Clarence Richard Silva


Clarence Richard "Larry" Silva is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Honolulu since 2005. He is the first Hawaiian-born bishop of Honolulu and the second of Portuguese/Azorean ancestry. Prior to becoming a bishop, Silva served as vicar general of the Diocese of Oakland.

Biography

Early life

Clarence Silva was born on August 6, 1949, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Richard and Catherine Alves Silva at Saint Francis Hospital in Liliha. Clarence Silva is the great-grandson of Azorean immigrants to the United States.
Silva was baptized at Saint Anthony Church in Kailua, Hawaii; while he was still an infant, the Silva family moved to California. He attended Saint John the Baptist School in San Lorenzo, California, and Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California.
Convinced of a calling to the priesthood, Silva entered Saint Joseph College Seminary in Mountain View, California, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then attended Saint Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California, where he obtained a Master of Divinity degree.

Priesthood

Silva was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Oakland on May 2, 1975, by Bishop Floyd Begin at the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales in Oakland. Silva spent the summer of 1975 studying Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico. After returning from Mexico, the diocese assigned Silva as associate pastor in the following California parishes:
Silva was named pastor of Saint Peter Martyr Parish in Pittsburg, California, in 1984. Two years later, he was transferred to Saint Anthony Parish in Oakland to serve as pastor there. During a three-month sabbatical leave in 1991, Silva studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. After returning to Oakland, Silva had more pastoral assignments:
In 2003, Bishop Allen Vigneron appointed Silva as his vicar general and moderator of the curia. Silva was instrumental in the planning for the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Light. It replaced the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales, destroyed in the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

Bishop of Honolulu

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Silva on May 17, 2005, as bishop of Honolulu. Silva was consecrated on July 21, 2005, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu by Archbishop William Levada. The co-consecrators were Vigneron and Bishop John Cummins. Silva's episcopal motto is "Witness to Jesus".
Silva was a principal promoter for the causes of sainthood for Father Damien and Sister Marianne Cope, both of whom cared for leprosy patients on the island of Molokai. Silva traveled to Kalaupapa on Molokai on May 19, 2005, to pay homage to Damien and Cope. Cope had been beatified by Benedict XVI earlier that week.
In April 2020, Silva announced during a Sunday mass that the diocese was paying millions to settle prior sex abuse cases. Silva also acknowledged that the diocese was still facing a large of number of sex abuse lawsuits.

Honors

Coat of arms

Silva's episcopal coat-of-arms was designed by Reverend Quang Dong and Thanh Dong. Silva means "forest" in Portuguese. for that reason the coat of arms contain three trees."
  • the kukui tree on the right symbolizes Hawaii. It yields an oil with healing properties that also provides light
  • the oak trees '' on the left symbolize Oakland where Silva grew up and served as a priest
  • the cross in the center, known as the tree of life, has olive leaves symbolizing Malia O Ka Malu, patroness of the diocese.