean (including British Guiana, now Guyana.) (Guide to Council for World Mission) (Lots of information here is from Hiney; NY Times and Mary Mercy Ellis Memoirs.)

Because of the positive role of the London Missionary Society in assisting the Hawaiian mission, any descendant of a person sent by the London Missionary Society who served the Sandwich Island Mission in Hawaii is eligible to be an Enrolled Member in the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society.

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London Missionary Society-Tahiti

Revd._William_Ellis

Mary_Mercy_Moor_Ellis

London Missionary Society-Jubilee Coin

Ruins_of_an_ancient_Fortification,_near_Kairua,_sketch_by_William_Ellis

January 27, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Daniel Chamberlain

On October 23, 1819, the Pioneer Company of American Protestant missionaries from the northeast US set sail on the Thaddeus for the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawai‘i.) There were seven American couples sent by the ABCFM to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity in this first company.

These included two Ordained Preachers, Hiram Bingham and his wife Sybil and Asa Thurston and his wife Lucy; two Teachers, Mr. Samuel Whitney and his wife Mercy and Samuel Ruggles and his wife Mary; a Doctor, Thomas Holman and his wife Lucia; a Printer, Elisha Loomis and his wife Maria; and a Farmer, Daniel Chamberlain, his wife and five children.

“Mr. Daniel Chamberlain genealogy goes back to ‘Wm the Conqueror.’ Three generations later the ancestor was Lord Chamberlain to King Stephen, and the surname Chamberlain has since that day been that of the whole Chamberlain family in England and America.”

“After thirteen generations, Wm Chamberlain and two brothers emigrated to America, and his great-great-grandson was the Daniel Chamberlain who came to Hawai‘i.” (HMCS Annual Report, 1917)

Chamberlain, a captain in the War of 1812, was a New England farmer, of independent means, but of a deeply religious turn of mind. He was a farmer and not an ordained minister.

During the summer previous to leaving with the First Company of American Missionaries in 1819, Chamberlain and his two older sons attended the Mission School at Cornwell, Connecticut. (Kelley)

“Mr Chamberlain and his wife, in the prime of life, feeling the claims of the heathen on them, were willing to leave their friends, their pleasant home and farm in central Massachusetts, and embark for the islands, with their five children, three sons and two daughters, rather than to withhold their personal labors from the heathen.” (Bingham)

The Chamberlain family included Daniels wife, Jerusha Burnap Chamberlain and five children: Dexter Harrington (1807-1887;) Nathan Burnap (1809-1878;) Mary Morse (1811-1887;) Daniel, Jr (1814-1884) and Nancy Elizabeth (1818-1864.) (Alfred White (1821-1891) was born in the Islands.)

“I consider it an unspeakable privilege that I am allowed thus to administer comforts to those who are laboring in the cause of Christ. I have reason to be daily thankful that Mrs C is so calm and contented. She appears to be as contented as she ever did at home on our old farm.” (Chamberlain; Taylor)

It was Kalanimōku, the great warrior and trusted advisor of Kamehameha the Great, who first met the missionaries aboard the Thaddeus in April, 1820, and sailed with them from Kawaihae to Kailua to confer with the king – he was instrumental in the decision of the king to permit the missionaries to land.

“It is reported that the Queen of the Islands, herself briefly clad, swam out to the vessel, was much attracted by the Chamberlain baby (Nancy,) and asked, as a pledge of good faith on the part of the ship’s company, that the mother of the child would allow her to take the baby on shore, promising to return it in good order the following day.”

“Naturally the mother demurred and retired for prayer in order that she might know God’s will in the matter. After a brief interval she returned, strengthened in the decision that it was God’s will.”

