Honolulu, Hawaii, Jul 19, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Catholic faithful of Hawaii are ready to celebrate the historic ordination of Fr. Clarence “Larry” Silva as the fifth bishop of Honolulu.
Not only is he the first bishop of Honolulu to be ordained and installed during the same ceremony, but he is also the first Honolulu-born priest to be named bishop of the diocese since it was established in 1941.
What’s more, the faithful had waited more than a year — since May 2004 — to have a new bishop. Fr. Silva succeeds Bishop Francis DiLorenzo who was appointed bishop of Richmond, Va., by Pope John Paul II in March 2004.
Before the nomination, the 55-year-old priest had been the vicar general of the Diocese of Oakland, Calif.