I love this placethe ambiance, surroundings perfect. Looking forward to go in this place before end…read moreof this year

Retreat in Honolulu, Hawaii…read more.. I heard about this weekend retreat from my Wednesday night Bible class. I looked up "BCC" (Basic Christian Community) online, found it, signed up, and paid through Eventbright. Easy! BCC emailed instructions and reminders! I was curious! I didn't know anything and hadn't really spoken to anyone about the BCC retreats. There was a list of what to bring (umbrella, flashlight, towel, pillow, toiletries, etc.). Val, from my Wednesday night group, suggested that I bring a sleeping bag. I found the St. Anthony's Retreat Center with GPS. I drove slowly and saw the entrance on the right side of Kalihi Street. I stopped at the sign where participants could drop off their car key, have the valet park their car, and someone would help with bringing luggage to the assigned room. The buildings were old-school cool. This place used to be an orphanage in 1909. It was run by the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary until Hawaii became the 50th State and Foster Care looked after orphans. In 1974, Sister Gertrude changed St. Anthony Home into St. Anthony Retreat Center. It was renovated and expanded in 1999 to 2008. Our group used the dorms (which had running water, beds, and showers with hot water), dining room and chapel downstairs, and the meeting hall in the building next door, which had 4 restrooms. The grounds were very beautiful with white statues of an angel, Jesus, and St. Christopher. I found the grotto with Mary, but I didn't find the outdoor Stations of the Cross. I'll have to go exploring in the future!

A real sense of hospitality in all of its manifestations. We hope to return in the future.read more

Great place to worship , participate in community action and feel the power of the Spirit! Very…read morewelcoming of all folks from all places and classes and traditions.

What a beautiful church. Father Edgar was very welcoming and he even called all the visiting people…read moreto come up for a special blessing.

Attended 0630 weekday Mass here as part of my attempt to visit all the churches in the Diocese of…read moreHonolulu. I enjoyed the liturgy very much, which was celebrated with a small intimate, friendly congregation that seem to radiate joy, peace, and love. The locals immediately spotted me as a stranger and warmly welcomed me and asked where I was from. It was a most pleasant exchange with lovely people that I now consider friends. The priest/celebrant was very erudite, and it being the feast day of St John Chrystostom, one the major doctors of the church, he tied in parts of St John's life with the Gospel reading of the day from St Luke's (the "splinter in the eye" discourse). His homily was very well done. Tucked away in a quiet part of Kalihi Valley (just past the bridge/crossing over Kalihi stream), this church wa founded in the early 19th century by Portuguese immigrants who populated most of the present day Kalihi valley. The original church was located about half a mile away in the current cemetery but now only a marker commemorates the spot. The present church was constructed in 1948-1949 with the first Mass and consecration taking place in 1950. The block architecture supports this fact, as it is very similar in structure and form to Blessed Sacrament church (Pauua Rd) also built in the late 1940s. Aside from the positive experience, the absolute best surprise of all was the discovery of a mauka-sited shrine or as they call it in Europe, a "grotto" filled with holy reminders and statues. This grotto (one parishioner told me) was built by the Portuguese about the time the church was constructed in 1950. It contains a wonderful hiking trail that takes you up to the top of a hillock overlooking Kalihi valley, the Likelike, and the airport. Along the way, there are places to stop and rest if desired but I made it all the way without stopping. The peaceful atmosphere and beauty are amazing and it was refreshing for the soul to just spend a few minutes (well.... maybe I spent a little bit more than a few minutes... time seemed to stand still...) in quiet contemplation and prayer. I cannot express in words how wonderful that short hike and quiet time gazing at rainbows was for setting up the rest of my day for mental success. Highly recommend a visit here not only to attend Mass and give worship to God but also to make a short stop at the grotto. By the way, they allowed me to keep my car parked in the church parking lot while I hiked up the mauka.... mahalo! Since street parking is limited, come early so you can get a good spot (tandem parking only by the way). Next time I will locate the cemetery and try to post photos of the original church site. Mahalo nui loa for reading my review. Pax et Bonum.

