Roman Catholic bishop of Honolulu
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Honolulu is a prelate bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. He serves as ordinary of the Diocese of Honolulu which encompasses the entire state of Hawaii. He holds the papal title of monsignor and is formally addressed as His Excellency the Most Reverend. The Bishop of Honolulu is a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Ordained into the presbyterium, the Bishop of Honolulu remains an active parish priest. Along with his duties as diocesan administrator, he concurrently is the pastor of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in the City of Honolulu.
Previous to the canonical erection of the Diocese of Honolulu, a single bishop led what was the Apostolic Vicariate of Oriental Oceania and later five bishops led the Apostolic Vicariate of the Sandwich Islands. All were members of the missionary Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. After four bishops served the Diocese of Honolulu, a period of episcopal vacancy caused the Vatican to allow a mere priest to lead the diocese for the first time.
Prelature
As the principal diocesan administrator, the Bishop of Honolulu acts as president of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii as corporation. He oversees several agencies and departments that include but are not limited to: Augustine Educational Foundation, Campus Ministry, Catholic Charities, Department of Religious Education, Ethnic Ministry, Office of Worship, Saint Stephen Diocesan Center, Social Ministry, Tribunal. He is also the publisher of the Hawaii Catholic Herald newspaper.
Efficient administration necessitated the creation of several vicariates served by vicars general directly subordinate to the Bishop of Honolulu. The vicariates are: West Honolulu Vicariate, East Honolulu Vicariate, Windward Oahu Vicariate, Leeward Oahu Vicariate, Maui Vicariate, West Hawaii Vicariate, East Hawaii Vicariate and Kauai Vicariate. A separate vicariate was created for ethnic communities and churches of the Eastern Rite. Within each vicariate are the individual parish churches, each led by pastors.
Interment
All those who served as Apostolic Vicar of the Sandwich Islands or Bishop of Honolulu are buried in the Honolulu Catholic Cemetery, with the exception of Bishop Louis Maigret and Bishop John Joseph Scanlan. Both were buried in the crypt of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. The remains of the Apostolic Vicar of Oriental Oceania, Bishop Etienne Jerome Rouchouze, are unknown. He is believed to have died at sea in a shipwreck.
Bishops
- Etienne Jerome Rouchouze, Apostolic Vicar of Oriental Oceania, 1833-1843
- Louis Maigret, Apostolic Vicar of the Sandwich Islands, 1847-1881
- Herman Koeckemann, Apostolic Vicar of the Sandwich Islands, 1881-1892
- Gulstan Ropert, Apostolic Vicar of the Sandwich Islands, 1892-1903
- Libert H. Boeynaems, Apostolic Vicar of the Sandwich Islands, 1903-1926
- Stephen Alencastre, Apostolic Vicar of the Sandwich Islands, 1926-1940
- James Joseph Sweeney, Bishop of Honolulu, 1941-1967
- John Joseph Scanlan, Bishop of Honolulu, 1968-1981
- Joseph Anthony Ferrario, Bishop of Honolulu, 1982-1993
- Francis Xavier Dilorenzo, Bishop of Honolulu, 1994-2004
- Thomas L. Gross, Diocesan Administrator of Honolulu, 2004-Present