From Dust to Dust

An ancient cathedral could be found at the center of most of the towns we visited. They're just like the pictures in the art and history books and nothing like any church building I have every seen.

I wish I had a better understanding of the symbolism of the statues and artwork. I get the feeling that at the time they were created, every detail of the layout and design had meaning and significance that was lost on me, a believer who is used to worshiping in a church that doubles as a basketball court and only has two walls. To my knowledge, the oldest building on our island is Mokuaikaua Church, and it was constructed in 1820 by the first missionaries to Hawaii.

One of the cathedrals we visited had graves in the floor, and the cement emblems marking the burials were impossible to make out because they were worn down by the footsteps of a thousand years. It made me wonder if folks in Europe are more aware of their own mortality than we are. In American we live in the here and now, and when a building is 20 years old, we tear it down. The culture in Europe seems to be built on the generations that preceded it, and my guess is, it would be apparent to someone there that a human lifetime is very brief.


One of many old churches we saw.