Lahaina Front Street Preacher Phillip Prais Memorial ServiceA one year memorial service was held at the old fort at Banyan Tree Park June 11 2009. Lahaina local Front Street preacher Phillip Prais passed away on June 11 2008. He was 66.Tens of thousands of visitors to Lahaina passed by him as he ministered from Banyan Tree Park for over two decades. The pictures and video tribute below are from my trip to Maui during Easter 2008.
Picture Tribute to Phillip PraisMy picture of Lahaina street preacher Phillip Prais playing his guitar and singing at the old fort at Banyan Tree Park on Easter day 2008. We will miss seeing him each year.
The picture of Phillip Prais as most of us Lahaina visitors remember him. He stands at the corner of Front Street and Hotel street in Banyan Tree Park and ministers.
Lahaina Front Street Preacher ManPhillip Prais made many tourists and some of the surrounding store owners uncomfortable. After 20 years of preaching from Banyan Tree Park, he was served a criminal trespass notice on May 16, 2008 which banned him from the park.
He left signs up on trees, cardboard all over the place. We had to clean it up several times. From the Lahaina News on June 5, 2008: ...and all the businesses around the Wharf Cinema Center, the Banyan Tree and south Front Street are in Heaven: the preacher is GONE, and they say, 'Hallelujah – Peace at Last!'... On June 11, 2008 his body was found behind the Holy Innocents Episcopal Church on Front Street a few blocks from the Banyan Tree Park. His death appeared to be from natural causes. Some suspect the natural cause to be heart failure - a broken heart.
Video Tribute to Phillip PraisLike so many Maui vacationers, we looked forward to spending a few minutes listening to him on our vacation each year as we walked up and down Front Street.He would stand at the corner of Front Street and Hotel Street and preach to those of us passing by. Click on the PLAY button in the image below to view our video tribute to the Lahaina Front Street preacher man Phillip Prais. You may get an misleading message video has been removed if you are on a slow connection or the video provider has a glitch. Either try again or watch the video on Youtube.
Poem Tribute to Phillip PraisThis is a poem by Branch Isole from his book Seeds of Mana'o. This insightful poem describes a seminal issue that some businesses had with Phillip Prais - he was a commercial affront.
LAHAINA TOWN CRIER
© 2004 Branch Isole from the book SEEDS OF MANA'O
Your CommentsOn our first trip to Maui in the late 90's, my husband and I met the "Preacher Man". At first, I was scared of him but husband went right up to him and started a conversation. That was the beginning of a new friendship and admiration for a man that did what he loved. Every trip back to Maui started and ended with a visit to the Preacher Man. My husband has an awesome picture of the two of them from a few years ago sitting on a table in his office. He looks at him every day! We have told so many people about him that he was was sought out by our friends and family when they visited Maui. I am so sad that he is gone and we will not be able to see him again. God Bless the Preacher Man! Its been a little over a year now....since we lost a treasure that was "Our Preacher Man".....he is to me, along with Frances and all followers of his Banyan Tree Ohana.....one of the most gratifying reasons I visited Lahaina Town whenever I was on Maui.....I enjoyed coming in to sit, break bread, enjoy natures offerings and listen to the word and message under the Banyan Tree........the spiritual ease which I felt sittin along side him was something I craved then.....something I miss now.....I have been told that faith is the belief in all that is unseen......and for someone like myself......not being able to see him....and receive his words, and feel his faith.....physically under the Banyan Tree weighs heavily on me...... I was a man of little faith.......and he is one person, that in my life and journeys has reached inside my being like no other.....and drawn out faith in the word, and in fellow man....and for that......he is a treasure......and will always be.....Bruddah Phil is not gone.....Bruddah Phil will not be forgotten.....Lahaina Town (without its politics) will forever have a special place in my heart........but Bruddah Phil will always have a place in my heart and remain in my thoughts......Lahaina town will never be the same to me..... it will always be beautiful.......just not the same without him there. Mahalo Bruddah Phil! Walt Austin, Texas Just wanted to thank you for making this tribute for my dad. May his body rest in peace and his spirit live on forever. ALOHA Joshua Kaeo Prais, Phillips son I first saw "the street preacher" when I was a young teen, visiting Maui for the first time from a small town in Canada. From the eyes of an impressionable, small town boy, He was certainly unique, and I vividly remembered him after only seeing him once. From what I now know, it seems that he was just beginning his work on Front Street when I first saw him. I then returned to Maui 2 more times as a teen, and always looked for him by the Banyan Tree. Now, at 33, I am making my first return to the island in close to 20 years. While booking the trip, I had made a point that I was going to introduce myself to the man I now know as Philip Prais. I am saddened to hear that I missed him by only a few months. You always regret most the things you never got to do. Chris in Canada I have grown up listening to Rev. Prais from the sidewalk of Lahaina. It is with a heavy heart that I write this. I will miss seeing him sing and preach the Word of the Lord but he has done what we are made to do which is serve the Lord. Thanks be to the Lord for bringing him home. He was a rock, safe shelter to anyone who needed spiritual comfort. I can not believe they made him leave his home. In doing so they surly broke his heart.I doubt anyone knew more about the Bible or had the ability to minister to the most needy. He was loud at noon everyday, the rest of the time you had to strain to hear the golden drops of wisdom fall from his lips. My heart goes out to his brother Francis and all the others that were so devoted to him. The world is a big place, there is room in it for all of us, there was certainly room enough for Brother Philip. Tolerance and compassion, truth and humility I can only hope to live by the true message Brother Philip dedicated his life to. Blessings, Lily from Alaska Brother Phillip Prais Memorial GOD Willing Banyan Tree Old Fort Saturday June 28th 8 a.m. Psalm 5:3 "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." Lahaina Ohana In Christ ALLELUIA!!! Thanks for your tribute to Brother Philip. I was a close friend and brother in Christ, traveled with him from '87-'98. I miss him, and appreciate your kind memorial! God bless you, Brother Duane Did Lahaina street preacher Phillip Prais touch your life? Do you want to describe something we left out? Do you need to give another side of the story of his life? Leave a comment. Return to Lahaina from Lahaina Locals
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Lahaina Police quoted in the Maui Time Weekly: