In the back pew of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, two identically dressed tots bop about, poking each other with long green palms, occasionally crossing them like swords. It was Palm Sunday, and crucifixes in the spacious church were covered with red cloth for Holy Week, which culminates with the Easter services held today.

"Hey, hey!" the boys' older sister said. "Don't do that!"

The antics, played out in English, provided a contrast to the scene laid out in front of them in Vietnamese. At the altar, two Vietnamese priests sang out in the flat vowels and sharp consonants of their native tongue, as men in Sunday finery and women in crisply embroidered ao dai (tunic-style pantsuits) shifted weight from leg to leg.

Today, the cloths will be flung off those crucifixes, and the sanctuary will be festooned with bright white lilies and an Easter Sunday banner. But the cross-swords remain, by way of competing demands on the space at St. Theresa's, the centrally located co-cathedral where Vietnamese Catholics from across O'ahu gather.

The mostly first- and second-generation immigrants rely on this church for more than just a spiritual second home. There's also an expectation of myriad services, since the church often serves as a gathering place for the newly arrived.

St. Theresa's is the only Catholic church on O'ahu providing Vietnamese-language services for O'ahu's 9,500 Vietnamese. However, it is also the co-cathedral for the entire diocese, hosting ordinations, weddings and diocesan functions. So the group is forced to move to other area parishes on occasion.

It's one reflection of the crunch that the Vietnamese-language Mass must be fit in among other services each Sunday. It will be held today at 3:30 p.m.

No one is happy about the situation.

"The facilities issue is huge," said the Rev. Marc Alexander, vicar general for the Diocese of Honolulu.

The diocese currently is in the process of creating an islandwide comprehensive strategic plan. He's hoping to have a solution within the year.

FITTING IN

St. Theresa's, on School Street, is in a great spot for a vibrant ethnic ministry. It's an easy halfway point for the Vietnamese Catholics who gather from Wai'anae to Hawai'i Kai.

Downtown's historical Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace remains Hawai'i's main cathedral, but parking is tight, and it has no space to grow. With plenty of adjoining parking, St. Theresa was designated co-cathedral by Bishop Joseph Ferrario. Its size — it's one of the biggest, physically, of all Island churches — makes it ideal for large events.

"It's a busy place," said the Rev. William Kunisch, St. Theresa pastor. "We always have something going on."

The crunch comes when Masses held in different languages conflict with big diocesan functions.

Vietnamese Catholic Community pastor the Rev. Vincent Kien Nguyen said the Vietnamese-language Mass is bumped about four times a year.

"We'd like our own place, but it's not easy," Nguyen said.

Nguyen said the community has talked about relocating, especially after one bump sent them to Holy Family, a church near the airport that isn't as busy as the co-cathedral. That's where he'd throw in his hat, if the diocese asks.

"You convince them," Nguyen said with an optimistic giggle.

CONTEMPLATING CHANGE

The Vietnamese need isn't in question, diocesan officials say.

"We're looking to put them in a different space," said Alexander. "... The bishop's had this flag for a while. (But) it's still a ways off."

Alexander and director of planning Tom Papandrew are meeting at churches across the Islands to create the strategic plan for the diocese, but other needs also loom large, such as purchasing property for a church in the 'Ewa area, where parishes are overloaded, or a Catholic high school on the Leeward side.

Papandrew said a meeting with the Vietnamese Catholic Community will be held sometime next month.

Kunisch said he'd be sorry to lose them, specifically noting their devoutness, as seen in abundance at Palm Sunday and Easter services.

"We support whatever is in the best interest of Vietnamese community," he said. "To be honest, we receive lots of blessings from their presence here with us."