Bishop Clarence “Larry” Silva prayed for joy, love and blessings over Father Michael Castori, whom Pope Leo XIV appointed as his successor. Both were dressed in lei and accompanied by Msgr. Gary Secor, vicar general of the Diocese of Honolulu, at a press conference on Wednesday.
Castori, a member of the Society of Jesus, took a moment to thank God, Pope Leo XIV, the Most Rev. Silva, staff of the Diocese of Honolulu and more, who gathered for his official appointment as Bishop-elect on May 6. He recounted getting the news of the appointment two week ago in the “garage of [his] Jesuit community at the time.”
“My initial reaction was shock, followed by the awareness of my unworthiness,” he said, adding that prayer helped guide his decision and bring about peace.
He choked up speaking of his family, recalling summer vacations spent together in the mountains and ocean of California. His parents and two older sisters were all teachers, Castori said.
Prior to accepting this role, he served as rector at the Arrupe Jesuit Residence at Seattle University. During his Jesuit formation, Castori was sent to Fiji to teach at the Pacific Regional Seminary and led to a memorable visit to Tonga in 1993, for which his middle name, Tupou, originates.
When he returned to the Mainland, Castori continued ministry with the Tongan Catholic Chaplaincy in Northern California, noting that his “soul never left the Pacific.”
“This surprising grace in my life enriched my core religious identity,” he said. “Polynesian culture has profoundly deepened my understanding and my living of the spirituality in which I was formed.
“My episcopal motto: ‘E hiki mai kou aupuni.’ [The Lord's Prayer in] Hawaiian. Our Father, thy kingdom come.”
Bishop Silva, 76, submitted his resignation in August 2024 with plans to stay in Hawaiʻi. He shared more about the transition process.
“Bishop-elect Michael will not be in charge (right away),” he said. “I’ve been appointed by Rome the apostolic administrator until his ordination and installation. And at that time, I will happily be the Bishop emeritus.”
The episcopal ordination and installation ceremony for Castori will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu, which will be live streamed. The night prior, the church will host evening prayer at 6 p.m., where he will make publicly make his profession of faith, Silva noted.
Speaking directly to Castori, Silva said, “You are inheriting wonderful people. Wonderful priests. Wonderful deacons. … And I am so thankful for all of you.”
Castori will be at a Mass open to the public at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa at 6 p.m. on May 7, to “meet some of the faithful in the diocese,” officials said.
The Diocese of Honolulu is comprised of 6,435 square miles in the State of Hawaiʻi, per an announcement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Aloha State Daily reached out to the Diocese of Honolulu for comment.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