My Hunny and I visited this temple on Mother's Day to give flowers to my Popo and Mom. It's a…read morebeautiful temple and although the parking is very small, somehow they make it work. There's a massive tree in the lot and a lotus blossoms in the nearby plant pots. We could hear the monks chanting during their ceremony and prayer/Meditation. We enjoyed taking photos of the nature surrounding the temple. It's a very peaceful, spiritual place where you can embrace nature. The breeze was cool and refreshing after we finished burning incense and cleared the smoke smell from out clothing. It was a lovely Mother's Day.

I met my dad's cousin for the first time and she told me about this temple. I didn't know what to…read moreexpect. I mean, once you drive up, it's a little hard to believe that it is located in a residential area. It is really something to look at! Respecting the temple is the first thing to remember because you don't know who is watching. It was interesting that I took off my shoes and put them on a shelve with a bunch of other shoes, but no one else was inside. I walked around and looked at the different statues. I read some of the stories. I did take some pictures which I wasn't sure was okay or not. The one Buddha that called to me was the one with the many arms. I felt like him the past few months, doing way too much and juggle more things than I probably could handle. I knelt, lit an incense and said a little prayer. Hopefully He heard me. I also gave a money offering, which you should always do. Definitely worth coming to. Next time I'll spend more time meditating. 谢谢!

I took a tour of the Benedictine Monastery a couple weeks ago and had the pleasure of walking the…read moregrounds and meeting the charismatic prioress superior Sister CC. She welcomed us with big smiles, open arms, and a level of ebullient energy I have never had in my adult life. The place was beautiful, a sprawling property in Waialua with spectacular mountain and ocean views. We walked through the main pavilion and chapel and saw some of the guest rooms, which are available for retreats. It seemed like a pretty nice place to be quiet for a while. I'm grateful to Sister CC for showing us around, and now I can say I've met an awesome shaka-throwing, Disney T-shirt-wearing flight attendant turned nun. I wish all good things for the Benedictine Monastery and would love to visit again.

Review #5 for 2020…read more Super grateful to visit the Benadictine Monastery earlier this week for a day prayer retreat. The hospitality of Sister CC, Scott, and the community at large was such a blessing. Beautiful view of the mountains and ocean, and there are peacocks and chickens running around. Really enjoyed praying the Stations of the Cross and hiking up the hill to the cross at the top. The presence of God is clearly in this place as his peace is strongly felt.

A warm, welcoming, but deeply contemplative parish. We came here one Sunday as visitors and were…read moreso surprised at the beautiful but simple liturgy celebrated in the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo). We could feel the love the congregation have for God and we were treated so kindly as if we were ohana. After Mass, we got to meet the pastor. He is a witty, funny, but very erudite young priest from northern China who spent years studying in Rome. He was amazing and had us laughing with his subtle but hilarious sense of humor! It's was so incredible to meet a young man who grew up in the midst of China's anti-Christian persecution and still held fast to the faith and became a priest despite the danger. We came early so we could participate in the rosary and pre Mass prayers. There is much peace here... so much that we returned on the next day (Labor Day so we had off from work ) for the weekday celebration of the holy sacrifice of the Mass just so we could visit this peaceful church again. We will definitely return again if we find ourselves on that part of Oahu. The history of this parish is quite interesting. Originally a mission church of St Elizabeth's in Aiea in 1942, it moved over to where Holy Family parish is now (next to HNL airport). This new church was finally constructed in 1973 at its present location in Salt Lake. But not before suffering a tremendous setback. In 1972, a few weeks before construction completion, unknown persons committed arson in the middle of the night and burned the new church almost to the ground. Perpetrators were never caught. The local parishioners found the funds to rebuild the church in a different architectural style 14 months later. While the architecture is modern, it is surprisingly not offensive to classical church design. Open and full of light, the church is constructed in a way that allows quiet contemplation and yet still retains the majesty required of a church dedicated to the Almighty ever living and loving Triune God. I especially liked the round stained glass "rose" window depicting the Holy Spirit situated "ad orientum" (facing East) that delivers beautiful diffused light to the altar. Wonderful church, wonderful parishioners, wonderful priest! So glad we came! Mahalo for reading my review. Pax et Bonum.

