Our History

St. Mark's is blessed with a very special history in the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i, the city of Honolulu, and our neighborhoods of Kapahulu, Waikiki, Diamond Head and Kahala.

Our church was founded in memory of Queen Emma in 1908 as a mission of the Hawaiian congregation of St. Andrew's Cathedral for the Hawaiian community of Kapahulu. At that time our neighborhood, as well as Waikiki, was not the urban area it is today. The new church would be an Episcopal presence for the growing and developing area. As the Hawaiian congregation at St. Andrew's was Anglo-Catholic in worship and theology, St. Mark's would also adopt such churchmanship. Father Kenneth Bray, also the football coach at 'Iolani School, was one of the first priests of St. Mark's, and he would be the priest who would solidify St. Mark's Anglo-Catholicism for generations to come.

For many years St. Mark's was known as the "luau church." With an imu on the parish grounds, the church welcomed the entire community often for celebrations that also helped the church with capital projects. St. Mark's also has a strong history of outreach to our community, and St. Mark's was also one of the first churches to welcome LGBTQ Christians in the Episcopal Diocese, long before it was popular to do so.

Today we are a very diverse congregation, welcoming all of the people our our Islands. For more information about our history, you are most welcome to visit our church. More information is available upon request.

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