Fire Destroys "Most Endangered" Historic Church

by Jill Byus Radke
(February 12, 2010)  A Wednesday night fire destroyed the already endangered St. Sophia's church on Molokai. Faulty wiring and arson have not been ruled out as causes according to Molokai Catholic Community pastor, Rev. Clyde Guerreiro.

Molokai's St. Sophia's Church was listed on Hawaii's 9 Most Endangered Historic Sites in 2008 when the congregation unveiled its plans to demolish the 1937 church in order to build a larger, more modern facility.

Since its "Most Endangered" listing, Historic Hawaii Foundation has been working with the Molokai Catholic Community to establish a preservation plan for the remaining historic churches in the area, should St. Sophia's be demolished.

The congregation is mourning the loss, but is seeing the silver lining. In an article published by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin this morning, Guerreiro said, "People are mourning that loss, but they are saying this may speed up the process of building a new church."


Photo by Richard Cooke, III Courtesy of Honolulu Magazine

Read the Star-Bulletin Article.
Read the Most Endangered Article