WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Larry Silva, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Honolulu, and has appointed Reverend Michael T. Castori, SJ, as Bishop-elect of Honolulu. Father Castori is a member of the Society of Jesus, a religious order, and currently serves as rector of the Arrupe Jesuit Residence at Seattle University in Seattle, Washington.
“Father Castori is a priest after the hearts of Jesus Christ and St. Ignatius of Loyola,” Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ, said. “He served for ten years in our diocese as parochial vicar of All Saints Parish in Hayward, chaplain to the Tongan Community, and lately as vicar for priests.
“His humility, love for Christ and the Church, and his total dedication to the service of the people of God make him an ideal choice for the office of bishop. His long experience serving in multiple island nations and his fluency in the Tongan language make him a perfect fit for a multicultural Church like Hawaii.
“We thank God for raising up such a good High Priest, leader and servant.”
The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington, D.C. on May 6, 2026, by Monsignor Većeslav Tumir, chargé d’ affaires, a.i., of the Apostolic Nunciature in the United States.
Father Castori was born on Oct. 21, 1960, in Sacramento, California. He received a bachelor’s degree in classics from Harvard University (1982); a master’s degree in philosophical resources (1991); a master of divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley (1998); and studied Hebrew languages at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1999). He received a doctorate in near eastern religions from the University of California, Berkeley (2008), and a licentiate in sacred theology from Fordham University (2009).
He was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1998. Father Castori’s pastoral assignments include: ministry to the homeless through St. Ignatius parish in Baltimore, Maryland for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (1984-1985); Catholic chaplaincies at Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital in Syracuse, New York (1987-1989), St. Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, New York (1989-1991), and Suva Prison in Fiji (1991-1994). He served in pastoral ministry over the summer at St. Anthony of Padua parish in Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga (1995) and St. Teresa of Avila parish in Ha’apai, Kingdom of Tonga (1997), and was chaplain to the Tongan Catholic communities in northern California from 1996 to 2024. He also served in Catholic chaplaincy at San Quentin State Prison in California (1997-2005); in pastoral ministry at Mission Santa Clara and Campus Ministry at Santa Clara University (2008-2013); and he was associate pastor at All Saints parish in Hayward, California (2014-2024).
Bishop-elect Castori’s teaching experience includes: instructor for the Collegiate Program at St. Ignatius House of Studies in Guam (1985-1987); instructor at Assumption High School in Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands (1989); lecturer in philosophy at Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva, Fiji (1991-1994); assistant professor in the department of religious studies at Santa Clara University (2008-2013); and assistant professor at East Asian Pastoral Institute in Ateneo de Manila in the Philippines (2011). He served as a member of the presbyteral council of the Diocese of Oakland from 2015-2024, and as a member of the diocese’s priest personnel board from 2019-2024. From 2021 to 2025, he was vicar for clergy for the Diocese of Oakland. Bishop-elect Castori has served as rector of Arrupe Jesuit Residence at Seattle University since 2025. He speaks English, Spanish, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Tongan.
The Diocese of Honolulu is comprised of 6,435 square miles in the State of Hawaii.