A Warm Aloha & Welcome to Fr. William Kunisch

Fr. William's installation as the new pastor for St. Anthony's will be on Sunday, January 30th, at the 11am Mass presided by Bishop Larry Silva.

Our new Pastor, Fr. William Kunisch, is a native of rural Michigan and was raised in the Lutheran tradition. He graduat-ed from Hope College in Holland, MI in 1989 with a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy. He also attended Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA where he earned his M.Div. in 1993. After moving to Hawaii the same year, Father William came into Full Communion with the Catholic Church in 1994 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Honolulu. He was accept-ed as a seminarian for the Diocese of Honolulu in 1997 and attended Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where he earned an M.A. in Theology in 2002. Father was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Honolulu on January 12, 2002.

St. Anthony of Padua, Kailua was Father William’s first assignment as Parochial Vicar serving with Fr. Dennis Koshko from 2002-2003. His other past assignments include Admin-istrator of Maria Lanakila, Lahaina from 2003-2006, Rector of St. Theresa Co-Cathedral, Kalihi from 2006-2013, and most recently as Pastor of Resurrection of the Lord, Waipio from 2013-2021.

Father William oversaw the renovation of St. Theresa Co-Cathedral in 2009 and the building of Resurrection’s new Pastoral Center in 2018-19. In the diocese, Father William served for three years as the Director of the Office of Worship, Vicar Forane of West Honolulu and Central Oahu/Molokai, and several years as a member of the Presbyteral Council, College of Consultors, and Personnel Board. In 2021, Bishop Silva appointed Fr. William as the diocesan Ecumenical/Interfaith Officer. Currently, Father William is also a contract chaplain for the VA Community Living Center serving veterans in need of rehab, long-term care, and hospice. He visits the veterans there on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons.

Father William is a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem which supports Christians living in the Holy Land, and he has led several pilgrimages to the Holy Land as well as Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, and Austria.

Some of his current ministry interests include Hope for Mental Health Community and the Stephen Ministry, two powerful ministries of accompaniment, and the Purpose Driven Church Network. In his free time, Father William enjoys dining out with friends, travel, tennis, the gym, and the beach. After all these years, and mostly losing seasons, he is still a Detroit Lions fan,which speaks of his strong faith!

He is excited to return to St. Anthony, Kailua and looks forward to many years here as our Pastor! Aloha & Welcome Fr. William!