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 man faced complaints from more than one woman before being defrocked (removed from the clerical state).

The former priest - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was defrocked last month.

Written evidence

The Waikato Times says it has a letter from Steve Lowe, Hamilton's former bishop, sent in June 2015.

In it, he said a 2012 complaint was made against the man "for sexualising a pastoral encounter".

That complaint was investigated but not upheld. A further complaint was made in 2014 and the man was "removed from priestly duties" Lowe wrote.

"It was also noted that there was a remarkable similarity between this and the earlier complaint" Lowe said.

Both abuse allegations involved women.

He said the second complaint was upheld and the priest was told there was "no longer any office available to him within the Hamilton Diocese".

"I did, however, grant him the concession to continue to celebrate Mass with the priests at the Tyburn Monastery."

However, further complaints followed.

"I received another letter from concerned parishioners about Father [priest's name]" Lowe wrote.

"They mentioned behaviour at Tyburn Monastery that was unbecoming of a priest and the letter also indicated to me that he had acted in a manner directly disobedient to restrictions I had earlier placed on him."

Lowe finished the letter promising to hold the former priest in his prayers and inviting others to "join me in doing this too".

Allegations denied - no Police charges laid

The Waikato Times says the former priest denies the accusations.

They are "all created" he says.

In a later statement, his lawyer said "All allegations are strongly denied".

The Police have investigated the allegations and "no Police charges were laid" the lawyer said.

He also noted the former priest "is now elderly, retired and wants to live a private life with dignity".

Rejections and legal delays

Lowe says he urged the former priest to return to his country of origin.

He offered to provide an airfare. The offer was declined.

Hamilton Bishop Richard Laurenson says that the former priest's plans to take legal action against Lowe delayed the Church's action to remove him.

"It immediately brought about a stream of civil litigation which froze everything."

He explains that the Church had to stop until civil law concerns were resolved.

Laurenson told the Waikato Times that "contrary to popular belief, a Bishop has very little real power to do much.

"Especially if the cleric employs civil lawyers to fight the situation.

"We rely on the compliance of our priests and the people. If lay people accept a Bishop's statements ...and do not give a censured priest the funds to fight the Bishop, we would not be in the situation we find ourselves in today."

Source

• Waikato Times

It's been prevalent in the Catholic Church, in other churches and within wider society, he says.

Tomb's view is shared by Dr Rocio Figueroa, a theological researcher at the Te Kupenga Catholic Leadership Institute whose focus is pastoral response for survivors of Church abuse.

Figueroa says the Church, in the wake of damning findings about a lack of accountability for both State and Church care, is moving to take more accountability.

Figueroa's research focuses on pastoral responses for Church abuse survivors. She believes the Church is doing its best to respond to victims and deal with abusers.

While she said there was always more that could be done, she was "grateful and happy there is now more accountability. The Bishops are doing the work they need to" she says.

Tombs makes the point that "Policies and procedures have improved significantly in recent years, and Pope Francis and other Catholic leaders have often spoken out on the urgent need to address the abuse crisis and the damage it has caused".

"In the past, the focus of the Church has been to protect its institutional reputation. This has often come at great cost to survivors who have been disbelieved and even blamed when reporting abuses.

"The Catholic Church has sought to be more survivor-centred in its response to abuse disclosures, but a lot of trust has been eroded and will be hard to re-build" he says.

"The problem is not limited to the Catholic Church—abuses have been prevalent in other churches and within wider society—but serious failings in the Catholic Church have often been in the spotlight in media coverage" he said.

Tombs described the Church's response time to sexual abuse as being "painfully slow".

Priest defrocked

Tombs and Figueroa's comments come amidst the defrocking of a priest in New Zealand.

The priest was defrocked by Pope Francis following complaints of an alleged rape by a priest and after all the priest's Church appeals were exhausted.

The alleged rape occurred during a house blessing at the home of the complainant.

"When a priest commits grave crimes, for example abuse of a minor, a sexual solicitation under the sacrament, all these crimes are reasons that can make a priest be dismissed" says Figueroa.

This is just the third defrocking in New Zealand she notes.

The alleged rapist, his victim and the bishop

Defrocking the priest who allegedly raped a Hamilton woman was all very well but it took a long time, says a woman whom the Waikato Times calls Cathy to protect her identity.

But defrocking a priest is "basically our capital punishment" explains Bishop of Hamilton Richard Laurenson.

"As rare as a hanging would be on one level."

However Cathy told the Waikato Times she remained unhappy at the Church's delay in moving against the priest and said she feared "he will do it to someone else".

The Waikato Times understands the man still resides in New Zealand, and complaints about his behaviour date back at least 15 years.

Police job now

"It is now up to the police to take matters any further should they feel they can" Laurenson told Cathy.

Police say they cannot comment on the case.

Source

• Waikato Times

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

He has been a priest for 52 years.

"Looking back over nearly 38 years as a Bishop in three different Dioceses, I am grateful for the wonderful support and loyalty that I have received from Clergy, Religious and the Laity," said Bishop Browne.