This is a beautiful place of worship, located in the heart of Salt Lake. There's lots of parking…read morearound the church and if you lucky, there's street parking too. The church is huge and updated, lots of pews to sit on, and I can imagine during mass, it caN get crowded. Unfortunately, I came to attend a funeral service and wake service, the ushers were very warm and greeted us with a smile. The main comfort room is located down a stairway, under the church, where a large multi purpose room is located. The services went well, and after mass, the family hosted a lunch out front of the church. There's a tent and tables for the guest. Again, there is a shopping center just around the corner for everything else. It's a great place to visit and worship.

Shinnyo-En is responsible for the very popular Lantern Floating that takes place at Ala Moana Beach…read morePark. Shinnyo-En and its members, are dedicated in making this event a success. Preparation starts months prior to, they are so organized and insist on handling each step with the utmost care and order. For the volunteers, it is mandatory to watch an orientation video, which will even include instructions on how to wash your hands before helping. It's so amazing that they manage to assemble thousands of lanterns, while working in a small space. Lanterns are neatly packed away and prayer requests are handled with so much respect and manner. Your religious belief is not a concern, they welcome everyone to participate and come together for the remembrance of a special someone. A truly touching time of the year... Lantern Floating Hawaii, is where thousands gather (50,000 in 2017) for the same reason on Memorial Day, all possible thanks to Shinnyo-En, and it's members.

I have been a member of Shinnyo-en for over 15 years. I wasn't religious before becoming connected…read more(besides attending Buddhist funeral services and going to obon dances for surface level reasons). I enjoy this temple because they are very accepting of everyone, no matter what, due to the belief that everyone has Buddha-nature and the potential to grow inside of them. I never ever feel judged or worried. Everyone is so welcoming, whether you're a regular or a new face. I also appreciate that they are completely fine with me exploring other religions and freely accept people following (previously or currently) other religions. In fact, the head of our temple also attends services and blesses sites of other religions around the world. If I want to attend my friend's Christian services, I never feel like I am doing something wrong or should be ashamed. Some things to note if you are a new-comer: -There are numerous parking lots and street parking for you to use for free (see photo). There are usually attendants outside of the lots to welcome/guide you and if the lots are full, they usually have a sign out marking that. We usually try to park at one of the farther lots so that the elderly, those with young children, and those that are running late can have an easier time getting to temple. -We take off our shoes and wear socks inside the main building. There are lockers and shoe racks for you to use. If you forget socks, you can borrow a pair from the front desk. The front desk can also lend you a chanting book (English or Japanese), an okesa (you wear it around your neck), and if you let them know you are new, they can have someone guide you/explain things to you if you'd like. -There are usually rooms that play videos of the service in Japanese and rooms that play the videos in English. There are headsets to borrow too (they have dubs in the opposite language of the video and also in the same language if you just want to hear it louder). -There is a room that younger children and their parents usually go to (though it's not required) and there's also a separate building for babies and their parents (again, not required). -If you are in a wheelchair or prefer being in an open air room, you can view the service from a room next to the patio area. -There are refreshments for donation in the patio area (cup noodles, juices, sodas, etc.) It's common for people to hang out and socialize in the patio area and under the mango tree after service (: -There's also a training center in Pearl City if you don't want to drive all the way to town. Be sure to check the schedule though, as I think there are different services from the main temple. -If you are a new comer, any service is great but I highly recommend setsubun (good luck bean throwing) service in February--it's so much fun!

Interesting place , I stopped by at the store to get drinks and incense, etc. went upstairs to look…read moreand was really interested in going back. Nice people there.

The people here are very friendly! The temple is very small so prepare yourself (well your eyes…read morereally) for a lot of smoke from the incense. There are red paper for you to write your family's last name, and you can make donations to the temple. After you're done praying I suggest heading out to avoid the crowd and smoke.