Our Lady of Peace, the Catholic Church’s first Sandwich Island mission, has been in continual use since its construction 1843. It is home to two American Roman Catholic saints: Damien de Veuster, who was ordained in the Cathedral in 1864, and Marianne Cope – both revered for their work at Kalaupapa.

The original vernacular-style structure with its exposed coral-block walls quarried from Honolulu harbor was transformed throughout the nineteenth-century with Neo-Classical and Gothic-Revival elements.  The Victorian-era vaulted ceiling and interior date to the 1870’s and the current Mediterranean Mission-style of the church dates to 1929.   

Since 2010, Mason and our team - including RDG Planning and Design and Brother William Woeger of Omaha - have planned a complete renewal of the Cathedral. While the structure has seen many alterations in the past, there has not been a major project to address its comprehensive needs for decades. The project will address much-needed repairs and restore the Cathedral to enhance the present liturgy by recreating 19th century-inspired sacred furnishings and finishes.

The Cathedral Renewal Project will restore and preserve an Internationally-recognized historic treasure and honor the 19th-century time period of Saints Damien and Marianne. Provide a period-appropriate liturgical environment, including traditional realignment of pews to face the high altar. The work will acknowledge Hawaiian culture and the evolving multi-cultural community in its artistic details and design elements. Strengthen and enhance the Church’s role in the downtown community.