St. William is the second Catholic church to be built in Hanalei.  

The first church, St. Maxime, was built by Brother Arsene Bernat and dedicated on October 3, 1864. The church was 16x30 feet and an associated residence for the priest was also built.  This church was located adjacent to the river near the present day wharf area.   

St. Maxime served as the center for the Catholic faith in northeastern Kauai and became the residence of the clergy. Later, as the population of Hanalei declined, and the number of Catholics employed at the Kilauea Plantation increased, St. Sylvester became the home of the resident priest.

St. Maxime was ordered demolished in the early 1930’s by Bishop Alencaster.  The residence remained until the 1950s and the land was used for parish picnics, CYO activities, and Boy Scout camping.

This photo of St. Maxime was taken in 1897.  The bell from the bell tower next to the church was saved and is now the bell used at St. William.

With the growing number of Catholics in Hanalei, a new church was built along Kuhio Highway in 1956 under the direction of Fr. John McDonald.  St. William Church was constructed for the sum of $20,000 plus a tremendous amount of volunteer work by the parishioners.  A large donation of $15,000 was given by Archbishop William D. O’Brien of Chicago.  Following the blessing by Bishop James J. Sweeney on February 19, 1956, a luau for more than 1,500 people was held at the Hanalei Pavillion.

The architect designed the church to resemble the long houses of Polynesia.

The photo shows Fr. John McDonald with some of the parishioners who volunteered to help construct the church.