Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace — also known by its original French name Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la Paix, its Portuguese variant Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Paz and its Hawaiian derivative Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui — is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It is the motherchurch of the Diocese of Honolulu and houses the cathedra of the Bishop of Honolulu in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Restoration

Changes begun by Sweeney in order that the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace could comply with the Second Vatican Council were completed under the pastoral care of Joseph Anthony Ferrario, third Bishop of Honolulu. Ferrario also inaugurated the beginning phases of ambitious restoration work. His cathedral rectors, Monsignor Terrence A. M. Watanabe and his successor Nathan Mamo, were responsible for sending the clerestory statues of saints perched over the nave of the church back to France where they were professionally preserved. When the statues returned, they were returned above the nave of the church but in a new, more logical order of placement in accordance with the Litany of the Saints.

Related Topics:
Joseph Anthony Ferrario - Saint - France - Litany of the Saints

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The elaborate canopy over the cathedra was stripped and the cathedra was placed on a simple wooden platform in front of a scrim. It was a symbolic movement of the cathedra above and apart from the people and instead brought him out to sit among the congregants he served. Historically called the bishop's throne, people were discouraged from calling the cathedra as such as a means of humbling the Bishop of Honolulu. Seating was rearranged into an antiphonal design with a plain wooden altar in the center of the nave with pews facing inward as if seated around the altar from all four sides. The change was expected to enhance the participation of congregants in the celebration of the Eucharist.

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Francis Xavier DiLorenzo, fourth Bishop of Honolulu continued his predecessor's ambitious restoration projects. Architects were hired to draft plans for an expansion of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, including the construction of a new chapel using land upon which the famous courtyard statue of Our Lady of Peace now stands. DiLorenzo's capital improvement projects, administered by his cathedral rectors Gary Secor and later Roland Pacudan, included the replacement of the flooring with stone tiles and installation of new sound systems. Pews and kneelers were restored, too. A traditional baptismal font was replaced with the construction of a large baptismal reflective pool and fountain.

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