Where We Worship
St. Paul's Episcopal Church aspires to maintain Filipino culture, tradition
By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer
• Name of church: St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
• Our affiliation: Episcopal Church, based in New York, and Philippine Independent Church, based in Manila.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Parke Chapel was established on Aug. 11, 1959.
• Where we are: 229 Queen Emma Square, downtown Honolulu. Members gather in Parke Chapel at St. Andrew's Cathedral.
• Our numbers: about 250 members attend weekly services.
• Our vicar: Father Randolph Albano.
• What we believe: The church's mission statement reads: "St. Paul's Church is called to serve Christ as our Lord and Savior by responding to the sacramental, pastoral and spiritual needs of the community in general, and to the Filipino people in particular by being sensitive to the traditions, culture and local customs of the people."
Their primary goals, Albano said, are to provide more outreach to the Filipino community, increase youth involvement, strengthen their understanding of the Gospel, and develop a stronger lay involvement in church and community activities.
• Our history: Father Gregorio Aglipay, a Catholic priest, seceded from the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines to establish in 1902 the Philippine Independent Church, often referred to by members as the Aglipayan Church.
In the mid-1950s, the Most Rev. Isabelo Delos Reyes Jr., then-supreme bishop of the Philippines, and the Right Rev. Harry Kennedy, then-bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i, looked into the idea of having a Filipino ministry in Hawai'i.
Kennedy commissioned Delos Reyes to send a priest to begin work as a Filipino minister in Hawai'i, and Delos Reyes sent Father Timoteo Quintero.
Quintero established St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Parke Chapel on Aug. 11, 1959.
• What we're excited about: In addition to the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and services, members are looking forward to the 43rd anniversary celebration of the church, 6 p.m. Aug. 10, 2002, at Ala Moana Hotel.
"We will honor hardworking members who have been so faithful in their service to God through St. Paul's Church," Albano said.
• What's special about us: A majority of members are of Filipino descent, both immigrant and American-born, and are primarily Ilocanos. The church offers Ilocano- and English-speaking services on Sundays.
"We are really unique because we maintain our cultural traditions here," Albano said. "But (St. Paul's) is not strictly for Filipinos. It's open to everyone."
Members also believe strongly in giving back to the community and have been involved in such projects as Adopt-A-Highway, Hawai'i Foodbank, American Cancer Society, Filipino Community Center, and the Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program.
• Contact: Call 538-3275 or e-mail stpaul@kahala.net.
If you would like to recommend a faith organization for a Where We Worship profile, e-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com, call 535-8174 or write: Where We Worship, Faith Page, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802.
