Today, the Cathedral Basilica continues to be a place of pilgrimage in Honolulu’s lively downtown district for the island’s Catholics. Though the cathedral’s surroundings have changed from jungles of wood and dirt to concrete and steel, many of the cathedral’s set pieces remain and are still in use.
The cathedral’s bell tower, which was constructed in 1917, is the oldest of its kind in Hawaii and each strike to the tower’s bell produces a lofty ring that roams through downtown’s busy streets. The organ, which was dedicated in 1934, is also the island’s oldest organ that is still in use and its rich, warm breaths fill the church giving an almost nostalgic feel for those visiting the cathedral.
Besides being a display of historical architecture, the cathedral is also the resting grounds of the remains of St. Marianne Cope and a relic of St. Damien de Vuster. Within the cathedral is a shrine where churchgoers can pay their respects to these two figures who gave their lives to serve the Hawaiian community in God’s name.
The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace continually seeks to provide the best for Hawaii’s Catholics while upholding the historical and cultural beauty of the church that had stood for multiple generations.