Catholic church Maria Lanakila escaped the Maui inferno that killed 80 people

The horrifying wildfires that have devastated the island of Maui in Hawaii this week have spared a historic Catholic church, which some have called a “symbol of hope” for the locals.

The Maria Lanakila church, which dates back to 1846, stands intact among the ashes and ruins of the surrounding buildings and vegetation. The church is located in Lahaina, a town that was mostly destroyed by the fire, which has killed 80 people so far.

The church’s miraculous survival was captured on video and photos that were shared on X, a social media platform that replaced Twitter.

Sachin Jose, a self-proclaimed ‘Catholic journalist’ with over 112,000 followers on X, posted a video of the church with the caption, “A miracle? … According to local reports coming out, Maria Lanakila, a Catholic church in Lahaina has remained untouched by the fire. Maria Lanakila, which translates to Our Lady of Victory has become a symbol of hope for the residents.”

The video was set to the music of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye.

Another Twitter user, Jack Posobiec, a conservative writer and editor of Human Events, a right-wing news site, posted a photo of the church from the front road, which acted as a firebreak.
He wrote, “A new photo shows that Maria Lanakila Catholic Church is still standing amid the ashes and devastation left by the massive fire that destroyed much of Lahaina, Maui this week.”

Posobiec has 2.2 million followers on X.

Newsweek contacted Maria Lanakila by phone and online form for comment.

Terrence Watanabe, the pastor of St. Anthony’s parish nearby, confirmed to The Pillar, a Catholic news outlet, on Friday that the church was still standing.

“Basically what we know is the fact that all of Lahaina Town has been consumed by fire. It’s all gone. The church, Maria Lanakila, is still standing, as is the rectory. The school’s been a little bit affected,” he said.

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The church’s website says that it was established in 1846 and the current stone building was completed in 1873. It contains some old paintings that may have been gifts from King Kalakaua or his sister, Queen Liliuokalani, who were the last monarchs of Hawaii before it was annexed by the US in 1898.

The wildfires on Maui have been raging since Thursday and Friday, and have been visible from space in infrared images taken by NASA’s Operational Land Imager. They are the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaiian history.

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