The Anglican representative to the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican, Archbishop Sir David Moxon, presided over the anniversary celebrations at the College of St John the Evangelist (St John’s College) on August 12-15.
St Johns is the theological college for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. It has been located at Meadowbank for 170 years.
It was established in 1843 by George Augustus Selwyn, Bishop of New Zealand.
St John’s College Chapel was built on the grounds in 1847 and is the oldest surviving church building in Auckland. It also has a Historic Places Trust ‘A’ grading.
The graveyard, lying to the west and south of the chapel, holds the remains of some of New Zealand’s earliest settlers.
This includes early Maori and Pacific Island college scholars, early missionaries and their families.
The anniversary celebrations included student lectures, a formal dinner, a church service, and tours around the site.
Moxon presented three lectures during his visit. The first lecture focused on his work in Rome and the Anglican Centre, the second was about ecumenical work and the third focused on what is required for men and women training for mission work.
Archbishop Moxon, permanently based at the Vatican, has a 35-year relationship with the college that he describes as “an enormously enriching place, like no other where students live and must continually encounter issues and people in one place”.
Source
- Stuff.co.nz
- Image: teara.govt.nz