When he was announcing the appointment of Stephen Lowe, Browne's successor, Archbishop John Dew said "I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to Bishop Denis Browne for his dedicated service as Bishop of Hamilton for the last 20 years, and his valuable contribution to the Church in New Zealand since his ordination to the priesthood 52 years ago."

"Bishop Denis has always approached his vocation as Bishop in a prayerful and faithful way. He always puts people first, and their needs are always at the forefront of his decisions," said Archbishop Dew.

Denis Browne was ordained in Auckland on 30 June 1962 by Archbishop James Liston.

After ordination, he worked in Gisborne where he served from 1963 until 1968.

He was at Papatoetoe 1968-1971 and at Remuera 1972- 1975.

He served in Tonga (Nukualofa, Houma,`Eva) in the period 1975-1977.

On the 29th June, 1977 he was ordained a Bishop in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland.

He served as Bishop of the Cook Islands and Niue until 1983.

He became the tenth Bishop of Auckland on 24 August 1983 and served in that post until 1994 when he was translated to Hamilton as its second Bishop.

He was:

• President, New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference 2003 t0 2009,
• President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania 2002 - 2006
• NZCBC representative on the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL)
• Secretary of ICEL 2005 - 2011
• Member of the NZCBC Commission for the Church

Bishop Browne was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001.

When he celebrated his 75th birthday in 2012, Bishop Browne reckoned he slipped into retirement mode and it was reported to be having a good effect, because a few days later he played his best game of golf in a while.

Source

• Wikipedia
• Supplied: Catholic Communications
• The Waikato Times
• Image Stuff.co.nz

He is at present Director of formation at the National Seminary, Holy Cross College.

Hearing of the announcement Bishop Browne said, "I am delighted that Hamilton will receive a Bishop with such pastoral sensitivities and expertise both of which Bishop-Elect Stephen has."

"His pastoral experience in parishes and his brilliant term as director of formation will all serve him well and he will be warmly welcomed to Hamilton Diocese."

Lowe said "It has been a humbling and overwhelming experience to have been called to be the third Bishop of Hamilton."

"I look forward now to meeting the people, religious, deacons and priests of Hamilton Diocese and to work with and serve them as their bishop."

"As I do so I am conscious of Bishop Denis Browne's faithful service as bishop and I look forward to learning from him and the Diocesan family as I take up my new ministry."

Lowe was born 1962 in Hokitika, in the Diocese of Christchurch.

After his secondary studies at Westland High School in Hokitika, he worked for the New Zealand Forest Service in Hokitika and Christchurch and NZ Timberlands in Timaru.

During this time he became involved in his local parish in Timaru North where he was involved in a young adults group and with youth in the parish.

In 1990 he began studying for the priesthood at Holy Cross Seminary College in Mosgiel and then the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, United States.

He was ordained a priest June 7, 1996 for the Diocese of Christchurch.

He served as the assistant priest in Mairehau, Ashburton and Greymouth parishes before being appointed parish priest of Timaru North.

In 2005, he pursued studies in spirituality in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

After completing a Licence in Spiritual Theology he was appointed to Holy Cross Seminary in 2008.

"We are grateful that Bishop-Elect Stephen Lowe has accepted the call to this special ministry, and on behalf of all the New Zealand Bishops I express our support and welcome as he becomes part of our New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference." said Archbishop John Dew, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.

"We have no doubt that he will bring a valuable perspective to our discussions."

The Diocese of Hamilton in New Zealand (1980), suffragan of the Archdiocese of Wellington, has an area of 49,700 square kilometers and a population of 678,000 inhabitants, of whom 96,500 are Catholics.

There are 36 parishes, served by 49 priests (32 diocesan and 17 religious), 23 religious brothers, 50 nuns and 6 seminarians.

Source

• Vatican Radio
• Supplied: Catholic Communications
• Image: Holy Cross Seminary

The Hamilton East Community Trust (HECT) is fighting to prevent the demolition of the 74 year old building.

The former convent, rebuilt in 1939, used as a boarding house for girls attending Sacred Heart College until it closed in 2011, is currently listed as a "Category B" heritage building.

Euphrasie House was the first three-storey building in Hamilton, and has a distinctive Spanish style, plaster walls and orange roof that set it apart from many other buildings in the city.

The diocese says it cannot afford earthquake strengthening work, and wants to instead build a two-storey diocesan centre on the site.

Mediation has failed and the matter will now go before the Environment Court.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: Flickr

"I lost a very dear friend this week. We had known each other for only a few years but we got together regularly to talk about life and faith and all sorts of other things", says Garth George.

"He was a man rich in years, rich in experience and rich in wisdom and was always prepared to share his life with others."

George says there are now several dozen permanent deacons in the Hamilton and Auckland dioceses - in itself a lasting memorial to the life of Mike Ryan.

• Read Garth George's column in the Rotorua Daily Post
• Read more of Garth George's columns

Garth George is a columnist, who is published in the NZ Herald