HILO — The U.S. Army is closing its chapel at Kilauea Military Camp.
HILO — The U.S. Army is closing its chapel at Kilauea Military Camp.
The chapel will be decommissioned Oct. 1 and transferred to the Hale Koa Hotel, which runs the recreational facilities at the camp inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
It was built in 1925, and initially used as a mess hall. It became a chapel in 1945.
The military hasn’t used it for religious services for at least a decade, though the building has remained in use by churches and performance groups.
General Manager Richard LeBrun said in a press release that the camp will not continue religious services, noting it does not have the “expertise or authority to run chapels.” The future use of the building has not been determined.
Col. Peter Mueller, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii chaplain, said the military may not have held a service there since the late 1990s.
He said it should have been decommissioned once the last stationed troops left. Garrison spokesman Larry Reilly said that occurred shortly after Sept. 11, 2001.
“It was just being used out of sight out of mind,” Mueller said. “No one here considered it part of our inventory.”
Mueller said he realized it had not been decommissioned shortly after becoming the garrison’s chaplain in February.
The Army approved its closure in June.
Before officially transferring the building to the management of Hale Koa Hotel, the Army will remove any religious items that belong to the military.
Mueller said the church has remained in use by Protestant, Catholic and Buddhist groups.
St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, based in Mountain View, has used it for one of its Sunday services for at least 15 years, said Pastor Lito Redondo.
Redondo said it will continue to use the chapel until Oct. 1. It will still have a church to use in Mountain View.
He said he wasn’t disappointed by the decision to close the chapel adding, “That’s the decision of the chaplain, so we have to follow.”
The Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network has used the chapel to host several concerts a year.
Executive Director Suzi Bond said the group wants to continue using it and noted its character and “good acoustics.” But she believes it can find other locations at the camp.
“We’re flexible and we can move into the theater,” Bond said.
She said she hopes the camp keeps the chapel the way it is.
“It’s a very welcoming room,” Bond said.