The tabernacle built to serve the needs of the first stake organized outside the continental United States is 50 years old on Aug. 17.
Elder Leo N. Perry, public affairs missionary for the Hawaii Public Affairs Council, said the Honolulu Tabernacle was dedicated Aug. 17, 1941, by President David O. McKay to serve the Oahu Hawaii Stake, which was organized June 30, 1935.And this edifice ended up playing an important community role during the World War II era, Elder Perry explained.
Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, regional representative for the Oahu Hawaii North region, related, "The tabernacle is a special place that has been a spiritual haven to countless numbers. As it was completed just months before Pearl Harbor was bombed (Dec. 7, 1941), it became a refuge for thousands of LDS servicemen passing through the islands during World War II."
Elder Perry added that an old house standing on the original property near the tabernacle was converted into a USO facility during the war.
The need for a tabernacle became apparent after the Oahu Stake, which served all the island of Oahu, was organized. So under the direction of then-stake Pres. Ralph E. Wooley, four acres were purchased the same year and construction began in 1940.
A beautiful feature on the front of the tabernacle is a 19-foot mosaic of Jesus Christ by American artist Eugene Francis Savage. The mosaic tiles were imported from Italy.
