The Cathedral
of Our Lady of Peace, located at the north end of Fort
Street Mall in downtown Honolulu, is said to be the
oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the
United States and one of the oldest existing buildings
in the downtown area. It is dedicated under the
patronage of Our Lady of Peace because the first
Catholic missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands, members
of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and
Mary gave that title to their first foundation in a new
land. The Cathedral stands on land which was given to
the missionaries by King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli)
when the mission was established in 1827.