The St. Juvenaly Orthodox Mission is the only Orthodox church on the Big Island, and one of only a few Orthodox churches in the state of Hawai`i.

We are organized under the auspices of the Diocese of the West of the Orthodox Church in America. As such, we are part of the worldwide communion of Orthodox churches.

Although the Orthodox Church in America has its roots in the Russian Orthodox Church, our community is “pan-Orthodox” in character, made up of Orthodox Christians from a wide variety of backgrounds and walks of life, and all of our services are primarily in English, although we also use some Greek, Slavonic and Hawaiian.

Whether you’re on the Big Island for a quick visit, have decided to put down roots here, or were born and raised in the Islands, we welcome you to come and pray with us and experience the beauty of Orthodoxy and aloha spirit of our community.

We are happy to announce that St. Juvenaly Mission, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, closed on the purchase of a new chapel building on April 24th.

The chapel is located in Honomu (close to Akaka Falls), on the East side of the island, about 11 miles north of Hilo. (View on map.)

This is a major step toward serving the Orthodox faithful on the East side of the island, and marks the first enduring physical presence of the Orthodox church on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is also the first permanent OCA location in Hawaii. This new outreach of the mission will be called “Holy Ascension Chapel.”

The Mission was able to obtain full financing for the purchase through the SICA Foundation, and have received about $20,000 in donations – THANK YOU. (We are still grateful for donations to help with repair and beautification expenses.)