“The old Queen swam to the shore with the baby and did not return for several days, but finally came with the child and extended the hospitality of the Islands.” (HMCS Annual Report, 1917)

“Kalanimōku embraced Christianity soon, for he became a pupil of little Daniel Chamberlain Jr, the seven-year-old son of missionary Daniel Chamberlain.” (Taylor)

“Now the great warrior was among us, learning the English alphabet with the docility of a child. He often turned to it, and as often his favorite teacher, Daniel Chamberlain … ‘And a little child shall lead them.’” (Thurston)

Mr Chamberlain was supposed to teach agriculture and mechanical arts to the Hawaiians, but no real progress could be made until horses and cattle were domesticated and this required the consent of the chiefs which had not yet been obtained. (HMCS)

Chamberlain discovered that while there was fertile soil and thousands of acres of lands to till, modern agricultural methods did not take hold upon the people, and his efforts to introduce New England methods were largely in vain. (Taylor)

“The principal food of the natives is poi; it is made from taro which grows here in great abundance. The principal part of our family are very fond of it. It is a good substitute for bread.”

“Wood is hard to be got here, as there is none to be had short of going three miles and no way to bring it only on their shoulders. With a little labour a road might be made to the wood … Bananas a rich fruit, is plenty here. Cotton grows here and might be raised here in any quantity. Figs and pineapples are also found here.” (Chamberlain, July 19, 1820)

Farming by mainland standards was not feasible and Chamberlain turned his efforts to building houses and caring for mission property. (Kelley)

Chamberlain rendered valuable service to the Mission by assisting with the initial construction of houses and caring for the Mission’s property. (HMCS)

“Mr. Chamberlain is well spoken of in the correspondence of the early missionaries as a man of rare good judgment and as rendering much help in the early settlement of the missionary company. But the bringing up of the children in close contact with the benighted people about them, soon became a matter of grave solicitude.” (Gulick)

Perhaps the most certain factor in deciding the Chamberlains to leave Hawai‘i was the fact that he was stricken with brain fever. He was very sick and his recovery slow and doubtful.

He was advised to go to a cooler climate. The mountains of Hawai‘i Island were first talked of for it was a long voyage home and Mrs. Chamberlain would he left unprotected with her family if he should die at sea. (Taylor)

“With joy to think that my highest wishes were gratified as to the station assigned me in the vineyard of our Lord – with trembling lest I should do dishonor to the holy cause in which I had professedly engaged.”

“In endeavouring to assist in bearing the burdens & trials of this great, this soul-trying work, I was conscious that in many things I have failed & come short of what you might reasonably have expected of me.”

“For these things I humbly ask your forgiveness, feeling that it becomes me to lie low in the dust before God & humbly ask his pardoning mercy.” (Chamberlain to ABCFM, March 8 1823)

Chamberlain asked for a release from the ABCFM. He returned to the US with his family, March 21, 1823, on the brig ‘Pearl’ and received his release from the ABCFM on November 12, 1823. (HMCS)

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January 20, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Painted Church

O ke kea hemolele ko‘u malamalama
Hele oe pela i Satana
He poino kou mea i ninini mai ai
Aole o Satana ko’u alakai
Ua oki oe me kou mea pau wale
Nau no e inu kou poino

The Holy Cross be my light
Begone, Satan
You have poured forth trouble
Satan is not my guide
Stop with your perishable things
Drink your own misfortune

Mottoes of St Benedict’s medal in Hawaiian, painted on the ‘Painted Church’.

“He held the brush almost to the end of his life, until the day when his poor eyes refused their service. When he realized that, even with the strongest glasses, he could no longer command the brush as he wished …”

“… he understood that God demanded of him a huge sacrifice which he dreaded.” (Father John, Congregation of the Sacred Hearts at Rome; NPS)

This is a story about a Belgian Priest Father John Berchmans Velghe and a church he built, and painted, in Honaunau, South Kona on the Island of Hawai‘i.

The history of the Church began early in 1842. At that time, Father Joachim Marechal, SS.CC. was assigned to care for both South Kona and Ka‘u Districts.

He set his residence and first chapel on the border of the two Districts. Within a short time, due to Father Joachim’s zeal and zealous work and teaching of several lay catechists, the Church was firmly established in South Kona.

