SUN, SURF & STAINED GLASS:  
St. Augustine’s Challenge to Keep An Inspiration Alive

By Mary Lovee Klipp

 “It might have been mid-morning when he went walking that day, with the sun almost at its height in the heavens, glancing off the crystal blue waves of one of God’s most awesome creations. But the much-esteemed man of God wasn’t noticing the beauty of this mystery. He was pondering another holy mystery that was far beyond the realm of human understanding: the Holy Trinity. The question of how one being could be in three, and three in one, had the man so perplexed that he almost didn’t see the little child in front of him. Thinking it was just another little boy at play, the man was about to dismiss him until he saw what the boy was trying to do. The child had dug a small hole in the sand and was going back and forth to the ocean, emptying water into it. Not understanding, the holy man asked him, ‘What are you trying to do?’ The boy looked up and replied cheerfully, ‘I’m going to empty the entire ocean into the hole I have dug here.’ The man responded, ‘Well that’s impossible!’ The little boy looked up at him and said, ‘What you’re trying to do is more impossible.’”

 

This legendary story is depicted on the brilliant floor-to-ceiling stained glass window inside Waikiki’s only Catholic church: St. Augustine Parish. The pictorial representation not only gives a glimpse into the life of the parish’s patron saint, but also the heartfelt faith of its parishioners and the hundreds of visitors who flock to the church each year from all over the world.

 

“For so many visitors, St. Augustine is their place of worship while they are on vacation or business and away from their homes. The church is world-renown. And, everyone is welcome here,” said Fr. Thomas B. Choo, SS.CC, pastor of the 147-year-old parish located just across the street from Waikiki Beach.

 

One such visitor, Diane Wiggins from Seattle, Wash., returned numerous times to the parish during her travels before permanently settling in Waikiki last year.

 

“I have been going to Waikiki for many years, since 1967 to be exact. It’s like heaven on earth to me. To have the beauty of St. Augustine as my place to honor and thank God for being able to visit and now live in paradise is beyond what I thought possible,” Wiggins said. “I feel very much at home at St. Augustine. Fr. Choo has such a wonderful way of bringing God's message to us at Mass and the parish community is very loving and welcoming.”

 

Upon entering the church, the stained glass portrait of St. Augustine immediately captures the eye of the beholder, as it stands 76 feet high and 35 feet wide. The saint is portrayed in splendid multi-colored robes, with the boy digging in the sand at his feet and the symbols of the Holy Trinity depicted above. The window was specially crafted for the parish in Innsbruck, Austria to commemorate the completion of the present church building in 1962.

 

But, beyond the surface beauty of the window is a spiritual one: serving as a beacon of faith and hope to all those who find God here. Between times of private and public devotion, visitors stop in to pray and learn about the parish. “The picture of St. Augustine in particular is an important part of the faith life of our community and is an inspiration to both our visitors and parishioners," Fr. Choo said.

 

Wiggins explained, “When I look at the stained glass of St. Augustine, I know that he must be smiling down on us, because the church named in his honor provides a home away from home for all who come here. He seems to know all the good work that is being accomplished at our parish. Our patron saint is like a beacon in a lighthouse, leading us home to honor our Father.”

 

To keep this inspiration alive, however, has been a continuous challenge for Fr. Choo and the rest of the St. Augustine community. “After 40 years of being in this current building, things have begun to fall apart. We had to start restoring them otherwise we would have risked losing a vital part of our history, in particular the window of St. Augustine. In 2000, all of the stained glass had to be re-leaded because of age and the toll the ocean air had taken on it. We had to start repairing the window, panel by panel,” Fr. Choo said.

 

By October 2001, the restoration of the 40-year-old window was finally completed, but that only marked the beginning of the parish’s challenge to save a part of their history. Now, the 20-plus stained glass windows that line the other two sides of the building also have to be restored, which could take up to two years to finish.

 

“Unfortunately, we have to replace all of the frames from the smaller windows because the ocean air has deteriorated them beyond repair. Also, the original installation did not include a protective shield for the windows, so we will be adding auto protective glass to preserve them better,” Fr. Choo explained.

 

Like that of St. Augustine, these stained glass windows also tell their own unique story. On one side of the church, the windows feature different mysteries of the rosary as visitors and parishioners make their way from the back of the church to the altar. The windows on the opposite side depict the history of the Catholic Church in Hawaii. For example, one displays the arrival of the first Sacred Heart priests to the islands, while another shows a missionary teaching the first Hawaiian Catholics.

 

Fr. Choo explained, “Restoring the windows is costly, but the generosity of our parishioners and other supporters is helping us to meet our financial goals. We haven’t held any current fundraisers except appeals when I talk about the repairs of the church. And, every first Sunday of the month, we take up a second collection for the building and maintenance fund. And, a part of that donation goes towards reconstructing the windows. Any help people can give us in restoring them is greatly appreciated,” Fr. Choo added.

 

For more information on the restoration project or St. Augustine Church, call the parish office at (808) 923-7024. Donations should be sent to: St. Augustine Catholic Church, 130 Ohua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815.

   

 

Phone: (808) 923-7024  Fax: (808) 922-4086
Email: staugustinechurch@catholic.org

 

  

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