28 April 2024
(Parish Bulletin)
Aloha, St Jude Parishioners! Bill Aiu here to give you an update of our progress for the new church at Leihano.
Some of you may be wondering, “What happened last year?” Good question, I’ll fill you in on the progress from last year and where we are now and what our intentions are going forward.
Let me start with last year. In 2023, we presented to you in February that we have received the green light from the Bishop to move forward with the planning and development of the new church. Since then, we worked closely with the Architectural-Engineering firm (InForm Design Inc.) to put in place a diocesan agreement that will satisfy the planning, design, and construction efforts of the new church. This effort took some time as the diocesan legal team and parish building and planning committee helped to craft the proper language that would allow the Architects to agree and move forward. Given our new church will be a unique building for our Kapolei area, the Diocese of Honolulu, and the State of Hawaii, it was important to take the time to work out a strong and positive Architectural Agreement with all parties so we can move comfortably into the next phase(s) of the project.
The last charrette we held in 2015 focused on the overall master plan for the new St Jude parish. While that effort was important and a key moment for the parish, it was recognized that given the parish, we never had a discussion focusing on the Phase I work. Therefore, we needed to pool the parish together.
Where are we now?
On 6 April 2024, our parish leadership conducted a mini charrette with the Architects to focus on the aspects of the Phase I portion of the new parish. It was also an opportunity to re-engage our parish leadership by refreshing and revisiting the various planning areas of the new parish. Namely, the key areas of 1) Site Planning, 2) Worship, 3) Religious Education, and 4) Hospitality. As a summary of our Saturday four (4) hour charrette, here are the comments from each of the working groups:
Worship: The Worship Task Force had positive comments about the proposed floor plan and are looking forward to having such a large sanctuary platform and sacristy area, along with side chapels.
Site Planning: Lots of great input concerning security and mitigating the impact of noise from Fort Barrett Road/surrounding areas, along with desired columbarium and prayer garden areas.
Religious Education: RE spaces will be accommodated in the narthex and nave areas, with a request for the toilets to be accessed from the interior.
Hospitality/Parish Hall: The kitchen will be increased in size, along with a large indoor pantry and the fellowship area will be almost doubled in size.
Thanks to all who participated in our mini charrette. It was a very spirited filled day with lots of Q&A from each of the groups. The Architects have taken our comments and will be working to develop a revised Phase I plan.
What are the intentions for the future?
The architectural design process entails four phases: 1) Conceptual Design, 2) Schematic Design, 3) Detail Design, and 4) Construction. We completed the conceptual design and are currently in the Schematic Design phase process. During this process we will be working on developing the church floor plan to scale, establish interior and exterior renderings, start to identify some material selection, and put together the basis of design (i.e., some general thoughts on systems such as structural system, mechanical and electrical). It is estimated that this should take the rest of the year to complete. We will plan for another session (maybe two) of the key areas of worship along with the efforts of our special groups in communications, financing, and prayer so we can orchestrate the transition of moving our parish to the new environment.
That’s it for now, this is a summary of our progress. Despite a few speed bumps along the way, the good news is that we have started and are on our way to achieving a new parish in Leihano.
In closing, I humbly ask for your prayers. We will need everyone’s support to make this endeavor a reality. It will take a parish to build this new church, and I hope you will be there to support us.
Thank you and may God bless you!
William “Bill” Aiu
St. Jude-Leihano Liaison