The first Catholic school in the area opened at Honaunau beach village under the care of Serapia, a catechist, and Clement Hoki, a school teacher, the missionary priests lived in South Kona only intermittently until about 1859.

The original chapel, located on the shore of Honaunau Bay near the Puʻuhonua o Honaunau (City of Refuge) was known as St Francis Regis Chapel.

Father Joachim died unexpectedly April 12, 1859. Father Aloys Lorteau, SS.CC., his successor, took up residence in Honaunau and served there for 37 years until 1898, when he died aboard the vessel, Maunaloa, on Easter Monday on his way to Honolulu for medical and hospital attention.

By the mid-1880s most of the Honaunau people had moved away from the beach area to more fertile soil about two miles up the slopes. Father John became resident priest who replaced Father Aloys in December, 1899.

Father John was born in Courtrai, Belgium, July 14, 1857. His baptismal name was Joseph Velghe. He attended the academy at Sarzeau in Brittany and became a novice at Mitanda de Ebro in Spain.

He studied at the Sacred Hearts’ Scholasticate in Louvain, where on June 29, 1888, he was ordained a priest. Velghe was a member of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Society, familiarly known as the Picpus Fathers; Father Damien was a member of this Society.

At the ordination Joseph Velghe took the name of Father Jean Berchmans Velghe after a sixteenth century Belgian who had been canonized a Saint.

Father John was sent to the Marquesas and remained there until a tropical fever forced him to leave in 1899. He was then instructed to go to South America.

However, a yellow fever epidemic blocked the sea lanes and he was re-assigned to the district of South Kona and put in charge of the Catholic Churches and parishes from Honaunau to Hoʻopuloa.

Then he began the task of building a new church; he moved what he could of St. Francis Regis Chapel to upper Honaunau. Saint Benedict’s Church was built between 1899 and 1902. It is a small rectangular structure with a vaulted interior ceiling.

Although the structure he built does not present anything innovative architecturally, its interior space is both artistically and architecturally important, for the artwork serves as an extension of the architecture. (NPS)

The structure is “a little masterpiece of imaginative functionalism, of unity between structure, adornment, and architectural purpose.”

The columns within the structure are the trunks of painted coconut palm trees, and the altar wall, with carefully illusionistic perspective, transfers the soaring reaches of the Burgos Cathedral in Europe to Honaunau. (NPS)

Father John had no formal training as an artist, natural talent shines through his work. It is even more remarkable that his materials were ordinary building wood and regular house paint. Even that was not easy to come by at the time of construction.

Designed, constructed and painted as a miniature European Gothic Cathedral by Father John, St. Benedict Church is now considered to be rather unique in the annals of American Art.

An excellent teacher and self-taught artist, Father John painted the interior walls of the church with some striking scenes of the Bible which depict various important religious truths. His biblical murals soon became famous, and St. Benedict Church came to be known as “The Painted Church.”

It has become a major tourist attraction of the Kona coast, and thousands of visitors come to see it every year. It is listed in the Hawaii State Register of Historical Places and the National Register of Historical Places.

Father John’s health deteriorated and he had to return to Belgium in 1904, he was never able to finish the church. He went to the scholasticate in his place of birth, Courtrai, for two years.

Then he lived for short periods in the monasteries of the Sacred Hearts, residing in a number of their establishments in the Low Countries.

Even throughout his last years he continued to paint. A few of his works are still preserved in Europe – such as his “Seven Sorrows of Mary”, copied from the like-named series of pictures by the noted Belgian painter Joseph Janssens, in the Church of Saint Anthony in Louvain. (NPS)

As a teacher, while teaching at the Sacred Hearts’ Apostolic School at Aarschot, Belgium, in around 1924 or 1926, he met the young student Matthias Gielen, who was to become Father Evarist of Hawai‘i, the artist who did the churches at Mountain View and Kalapana on the Island of Hawai‘i.

With advancing age, and unable to care for himself, Father John was placed in a Sanitarium at Lierre, Belgium in 1935; he died there on January 20, 1939, at the age of eighty-one. (Lots of information here is from NPS and Painted Church.)

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