Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington

Archdiocese of Wellington
Archidioecesis Vellingtonensis
Poneke

Location
Country New Zealand
Territory Southern North Island and Northern South Island
Metropolitan Wellington
Statistics
Area 13,831 sq mi (35,820 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2010)
550,000
83,214 (15.1%)
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established May 10, 1887
Cathedral Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Saint Mary His Mother
Patron saint Sacred Heart and Our Lady
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop John Atcherley Dew
Archbishop of Wellington
Emeritus Bishops Cardinal Thomas Stafford Williams
Website
Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington

The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 (2006 census). Parishes number 47 and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the south.[1]

History

Pioneers

The Catholic faith of the new immigrants to Wellington was initially sustained through the efforts of Dr John Fitzgerald who arrived on 31 January 1840. He led the Sunday prayers and organised Christian Doctrine classes. The first resident priest was the Capuchin Father Jeremiah O’Riley who arrived as chaplain to Hon Henry William Petre, a director of the New Zealand Company and one of the founders of Wellington. O’Riley arrived in January 1843 and within a year the first, small Catholic church was built and dedicated to the Nativity. Meanwhile, the Auckland-based French Marists ministered extensively throughout the country and Fr J.B. Compte SM established a permanent mission at Otaki in 1844.[2]

Marists

In June 1848, Pope Pius IX divided New Zealand into two dioceses, Auckland and Wellington, consisting 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 Thorndon on which his residence, St Mary’s Convent and St Mary's Cathedral were built. Fr Garin and Br Clause went to Nelson to establish the church there. Fr Lampila and two others established a mission in Hawkes Bay. Fr Forest and Mr Huntley worked in the Hutt Valley. Fathers Petitjean and Seon travelled extensively throughout the South Island. By 1852 a parish had been established in Whanganui and the Māori mission on the Whanganui River had a resident priest. For ten years, however, Viard received no reinforcements and illness took a toll on his personnel. In March 1860 the Sisters of Mercy arrived from Auckland to take over the works of the four Sisters of Mary.[2]

Prosperity

In 1859 three more Marist priests arrived and pastors could be provided to New Plymouth, Christchurch and Dunedin. The discovery of gold in 1857 and after meant a rapid expansion of the Church on the West Coast, and Dunedin which became a separate diocese in 1869. Irish priests arrived and followed their compatriots and their families to the diggings. The Sisters of the Missions also arrived to establish schools in Napier (Sacred Heart College (Napier) and St Joseph's Māori Girls' College) and in Christchurch and Nelson.[2]

Archdiocese

Bishop Viard died on 2 June 1872 and was succeeded by Bishop Francis Redwood SM who was to remain ordinary of the Diocese for 61 years. The Diocese was raised to an Archdiocese on 10 May 1887 and Christchurch became a separate diocese. Thomas O’Shea SM became his Coadjutor Archbishop in 1913 and remained so for 22 years. Redwood died in 1935 and was succeeded by O’Shea whose archepiscopate lasted for 12 years. Peter McKeefry was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop in 1947 and succeeded on the death of O’Shea in 1954. McKeefry was appointed as a Cardinal in 1969 and was assisted by Bishop Owen Snedden who was auxiliary bishop from 1962.[2]

Today

During McKeefry’s episcopate the Catholic population of Wellington more than doubled and 39 new parishes were established. New orders arrived such as the Cistercians in Hawkes Bay. McKeefry was succeeded in 1973 by Cardinal Reginald Delargey and he in turn was succeeded, on his death in 1978, by Archbishop Thomas Williams who was made a cardinal in 1983. In 1980 the Archdiocese was split with the creation of the Palmerston North Diocese. Williams retired in March 2005 and Archbishop John Dew was appointed as his replacement. He was appointed as a cardinal in 2015.[2]

Ordinaries of Wellington

Philippe Viard was Vicar Apostolic of the Diocese of Wellington from 1848 until 1860 when he became the Bishop of Wellington. Francis Redwood was Bishop of that diocese until 1887 when he became Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Wellington (created in that year) and Metropolitan of New Zealand. All incumbents since then carry those latter two titles.

Tenure Incumbent Life
1848–1860Philippe-Joseph Viard S.M. Vicar Apostolic(1809–1872)
1860–1872Philippe-Joseph Viard S.M. Bishop of Wellington
1874–1887Francis Mary Redwood S.M. Bishop of Wellington (1839–1935)
1887–1935Francis Mary Redwood S.M. Archbishop of Wellington
1935–1954Thomas O'Shea, SM (1870–1954)
1954–1973Peter Thomas Bertram Cardinal McKeefry (1899–1973)
1974–1979Reginald John Cardinal Delargey(1914–1979)
1979–2005Thomas Stafford Cardinal Williams(b. 1930)
2005 to present John Atcherley Cardinal Dew(b. 1948)

Other Bishops

Secondary schools

See also

References

  1. ↑ Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington website (retrieved 15 March 2011)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "History of the Archdiocese of Wellington", Archdiocese of Wellington, 2006(?), pp. 1 and 2.

Coordinates: 41°16′37″S 174°46′33″E / 41.27694°S 174.77583°E / -41.27694; 174.77583

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