On Thursday, Hawai'i's Catholic diocese will mark a first at the ordination and installation of Bishop-elect Larry Silva.

It will be the first time since the diocese was formed in 1941 that the bishop will be ordained and installed in the same ceremony.

Hawai'i's 230,000 Catholics — the largest religious denomination in Hawai'i — have been without a bishop for more than a year since Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo became bishop of the Diocese of Richmond, Va.

More than 3,500 people are expected to attend the ceremonies at the Neal Blaisdell Arena.

The principal ordaining bishop will be Archbishop William J. Levada, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican.

"The first part of the ceremony is the naming of the bishop," said the Rev. Gary Secor, vocation director for the Diocese of Honolulu. "It will be the ordination and consecration of the bishop. The second part of the ceremony is the installation of the bishop, where he takes charge of the diocese."

The dual ceremony is open to the public and begins at 4:30 p.m. All who attend are also invited to dinner after the two-hour ceremony.

The installation and ordination of a bishop would normally be done in a church, but there is no church large enough to accommodate everyone who might want to attend, said Monsignor Terrence Watanabe.

When the late Bishop Joseph Ferrario was installed as bishop of the Honolulu Diocese in 1982, the church used the Blaisdell. Bishop Francis DiLorenzo was installed in 1994 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa , which seats 800.

The ceremonies will take place during Mass, which will begin with the blowing of the pu kani (conch shell) and a procession of kahili and Hawaiian royal societies.

After the homily, Silva will stand before Archbishop Levada and be asked to uphold the faith and discharge his duties as bishop. Silva will then lie prostrate on the floor while the Litany of Saints is sung.

Silva will then kneel before the archbishop, who will lay his hands on Silva's head in the rite of ordination. The two co-ordaining bishops and other bishops then will lay their hands on Bishop Silva's head.

After Silva receives his bishop's ring, the miter is placed on his head and he receives his pastoral staff, he will be led to the cathedra, or bishop's chair. Silva will then receive representatives of the clergy, religious and lay people.

Silva's ring has special meaning for him. It was a gift from a close friend, Kevin Self, who Silva helped through the grieving process when Self's father died.

Family members and friends will participate in the ceremony. Silva's sister, Trudy, and brothers, Edward and Francis, will present the wine and bread to be used during the communion.

"It's been a whirlwind two months since the announcement, but it seems like a year," Silva said. "There has been so much to do, purchasing bishop clothes, designing the coat of arms, leaving a parish and coming here.

"I'm just a regular guy and everyone is treating me like a celebrity. It's a little hard to get used to."