The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-12

u INCE the advent of the two Jesuit
- priests, Fathers Boarman and
Megevney, in Honolulu, more or
less inquiry has been manifested in
the early establishment of the Catholic
Church in the Hawaiian Islands. The
forerunnners of the faith, represented
today by such modern priests as
Fathers Boarman and Megevney, were
men who suffered much and whose de-
votion to their faith makes the early
history of the establishment of the
Roman Church in Honolulu read like
romance. If Father Boarman was
surprised to find that Honolulu was
such a progressive city, and beyond
his dreams of expectation, the knov'l-
edge of the Hawaiian Islands to th1
courageous French priests who first
came to these shores, was limited only
to knowing that there were few lit
tie islands in the Pacific Ocean inhab-
tied by people who had but recently
! heard the gospel. On July 9, 1927, the
advance guard of the Catholic priests
arrived in Honolulu from France-tWo
! Frenchmen and one Irishman. Difficult
! ties arose within three years and the
tmission was abandoned for nearly sew
| en- years, in which time no Catholic
priest was here.
One of the mysteries of the ocean
| concerns the fate of Father stephen
| Rouchouse who left these Islands for
France, where he purchased and fitted
out a schooner to return to Hawaii
around the Horn. With him embarked
forty brothers and sisters who were to
perform the service of the church IN
Hawaii. They set sail in 1882 for the
Islands, and never more were heard
from Whether the vessel foundered
in a storm at sea, or was shipWrecked
and the members of the gallant party
suffered death upon some barren shore
or at the hands of savages, has never
been learned. They utterly disappear
ed from the gaze of man. They sail
ed and never arrived at their destina-
ton.
The prelates in France had no other
knowledge for years than that the par.
tv had arrived safely in Hawaii am
that the work of the Catholic churcf
had begun In time inquiry was sen
out to Valparaiso, and from there /
) was learned that the vessel had neve
, nut into that port, where the Fathe
Superior of the Hawaiian Mission wa
located. Further inquiry developed
! the knowledge that the vessel had no
, , arrived at Honolulu. ihe "oIh
| years had to be begun again.
Father BacheIot was made prefec
apostolate for Hawaii and laid tn
: foundations of the mission work un
der the supervision of the French gov
ernuent. He il was who planted tn
giant algaroba tree in the grounds c
the Catholic Mission, the first of IN
4 kind ever put into the soil here. TIL
tree fiourished. and is now one OF tn
n tourist attractions of the city. In 1S4
= the nresent cathedral was commence
> and finished the following year. tn
contractor gave up the work before
was finished. and the natives who ha
= embraced the faith willingly gave the
:. assistance in completing the buildin:
: It was then much lower and considera
: Bile alteration was made in the strut
ture more than a quarter of centur
Z since. The walls were raised and
: new roof and ceiling built over the ol
i ones. When finished the old ones wei
removed. The steeple was not raise