Hawaiian Reformed
Catholic Church
First Established in 1862 in Hawaii by Kamehameha IV
for the Hawaiians within the Hawaiian Kingdom

History

The Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church was established in 1862, the result of written request of King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho) to Victoria, Queen of England.  In 1860, Alexander wrote directly to the Queen of England, asking for a Church of England priest for the Hawaiian Kingdom.   During this same time, R.C. Wyllie, the Foreign Minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom,  was writing the Archbishop of Canterbury, requesting the same thing. He also sent instructions to the Hawaiian Consul General in London to use any means possible to gain a favorable response.  The first ideas for a Hawaiian-British Church came into being from Hawaiian Royalty as far back as Kamehameha I. However, this royal desire was not fulfilled until 1862 when Queen Victoria of England granted mission to the Archbishop of Canterbury to establish a Hawaiian-British mission in the Kingdom of Hawaii.

The Lord Bishop Staley was dispatched by Canterbury as the first British Bishop of Honolulu. His arrival on December 15, 1861 represents the beginning of services for Hawaiians by the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church.  This Church today still remains the only Church that was invited to Hawaii by the Hawaiians.

This was not the first time that Hawaiian Royalty petitioned Canterbury for a priest and church to be established in Hawaii.  Early in the 1800's, before the congregational missionaries arrived in Hawaii, King Kamehameha I did not oppose Vancouver's commitment to bring ministers of the Church of England to serve the people of the Kingdom of Hawaii.  King Kamehameha II wrote King George IV of England on August 22, 1822, requesting that a priest be sent to Hawaii.  He stated in his letter. "Our idolatrous system is abolished as we wish the Protestant religion of your majesty's dominions to be preached here."   He further traveled to England in 1823 to seek to fulfill this desire.

King Kamehameha III "commanded" R.C. Wyllie to ascertain the feeling in regard to British clergyman coming to Hawaii.  King Kamehameha IV echoed this desire in letters as indicated above and did witness the arrival of Bishop Staley and the forming of the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church.  King Kamehameha V was confirmed by Bishop Staley and assisted greatly in the Building of the Cathedral (St. Andrews) and the raising of funds for the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church.  Upon Lot's death, King Kalakaua, being a confirmed HRCC communicant, found greater acceptance with the HRCC than with the other missionary churches in Hawaii.

Queen Emma spent many hours with the HRCC bishop during her lifetime as did Queen Lili`uokalani.  Queen Lili`uokalani, although formerly associated with the American missionaries, found great solace after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by Americans in the royalist "fold" of the HRCC.  She was baptized "hypothetically" (since there was no record of any former baptism) in the HRCC and befriended Bishop Willis (the last of the British Bishops in Hawaii) who was in open support of Hawaiian self-government.  Bishop Willis was also known for openly writing and publishing papers against the illegal act of overthrowing the Hawaiian government and the final annexation of Hawaii to the US.  Subsequently, he often feared for his life at the hands of the provisional government.

His American successor, Bishop Restarick, re-incorporated the church as a US Episcopal church under American jurisdiction in 1902 and worked in open support of the formalized annexation of Hawaii as a US territory.  From 1902 on, the HRCC, then named the Anglican Church in Hawaii, was finally dismissed with no connection to British and Hawaiian royalty, thus loosing its ability to serve in a Hawaiian Kingdom.

Book of Common Prayer in Hawaiian

The Book of Common Prayer was personally translated into Hawaiian by King Kamehameha IV to enable services to be provided to Hawaiians in the Hawaiian language.  The Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church may again provide services in Hawaiian and English.

Aloha e Iesu Kristo

Bishop +David Michael, OC

UPDATE: Since the initial leading in 1994 to reestablish the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church of 1862 for the Hawaiian people and residents of Hawaii, I have observed a gathering of Old Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican bishops in Hawaii in the formation of a College of Bishops to lead the HRCC in fulfilling the mission given to it in 1862 by the Hawaiian people.  Recently, both Hawaiian Sovereignty and other groups have embraced the HRCC as their own.  If you are Hawaiian and would like more information on a ministry to the Hawaiian people, contact Bishop-elect Kimo Keawe at kimokeawe@hawaii.rr.com.