Parish Visit

St. Augustine by the Sea Catholic Church July 20 2025

We attended the 8am Mass at St. Augustine by the Sea along Waikiki beach in Hawaii. The ocean air greets you as you make your way to Mass. Waikiki Beach is across the street making this church an ideal setting to take in the beauty of Hawaii.

This church is not freely open as is typical in other Catholic churches. If you would like to visit you must come an hour before Mass begins and leave shortly after Mass concludes. I surmise its location to downtown Waikiki puts this church in a position for being a place where one would take shelter. As with many large cities with a significant homeless population churches often become places of comfort. Thus these parishes must balance the difficulties of keeping a sacred space and shelter separate. To this day the parish fulfills the mission of caring for those who are not seen and they have extensive outreach programs for the homeless population.

The community of this parish is a mixture of native Hawaiians, Tongan, and people from all over. This parish began long ago in the mid-1800s as part of the missionaries from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The website proudly announces its presence in Waikiki since 1854. A series of temporary buildings were used in those early years. By 1901 a permanent church was built with wood. This church served for many years but needed frequent repairs. By 1959 it became clear that the church needed a complete rebuild. Its parishioner growth had warranted a more distinctive presence in Waikiki. The current building made from concrete was blessed in 1962. The architecture of this church is Neo-Gothic and carries on the typical design choices of the era with a very mid-Century modern feel.

Saint Damian of Moloka’i is a prominent feature in this church. Saint Damien of Moloka’i is quite important to us, our son was named for this saint, which is why we chose to come here for Sunday Mass. The Damien and Marianne of Moloka’i Education Center began as a museum and later became a way to educate people about the work Damien and Marianne did for the people suffering from Hansen’s disease. We were unable to visit the center but found comfort in exploring the church.

For more information about the history of this church please see: https://staugustinebythesea.com