Faithful and Safe Reopening Catholic Churches

St. Damien Catholic Church News Release

Masses at the St. Damien church will resume on Tuesday, June 2 at 7 a.m. with the daily mass. The regular mass schedule will be followed with the daily mass on weekdays at 7 a.m. at the St. Damien church in Kaunakakai. Weekend masses are as follows; Saturdays at 6 p.m. at the St. Damien church in Kaunakakai (confessions from 5 to 5:30 p.m.), Sunday mass will be at 7 a.m. at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows in Kaluaaha, 9 a.m. at St. Damien and 11 a.m. at St. Vincent Ferrer in Maunaloa.

The Bishop has extended the dispensation to attend Sunday Mass, through June 30. This means that attending Sunday Mass is your decision to make. One can attend a daily mass instead in order to fulfill the Sunday obligation. Masses will continue to be available via livestream. The livestream mass schedule can be found on the Diocese of Honolulu website under the COVID-19 Response section.

Being faithful and safe in this pandemic means to be prudent in our actions and choices.

For those in the “high risk” category — all who are 65 and older, those with heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes — you are the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. The prudent option is to stay at home.

Being cavalier about this pandemic, or foolish about one’s health, is not the will of the Father.

Also, for those who are justifiably wary about returning to Mass, the option of safer at home is perfectly acceptable and understandable. It is in no means a sign of weakness or cowardice.

Proverbs 14:15 says, “The prudent give thought to their steps.” For those in the high risk category, the sake of our own health and for others, the option of “Stay at Home,” and “Safer at Home” is the prudent way of being faithful and safe.