Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Wellington Archidioecesis Metropolitae Vellingtonensis Atirikonatanga o Poneke | |
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Paul Martin | |
Bishops emeritus | |
Website | |
Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington |
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington (Archidioecesis Metropolitae Vellingtonensis) is the
The suffragan sees are:
History
Pioneers
The Catholic faith of the new immigrants to Wellington was initially sustained through the efforts of John Fitzgerald who arrived on 31 January 1840. He led the Sunday prayers and organised
Marists
In June 1848, Pope Pius IX divided New Zealand into two dioceses, Auckland and Wellington which consisted of the lower half of the North Island and the whole of the South Island. Bishop Philippe Viard, who arrived in Wellington on the barque "Clara" on 1 May 1850, was the first bishop. With him were five Marist priests, ten lay brothers, two lay male teachers, three Māori and four young women, the "Sisters of Mary" who commenced teaching at what became St Mary's College and Sacred Heart Cathedral School.[2]
Establishment
Viard bought and was given land in
Expansion
In 1859 three more Marist priests arrived and pastors could be provided to
Archdiocese
Viard died on 2 June 1872 and was succeeded by
Cardinals
During McKeefry's episcopate the Catholic population of Wellington more than doubled and 39 new parishes were established. New
Present
In 2019, Dew, addressing the state of the church's buildings and the future of their congregations, stated that soaring insurance costs and a dwindling number of priests meant that the resources of the archdiocese would have to be more efficiently used. He said that fewer resources would be poured into retaining buildings and more attention and energy focused on serving the poor, as required by Pope Francis and the synod. He said that earthquake resilience issues meant that the archdiocese was liable for unsustainable insurance costs and the strengthening of buildings with unacceptable New Building Standard ratings. Already four churches and Sacred Heart Cathedral had been closed because of this. He also stated that some parishes would need to amalgamate to cope with the lack of clergy. He said that the reduced number of priests, which was accelerating each year, meant that in most parishes there was a single priest – often elderly – expected to minister in more than one church. Availability and ability of priests were highly significant factors governing decisions for the future that could not be delayed. Between 2013 and 2017 the archdiocese carried out a parish amalgamation process, which led to the reduction in parishes from 47 to 22, and many of the new parishes had too many churches, presbyteries, and other buildings.[3]
Ordinaries
Philippe Viard was
Tenure | Incumbent | Life |
---|---|---|
1848–1860 | Vicar Apostolic ; see below |
(1809–1872) |
1860–1872 | Philippe Viard Bishop of Wellington; see above | |
1874–1887 | Francis Redwood Bishop of Wellington; see below | (1839–1935) |
1887–1935 | Francis Redwood Archbishop of Wellington; see above | |
1935–1954 | Thomas O'Shea | (1870–1954) |
1954–1973 | Peter McKeefry, cardinal | (1899–1973) |
1974–1979 | Reginald Delargey, cardinal | (1914–1979) |
1979–2005 | Thomas Williams , cardinal |
(1930–2023) |
2005–2023 | John Dew, cardinal | (b. 1948) |
2023–present | Paul Martin |
(b. 1967) |
Current Bishops
- Archbishop Paul Martin, Archbishop of Wellington
- Cardinal John Dew, Emeritus Archbishop of Wellington
Other bishops
Coadjutor archbishops
- Thomas O’Shea (1913-1935)
- Peter McKeefry (1947-1954)
- John Dew (2004-2005)
- Paul Martin(2021-2023)
Auxiliary bishops
- Owen Snedden (lived 1917-1981) (1962-1981)
- John Dew (1995-2004)
Other priests of the diocese who became bishops
- John Kavanagh, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Dunedin in 1949
- Edward Russell Gaines, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland in 1976
- Peter James Cullinane, appointed Bishop of Palmerston North in 1980
- Patrick Edward O'Connor, appointed superior of Tokelau, Pacific (Oceania) in 1992; not consecrated bishop
- Owen Dolan (priest, 1954-1980), appointed coadjutor bishop of Palmerston North in 1995
Secondary schools
- Bishop Viard College, Porirua, Wellington
- Chanel College, Masterton
- Garin College, Nelson
- Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt, Wellington
- St Bernard's College, Lower Hutt, Wellington
- St Catherine's College, Kilbirnie, Wellington
- St Mary's College, Thorndon, Wellington
- St Patrick's College, Kilbirnie, Wellington
- St Patrick's College, Silverstream, Wellington
Child sexual abuse cases
Documented cases of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests and brothers in the Wellington area include:
- Marist Brother Claudius Pettit (birth name Malcolm Thomas Petit) was convicted of sexual abuse of a boy at a Wellington school in the 1990s.[4]
- In 2018 the Society of Mary said that St Patrick's College, Kilbirnie, Wellington.
- Marist Father Alan Woodcock abused children at laicized and left New Zealand to live in England, he was extradited back to New Zealand and was convicted in 2004[6] of 21 sex offences committed between 1978 and 1987.[7] The abuse continued with the knowledge of priests Michael Curtain and Fred Bliss.[8] The Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth assisted in locating him abroad.[9] In the late 1980s, he took up residence in England,[7] where he was arrested in 2002.[10] Woodcock received a 21 year prison sentence.[7]
- Patrick Bignell, who taught in the Hutt Valley, was convicted of "crimes against boys".[11]
See also
- Catholic Church in New Zealand
- Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington
- St Gerard's Church and Monastery
- St Mary's Cathedral, Wellington
- St Joseph's Church, Mt Victoria
- Suzanne Aubert
- Francis Douglas (priest)
- Holy Name Seminary
- Holy Cross College (New Zealand)
- Southern Star Abbey
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses in New Zealand
External links
- Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington, Archives and History
- Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
- "Archdiocese of Wellington". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
- Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington (accessed 11 February 2011).
References
- ^ Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington website (retrieved 15 March 2011)
- ^ a b c d e f "History of the Archdiocese of Wellington", Archdiocese of Wellington, 2006(?), pp. 1 and 2.
- ^ Tommy Livingston, "Cardinal John Dew calls for overhaul of Catholic Church in Wellington Archdiocese", Stuff News, 1 April 2019 (Retrieved 2 April 2019)
- ^ "Child sex abuser memorialised in Marist rugby club's trophy". 22 January 2019.
- ^ Phil Pennington, "Priest's sexual abuse at Upper Hutt school admitted: It's 'criminal' ", RNZ News, 24 September 2018 (Retrieved 8 May 2020)
- ISBN 9781317275619.
- ^ a b c "Paedophile former priest gets seven-year jail sentence". 10 December 2023.
- ^ "Police may go after the clergymen who hid abuse". nzherald.co.nz. 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ Bingham, Eugene (2012). "Sex abuser's sisters bring him home to face justice". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth
- ^ Search results for “Priest” natlib.govt.nz
- ^ Chris Morris, "'He was a monster': Survivor shines light on dark past", ODT, 12 December 2018 (Retrieved 3 May 2020)