Ka'ahumanu Church
Encyclopedia
Kaahumanu Church is a Church in Wailuku, Maui
Hawaii
. Upon visiting a religious service in Wailuku in 1832 by Jonathan Smith Green
, Queen Ka'ahumanu
requested that a more permanent church structure be named for her, but her request was not honored until 1876 when the current structure was built by Reverend Edward Bailey
. Sunday service
s are held in the church, with the hymn
s and invocation
invoked in the Hawaiian language
.
. The utilization of local materials became more prevalent over time
In 1832, Queen Ka'ahumanu
, an early convert into Christianity
, visited Maui, and came to the site of the then new Ka'ahumanu Church, witnessing services being presided by Jonathan Smith Green
. Upon seeing this, Queen Ka'ahumanu asked the Congregationalist mission to name the permanent church structure after her.
; it was built on land owned by Kahele family granted under King Kamehameha III.
In 1834, due to the ballooning congregation numbers (3000 worshipers was noted at one point) a second building was built, which was a thatched structure. However, despite the large worship numbers, the actual permanent membership of the church was small; a 1834-1835 report noted eleven members of the church.
During the "Great Revival" between 1837–1840, the church membership ballooned to 487; the 1838-1839 year alone saw 200 new members into the church. With this swell in membership, a new third church structure was built under the supervision of Reverend Richard Armstrong after Reverend Jonathan Smith Green left in 1836. Built in 1840, the "two-story" (One floor and a gallery) stone church was 100 by. However, problems with the roof was noted by Reverend Jonathan Smith Green after his return in 1841 to replace Reverend Richard Armstrong. Deemed a "failure" by Reverend Jonathan Smith Green, the roof was fixed after a $648.28 expenditure.
Reverend William Patterson Alexander
was installed at the church in 1857 after pastor Reverend Daniel Conde was not liked by the congregation and a petition to have him removed was circulated. Alexander noted that a new church was needed, and advocated building a new one as early as 1866. It wasn't until 1872 that fund-raising efforts were undertaken by William Pulepule Kahale, the first Native Hawaiian Pastor in the church, to build a new structure.
. It is built in the New England simple style Gothic Architecture
.
The bell and three clock faces are from the Seth-Thomas clock works
, and brought over in 1884 around the Cape Horn
. The apparatus was donated by the Bailey family at a cost of $1000.00. Chandeliers were added in 1892. Maui County officials designated the clock in Ka'ahumanu Church as the "Town Clock" in 1964.
Honoli'i, noted as being one of the first Native Hawaiians to be educated in New England and returning on the sailing ship Thaddeus, is buried in the cemetery.
s and invocation
s are done in the Hawaiian language
, which echo the legacy of Hawaiian churches being stalwarts in the survival of the Hawaiian language where it was banned from being spoken in public.
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Upon visiting a religious service in Wailuku in 1832 by Jonathan Smith Green
Jonathan Smith Green
Reverend Jonathan Smith Green was a missionary from New England to the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Green was born December 20, 1796 in Lebanon, Connecticut to Beriah and Elizabeth Green. He graduated from Andover Seminary and on September 20, 1827 he married Theodosia Arnold of East Haddam,...
, Queen Ka'ahumanu
Ka'ahumanu
Elizabeth Kaahumanu was queen regent of the Kingdom of Hawaii and a wife of Kamehameha I. She was the king's favorite wife and also the most politically powerful, and continued to wield considerable power in the kingdom as the kuhina nui during the reigns of his first two successors.-Early...
requested that a more permanent church structure be named for her, but her request was not honored until 1876 when the current structure was built by Reverend Edward Bailey
Edward Bailey
Edward Bailey was the most accomplished of the missionary artists in Hawaii. Along with his wife, Bailey arrived in Hawaii as a missionary-teacher in 1837 on the ship Mary Frazier. He worked at the Wailuku Female Seminary in Maui from 1840 until its closure in 1849...
. Sunday service
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
s are held in the church, with the hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s and invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
invoked in the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
.
Inception
Upon arrival to the islands, American Missionaries usually held religious services out in the open; this was later superseded by the building of thatched grassed hales, and then lumber built structures, sometimes imported from New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The utilization of local materials became more prevalent over time
In 1832, Queen Ka'ahumanu
Ka'ahumanu
Elizabeth Kaahumanu was queen regent of the Kingdom of Hawaii and a wife of Kamehameha I. She was the king's favorite wife and also the most politically powerful, and continued to wield considerable power in the kingdom as the kuhina nui during the reigns of his first two successors.-Early...
, an early convert into Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, visited Maui, and came to the site of the then new Ka'ahumanu Church, witnessing services being presided by Jonathan Smith Green
Jonathan Smith Green
Reverend Jonathan Smith Green was a missionary from New England to the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Green was born December 20, 1796 in Lebanon, Connecticut to Beriah and Elizabeth Green. He graduated from Andover Seminary and on September 20, 1827 he married Theodosia Arnold of East Haddam,...
. Upon seeing this, Queen Ka'ahumanu asked the Congregationalist mission to name the permanent church structure after her.
First, second, and third Buildings
The first building used by Reverend Jonathan Smith Green for his services was nothing more than a simple shedShed
A shed is typically a simple, single-storey structure in a back garden or on an allotment that is used for storage, hobbies, or as a workshop....
; it was built on land owned by Kahele family granted under King Kamehameha III.
In 1834, due to the ballooning congregation numbers (3000 worshipers was noted at one point) a second building was built, which was a thatched structure. However, despite the large worship numbers, the actual permanent membership of the church was small; a 1834-1835 report noted eleven members of the church.
Reverend William Patterson Alexander
William Patterson Alexander
William Patterson Alexander was an American missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii. His family continued to influence the history of Hawaii.-Life:...
was installed at the church in 1857 after pastor Reverend Daniel Conde was not liked by the congregation and a petition to have him removed was circulated. Alexander noted that a new church was needed, and advocated building a new one as early as 1866. It wasn't until 1872 that fund-raising efforts were undertaken by William Pulepule Kahale, the first Native Hawaiian Pastor in the church, to build a new structure.
Current building
The current structure, the fourth on the site, was built in 1876. It was built to honor Queen Ka'ahumanu's earlier request by Wailuku Sugar Company manager and Reverend, Edward BaileyEdward Bailey
Edward Bailey was the most accomplished of the missionary artists in Hawaii. Along with his wife, Bailey arrived in Hawaii as a missionary-teacher in 1837 on the ship Mary Frazier. He worked at the Wailuku Female Seminary in Maui from 1840 until its closure in 1849...
. It is built in the New England simple style Gothic Architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
.
The bell and three clock faces are from the Seth-Thomas clock works
Seth Thomas (clockmaker)
Seth Thomas was an American clock maker and a pioneer of mass production at his Seth Thomas Clock Company.-Biography:Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut, in 1785. He started in the clock business in 1807, working for clockmaker Eli Terry...
, and brought over in 1884 around the Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
. The apparatus was donated by the Bailey family at a cost of $1000.00. Chandeliers were added in 1892. Maui County officials designated the clock in Ka'ahumanu Church as the "Town Clock" in 1964.
Grounds
A stone structure to the rear of the building with one opening exists, though its purpose is unknown. The only original structure of the previous third church is a rock retaining wall fronting the church alongside High Street. Several graves also mark the site. An auxiliary building sits between the church and the Territorial Building in the Wailuku Civic Center Historic DistrictWailuku Civic Center Historic District
The Wailuku Civic Center Historic District is a group of four historic buildings and one non-contributing property in Wailuku, Maui Hawaii that currently house the governmental offices of both the County of Maui and the State of Hawaii. The historic buildings were built during a time span from 1901...
Honoli'i, noted as being one of the first Native Hawaiians to be educated in New England and returning on the sailing ship Thaddeus, is buried in the cemetery.
Today
Services are held every Sunday. The hymnHymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s and invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
s are done in the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
, which echo the legacy of Hawaiian churches being stalwarts in the survival of the Hawaiian language where it was banned from being spoken in public.