The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was established in the Hawaiian Islands in 1850 following the Edict of Toleration promulgated by Kamehameha III, giving the underground Hawaii Catholic Church the right to worship, and at the same time allowing other faith traditions to begin establishing themselves.



The first LDS Church missionaries to have success among the Hawaiians was George Q. Cannon. Among his earliest converts were men well-versed in the Hawaiian language, such as Jonatana Napela and Uaua. After the construction of the Hawaiian Temple, the Latter-day Saints founded Church College of Hawaii, now Brigham Young University Hawaii, which now includes the associated Polynesian Cultural Center, the state's largest living museum, and an entertainment center; it draws a million visitors annually. The Mormon population in Hawaii continued to increase, and the Kona Hawaii Temple, a second LDS Church temple for the islands, was completed in Kailua Kona on the island of Hawaii in 2000.

At the end of 2006, there were in Hawaii 66,066 Latter-day Saints organized into 15 stakes, 119 wards, and 12 branches, and there was one mission. In addition there were 25 Family History Centers, used for genealogical research and study. Hawaii has the highest concentration of Latter-day Saints of U.S. states that do not border......
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