It’s Sunday, so off we go to church.

If you are visiting the islands and want a suggestion for a place to worship Sunday morning, I highly recommend Kawaiaha`o Church.

Kawaiahao Church

One of the first Christian churches established in Hawaii, Kawaiaha`o holds a special place in my heart. I first attended services here as a teenager; even then I was deeply moved by the beauty of the service, and by the stirring hymns and prayers in the Hawaiian language.

Later on another layer of meaning was added when I discovered that my children’s great-great-great-great grandfather had pastored the church in the mid-nineteenth century. And their great-great-great-great grandmother is buried out back in the church cemetery.

With the plaque inside the church, commemorating The Coach’s ancestor’s service as pastor

Also, as a history buff, I get a little thrill knowing I am sitting in the same place where Hawaiian royalty worshiped so many years ago.

Kawaiaha`o is not our home church, but we still do worship there from time to time, because of the family connection and also the current kahu [pastor] is a friend. And, because it’s just such a lovely and affecting way to spend a Sabbath morning.

This is the fourteenth post in my series, 31 Days of Life in my Hawaii. Click here to get the links to the other posts in the series.