St. Michael's Roman Catholic church in Waialua was dedicated on May 8, 1953, just over 150 years ago. Bishop Francis DiLorenzo will preside at a church celebration tomorrow, which will include an anniversary party after Mass. Photos courtesy St. Michael's Church

Some of ruins of the first St. Michael's Church, built on land granted by a royal patent from Kamehameha IV, can be examined at close range in the fields of Waialua.

• What's special about us: It's one of the first Catholic churches in Hawai'i, and the ruins of its first building still stand today. Catholic churches on the outskirts got their start because of religious persecution, said Sister William Marie Eleniki, the principal of St. Michael's church school.

• Our history: Luika Kaumaka, a religious convert to Catholicism, moved to the North Shore from Honolulu after the first Catholic priests to the Island were expelled in 1831.

In 1840, she met the Rev. Joseph Desvault, who had recently arrived in Waialua. She had already been teaching her religion to a group of Hawaiians in Pa'ala'a on the banks of the Paukauila Stream and between the two of them and their converts, helped build a small, thatched-roof chapel on a plot of land that Kamehameha IV had granted them in 1848 by royal patent.

The first St. Michael's church was dedicated May 8, 1853.

In those early days, 96 Native Hawaiians were baptized first, but they would be followed by hundreds of others.

In 1912, a second church was built to allow the parishioners to be closer to the Waialua Sugar Co. plantation's Pu'uiki main camp. That church was destroyed by fire in 1923 and replaced later that year with the present St. Michael's church.

In subsequent years, there were modifications and expansions, including a full-fledged eight-grade school in 1949.

Today, the school has a preschool as well as a camera weather station, the only one on the North Shore, which was installed earlier this month through a grant, sponsored by KHNL, Channel 8.

• What we believe: As a Roman Catholic church, members celebrate the seven sacraments, follow the Bible, consider the pope the top authority, and foster social justice — "that's our latest focus," said Eleniki, "employment, feeding the poor, ecology, etc."

• What we're excited about: Tomorrow, St. Michael's Church celebrates its 150-year anniversary.

Bishop Francis DiLorenzo will preside at the 10 a.m. Mass, after which there will be an anniversary party.

• Contact: 637-7772.