Neglect catches up with Kaimuki church

By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Religion & Ethics Writer

The heavy winter rains have not been a blessing for St. Patrick Catholic Church in Kaimuki.

Termites and water have damaged the roof that holds up heavy Spanish tiling on St. Patrick Church. A recent storm knocked some of the tiles off the roof onto a heavily used walkway. Deborah Booker • Honolulu Advertiser

James Erickson has been contracted to repair and restore the 24 major stained glass windows in St. Patrick Church. Years of neglect at the church have left it in need of major repairs that will likely cost millions of dollars. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Parts of the roof have taken on the texture of rice paper. And the footpath from the parking lot to the playground will be coned off, to keep falling Spanish roof tiles from bonking unsuspecting schoolchildren.

That's the bad news.

The good news is, a longtime parishioner walked in Tuesday with a check for $30,000.

"Now we're able to do the investigation," said the Rev. Lane Akiona. "At least we can start assessing the damage. We won't know until we begin the physical assessment what the real problems are."

That check will be used to lure matching money in a campaign to bring the 75-year-old church, an area landmark, into the present century. There are 550 families in the parish.

Akiona hasn't been able to make much of a dent yet, because engineers weren't even able to evaluate the problem. To reach the roof, they'd have to take a platform to a catwalk, now dangerously termite-eaten.

"When engineers looked at the roof two, three years ago, already that area was pretty bad," said contractor Dan Santiago. "It's only gotten worse. ... The church hasn't been maintained over the years and it just caught up with them."

The load fell to Akiona, who arrived four years ago.

"If it's not a problem, you tend not to deal with it unless you need to," Akiona said ruefully from his office, adding that many churches don't have a regular maintenance person and repairs end up being done piecemeal.

The roof is only part of an ambitious overhaul, which four years ago was estimated at $2.5 million. The rain damage that has become apparent since January has him revising his estimates upward.

"At least for the roof, we're now conservatively at half a million," he said. "You know how it is. You open up the roof and find other things."

The planned improvements include replacing the doors, carpet, flooring and restoring the roof, ceiling and stained-glass windows. New touches: air-conditioning, a multimedia system and a baptismal font that allows for immersion for adults. And the electrical and sound systems need to be upgraded, and since they're at it, why not pretty up the grounds with landscaping and lighting?

But the need to get off the dime became immediate when tiles from the Spanish-style roof came flying off in a recent storm, landing along the walkway — a heavily used footpath that leads from the parking lot to the playground.

There are signs of damage inside the church, too: water rot on the arches, including above one of the stained glass windows.

The planned restoration of the 24 major stained glass windows has just begun. Glass artist James Erickson will be taking down the first and most damaged panel next week. When he's finished with it, he'll have a better idea how much work and money the church is in for to fix the glass, which is buckled in spots and breaking.

Parishioner Pua Aiu, who has written grants, said one option to help pay for the repair is to see if the church qualifies as a historical site. If so, they can apply for grants.

Another option is taking up a second collection, but Akiona needs to get approval from the bishop for that.

"We've got people's attention," Akiona said. "Let's do it, let's get it done and then we can rest easy. We're not doing it to glorify ourselves. We're doing it so future generations can have a place to worship. "

Reach Mary Kaye Ritz at mritz@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8035.