The biggest earthquake to shake Hawaii in more than two decades caused minor damage to Catholic churches across the state and major damage to at least one mission church on the Big Island.

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake centered in the ocean off the west side of the Big Island hit at 7:07 a.m., Sunday morning, Oct. 15, as many parishes were just beginning 7 a.m. Mass. A second 5.8-magnitude quake followed seven minutes later with aftershocks continuing the rest of the day. Electrical power was out through most of the state for much of the day.

The last earthquake of a similar magnitude hit Hawaii in November 1983 and measured 6.7 on the Richter scale.

Major beams cracked, the choir side wall collapsed, and bathrooms were damaged in the church building of St. Joseph Mission in Paauilo on the Big Island's north coast. A nearby hall also shifted three inches during the quake.

"For now I have told the diocese that I'm declaring the building unsafe," said parish administrator Father Joseph R. Diaz, who was celebrating Mass at the main parish church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Honokaa when the quake hit.

"I guess it was pure luck that we were not holding the Mass in Paauilo during the earthquake because a lot of people sit by the choir side, and if that debris hit them, people could have been hurt," he said by phone on Oct. 16.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church had no damage but outside, a portion of a parking lot wall collapsed. Father Diaz said there were many broken items in the rectory and that he needed to finish scrubbing spices, vinegar, and shoyu from broken bottles from his carpet.

Other Big Island churches were luckier than St. Joseph Mission.

Annunciation Church in Kamuela and its Ascension Mission in Puako were the closest churches to the epicenter of the earthquake but suffered only minor damage. The pastor, Father Robert Schwarzhaupt, said the mission had no damage while, at Annunciation Church, rocks fell out of a stone wall and surface cracks formed in the plaster building. Mass went on as usual.

"It was much less crowded but people did show up," said Father Schwarzhaupt, who had just been named pastor on Oct. 1. "They were able to walk away from their houses being a mess and they came to Mass. It was pretty brave of them to come."

The historic 100-year-old St. Benedict Church in Honaunau, also known as "the Painted Church," and its two missions, St. John the Baptist in Kealakekua and St. Peter in Milolii, did not have any damage.

"I was really concerned about St. Benedict's because it's an old church," said parish secretary Ramona Ciriaco. "But my husband was in there [during the earthquake] and he said it was just fine."

At St. Michael Church in Kailua-Kona the earthquake caused cracks to form in its bell tower and interior plaster walls. A statue of the Blessed Mother also fell over and broke. The Sunday Masses were celebrated outside and Monday morning Mass took place in the church hall as the parish office waited for an engineer to check the soundness of the building.

Most parishes on the Hilo side escaped big damages, though the quake was felt by all.

"We were very frightened because we were worried that the church was going to fall," said Holy Rosary Mission in Keaau parishioner Carolyn Carvalho, who was waiting for Mass to begin when the first earthquake hit. "I think the reason for that is because we know that our church is very termite eaten."

Vicar general Father Marc Alexander sent an e-mail message to all parishes on Monday morning asking for reports of any damage. He also sent an electronic copy of Property Loss Notice forms.

Bishop Larry Silva was on Kauai at the time of the earthquake, having celebrated Mass at St. Theresa Church in Kekaha the evening before for the school's 60th anniversary. Despite airport delays, he was able to make it to Star of the Sea Parish in Honolulu in time for a 4 p.m. Mass and luau celebrating another school's 60th anniversary, Star of the Sea in Waialae-Kahala.

Star of the Sea principal Carola Souza said that despite the earthquake and rain, 300 of the 500 people who purchased tickets showed up for the anniversary events. Caterers cooked the luau food on gas stoves and parishioners dined by candlelight in the school cafeteria.

"Parishioners and parents said it was really lovely," said Souza. "We couldn't have music, we couldn't have speeches. But I think people kind of liked that."

A few other churches reported minor damage:
---St. Anthony Church in Papaaloa, Hawaii, had two Stations of the Cross fall down.
---St. Peter Mission in Puuiki, Maui, had a pillar by the church entrance crack and part of the cross on its roof fall down. Pictures in the church also fell.
---St. Anthony Church in Wailuku, Maui, had its "Risen Christ" statue above the altar shift.
---St. Theresa Church in Kihei, Maui, reported a broken chandelier in Father Peter Dumag's room.

—CNS