St. Roch Church History
Kahuku, Oahu

      The Parish started in 1912 when the Kahuku Plantation Company gave a large house as a place to worship to the Kahuku Catholics who were mostly sugar cane workers for the plantation.

       Sacred Heart Father, Martin Doenbusch, then persuaded the Kahuku Plantation to cede to the Catholic Church a piece of land.  In early 1917, Kahuku's first regular church was dedicated to St. Roch.








     



















































Midway between Kaneohe and Wahiawa lies a small but lively parish called St. Roch.  It is nestled on one side by the green lustrous Ko'olau mountains of Kahuku and on the other side by the glittering waters of the Pacific Ocean.
      In 1948 the church critically needed repair.  The pastor found a church at Schofield Barracks which had been declared army surplus and was being offered to anyone with a "reasonable" cause.  He dismantled the church, moved it to Kahuku and it became our permanent church.  The old church was torn down in 1949 and replaced with a parish hall and a garage.
      With the closing of the Kahuku Sugar Mill in 1971, there was no other major source of local economic growth and the population rapidly dwindled.  Although the remaining parishioners of St. Roch were mostly retired plantation workers, they remained caring and supportive of their church.
      In the church is a statue of St. Roch, hand carved in the Philippines from a single piece of ash wood donated by Yaeko Arashiro in 1990.  The two kahili in the Sanctuary remind us  through our Hawaiian tradition that the Ali'i Nui, Jesus Christ, is here present with us.  Outside between the rectory and the parish hall is a Blessed Mother Grotto, landscaped with manicured trees and a wide variety of Hawaiian flowers.

       The entire property has been circled with a green chain-link fence that blends beautifully with the trees and the green lawn in the compound.  At the right corner are three mobile buildings that were donated to St. Roch parish by the diocese.   They have been carefully refurbished for religious education classes for our youth and other youth related activities.
      The church is cozy and traditional-looking with a predominant steeple and bell.  The repainted white interior walls are welcoming and a blue carpet runner leads up the center aisle to a simple carpeted sanctuary.  The rows of blue cushioned chairs have replaced the former wooden pews.  The setting inside has now been renewed with an altar placed deeper into the assembly and the pews circled towards the altar.  The new setting, in keeping with

      Recently, the church has been repainted and newly carpeted, giving it a welcomed facelift.  The new altar, the candle stands, and the Baptistery also enhance the new decor of the church.


 Thanks to all our cheerful and generous donors!
the reforms following Vatican II, provides a prayerful setting for the Liturgy.
Sugar Mill
St. Roch Statue

Blessed Mother Grotto
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St. Roch's Church
      In 1985 the church had been refurbished and renovated by Rev. Donald Thomas, motivating the parishioners ever since to take turns in cleaning and decorating the church for the Sunday liturgies.