Vision & Goals - Honolulu Cathedral Renewal

Campaign Vision

A Comprehensive Mission to Preserve the Mother Church of Hawai‘i

Much more than a historic building, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is a living church and a precious link between the 200-year history of Catholicism in Hawai‘i and its future. It is an active parish, a refuge, and the seat of Bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu. It is the resting place of relics of Saint Damien and the remains of Saint Marianne.

Acting as stewards of this special place, we feel a profound responsibility to painstakingly renew and protect it for the benefit of our community and the world.

A Renovation, Restoration and Renewal of Faith

Project Goals & Key Milestones

Strategic Objectives for the Master Renewal Plan

Structural Upgrades

The Cathedral Renewal Campaign repairs exterior coral blocks and plaster walls, stabilizes the historic bell tower, and modernizes electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, and fire suppression systems to bring the Cathedral Basilica into full building code compliance.

19th-Century Aesthetic Restoration

The campaign re-creates the sanctuary’s interior to match its late 19th-century peak, reinstating the hand-painted ceiling stencils, wall treatments, and historic woodwork present during the lifetimes of Saint Damien de Veuster and Saint Marianne Cope.

Enshrining Hawai‘i’s Saints

The campaign is constructing and dedicating a secure, climate-controlled reliquary chapel designed specifically for public veneration of the sacred relics of Saint Damien de Veuster and Saint Marianne Cope.

Honoring The islands

The campaign is installing a new marble sacrificial altar representing the Hawaiian islands and a new baptismal font honoring local history, and is returning sanctuary seating to a unified arrangement facing the main altar.

Preserving Sacred Music

The campaign is completing a full mechanical restoration of the Cathedral Basilica’s historic 1934 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ to ensure its continued role in daily worship.

Financial Oversight

The campaign partners with the Hawaiʻi Catholic Community Foundation (HCCF) to manage capital campaign funds without impacting daily parish operations at the Cathedral Basilica.

Stewards of Our Sanctuary

Completion of each Cathedral Renewal Campaign construction phase depends on the generosity of local families, community foundations, and donors across the globe.