About 70 people attended the mass including the Filipino choir which led the singing.

Parish priest Mark Field said it was a good turnout on a perfect spring day.

Hamilton bishop, Richard Laurenson presided at the Mass, and afterwards Phyllis Stewart, a parishioner for over 50 years cut the cake. Read more

The claim was made by the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference on Facebook.

As their time in Rome was ending, Bishops Laurenson and Adams visited the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini.

The Church where the bishops had their photos taken is the one where Bishop Pompallier was ordained Bishop more than 180 years ago.

While Pompallier's link to New Zealand is not disputed, commenter Matthew Blair points out that the lineage link to Pompallier claimed by the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference is incorrect.

In reply to the Conference's claim, Blair acknowledges that Pompallier has a special place in our history but says that according to the Catholic Hierarchy, most, if not all, our current bishops trace their lineage through Cardinal McKeefry to Cardinal Gilroy of Sydney, then via several senior Italian cardinals to Pope Clement XIII.

According to Catholic Hierarchy, Pompallier did not even consecrate New Zealand's second bishop, Philippe Viard.

Archbishop Polding, the Archbishop of Sydney, consecrated Viard. Pompallier only co-consecrated Viard.

According to Catholic Hierarchy, Pompallier was not the principal consecrator of any other bishop.

Sources

• NZ Catholic Bishops Conference
• Catholic Hierarchy

The event ran from 15 to 22 September and gathered 267 baby bishops worldwide for training, reflection and dialogue on their roles within the Church.

Building global connections

The Baby Bishops course also offers newly appointed bishops a chance to connect with Church leaders from around the globe. The New Zealand bishops reported they also took the opportunity to meet Australia's newest bishop and the head of Opus Dei.

The week includes joint working sessions, promoting collaboration between bishops from the Dicastery for Evangelisation and the Dicastery for Bishops.

Focussing on key Church issues

The course includes a wide range of topics, from peace and conflict resolution to fostering family life. Dr Linda Ghisoni and Dr Gabriella Gambino, both undersecretaries for the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, spoke about the importance of nurturing marriage within the Church.

They also highlighted the rise of new communities within the faith.

In a session on peace and conflict, Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ led a reflection on Pope Francis' encyclical "Fratelli Tutti," which calls for global unity and the healing of divisions. The bishops were urged to consider their role in contributing to reconciliation and peace within their communities.

Fides reports that topics included -

• The Holy See "in the globalised world"
• The apostolate of the laity
• Living the Episcopal Mission in a Synodal Church

Audience with Pope Francis

As part of the week's activities, bishops attending the Dicastery for Bishops' course met Pope Francis on 19 September, while those from the Dicastery for Evangelisation had an audience on 21 September.

The study seminars, which began in 1994 for bishops in missionary areas, provide new bishops in mission territories with essential insights into their offices through lectures, prayer and dialogue. They also foster collegiality and mutual understanding among bishops from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Sources

• Fides
• NZCBC

E te Ariki, Ka inoi nei matou
tukua mai ki tau pononga ki a Kingi Tuheitia,
kia whiti atu ai ia ki te Kainga o te
maramatanga me te rangimarie.
Ma te Karaiti to matou Ariki. Amene

O Lord, we pray,
grant that your Servant King Tuheitia
may pass over to a dwelling place
of light and peace,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen

Souce

• NZCBC

He puts his avoidance of black down to Josie, his cat.

Late Wednesday night, Pope Francis appointed the 55-year-old Laurenson (pictured) the new Catholic Bishop of Hamilton.

Trust is fundamental

Laurenson says he is looking forward to his new role with a mix of fear and peace. He is praying that he does not disappoint.

Since learning of his appointment, Laurenson says he moves between peace and terror but emphasises that trust in God is fundamental to his life.

However, because the future is known only to God, he acknowledges that putting his trust in God is not always as easy as we sometimes make it sound, saying that it requires an ongoing commitment on his part.

"I find it hard to believe that the Lord wants me to do this," he says

"Trust is an easy word but difficult to live.

"I pray that I do not disappoint him too much."

Locally born

Born in 1968 in Hamilton, Laurenson was only 12 when the Diocese of Hamilton was established.

Now, the Bishop-elect will be the fourth Bishop of Hamilton - and the first of its bishops born within the diocesan area.

And, coming from within the diocese, he has some advantages. For example, he has an excellent working knowledge of the diocese, knows the clergy and, having served in several parishes, knows many people.

He is also the current Hamilton diocese Chancellor, Vicar for Marriage, a member of the College of Consultors and, since 2019, Defender of the Bond at the Tribunal of the Catholic Church in New Zealand. He was a judge and associate judicial vicar from 2016 to 2019.

Laurenson's appointment reverses a recent trend in New Zealand dioceses to have bishops appointed from outside the diocese where they serve as priests. Until Laurenson's appointment, Dunedin bishop Michael Dooley was the only bishop appointed from within a diocese.

The new role

Laurenson begs the indulgence of the people and his brother priests as he adjusts to his new situation.

It is too early to make pronouncements about what the diocese needs to do once the ‘dust settles' he says.

Currently, his thinking is about four areas:

• The RCIA and RCIC
• The promotion of good and Godly liturgy
• Calling young men to a life of brave adventure - priestly vocations
• Good parish-based Catechesis for adult Catholics

New Catholic Bishop of Hamilton - Richard Laurenson

Snapshot CV

Laurenson has served in many parishes in the Hamilton diocese and is currently parish priest at All Saints by the Sea, Papamoa.

As well as many of his diocesan appointments, for more than a decade, Laurenson served as a military chaplain who, for a time, worked alongside peacekeeping forces in Bougainville and Timor Leste.

Laurenson attended Holy Cross Seminary in Mosgiel and has a Baccalaureate in Theology from Otago University (1992). From 2007 to 2010, Laurenson studied for and obtained a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome.

Ordination scheduled

Bishop-elect Laurenson is expected to be ordained on Friday 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, at a time still to be determined.

His appointment fills the vacancy that occurred after Hamilton's former bishop, Stephen Lowe, was appointed Bishop of Auckland in December 2021.

With Laurenson's appointment, all New Zealand dioceses have a bishop for the first time in more than four years.

Source

• New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference
• CathNews NZ