Saint Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Kakaako

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Saint Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Kaka‘ako also known as Saint Agnes-in-the-Palms was a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, suppressed on June 29, 1962.

[edit] History

Outside of downtown Honolulu, the area of Kaka‘ako in the 1880's was sparsely populated, consisting of estuarine marshland and tidal flats. Roman Catholic history in the area began with the erection of the Kapi‘olani Home near Fort Armstrong. The home for patients afflicted with leprosy was staffed by the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis of Syracuse, New York, from 1885 until 1887. After annexation in 1898, the leprosarium functions of the Kapi‘olani Home were transferred to the Kalihi Hospital in Kalihi-kai. The Kapi‘olani Home was eventually destroyed and replaced by the present day Immigration Station on Ala Moana Boulevard. The spiritual needs of the sparsely populated Kaka‘ako district had been served by the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. Then, in 1910, a considerable number of Portuguese immigrants began to settle in Kaka‘ako. On December 28, 1914, Msgr. Libert H. Boeynaems, SS.CC., Bishop of Zeugma and Vicar Apostolic, purchased a closed Protestant church and lot at the corner of Kawaiaha‘o and Kamani streets for the sum of $2,140.00. After refurbishing, Msgr. Boeynaems consecrated the church under the title of Saint Agnes. Two adjacent lots were purchased in 1925 and 1928 from J. Alameida and the Wolters Estate, respectively. Msgr. Boeynaems appointed Father Reginald Yzendoorn, SS.CC., as the first pastor of Saint Agnes. Father Yzendoorn was succeeded by Sacred Hearts Fathers Valerian Vercammen, Gerard Benetreu, Athanasius Bous, and Celestine Holzem. On December 14, 1918, a hurricane swept the Honolulu waterfront and necessitated repairs and reinforcements to the existing church. The church was given a new concrete foundation and a row of buttresses bolstered the walls. Additional rafters were added to the roof. The parish was active until the Kaka‘ako area was rezoned by the City and County of Honolulu for industrial use, leading to changes in existing property use and property values with the eventual exodus of many residents for other parts of the island of O‘ahu. The parish was canonically suppressed by Msgr. James Joseph Sweeney, first bishop of Honolulu, on June 29, 1962, and its territory was made a part of the parish of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.

[edit] Present Day

As of 2006, the church site is in profane usage as it is currently occupied by a bar and a night club. Since the 1976 creation of the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority, the residential population of the Kaka‘ako district has increased due to the construction of new residential condominium and apartment units. Whether the Diocese of Honolulu chooses to erect a new parish in Kaka‘ako remains uncertain at this time.