On Christmas day, as most New Zealand families awoke to celebrate family and presents, as always many hundreds of families packed out our Catholic Churches across the New Zealand. In contrast to these joyous large Catholic gatherings of families at Christmas, a recent Post Opinion piece followed many other articles highlighting the well-publicised allegations of Read more
A 110-year-old building that once served as a Catholic presbytery has been transformed into a stunning family home in the South Wairarapa countryside. The villa was formerly home to St Mary’s Catholic Church’s parish priest in Carterton and was hauled away in pieces in the middle of the night in November last year. The building Read more
Following a legal challenge to the Vatican, Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew has withdrawn the decree of deconsecration of St Anthony of Padua Church, Martinborough. The news of deconsecration withdrawal came in a letter to Wairarapa Parish Priest Fr Bruce England and was distributed to the Martinborough community parishioners. With Dew recovering from an Read more
Wairarapa parishioners in Carterton were disappointed to see their parish house hauled away last week. Former parish council member Asrina Hutchinson told Stuff it was sad to see the building go after it played such an important role in the community over the years. “It was a very happy place and very much a parish Read more
Evangelisation doesn’t depend on big parishes, says Hanoi’s Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien. Even tiny ones, like those with just 70-200 parishioners each, can still evangelise others. The way Catholics live out their faith is what’s important, he says. They should trust in God, who always loves and blesses them. They should also try to Read more
Of 75 buildings in the Wairarapa tagged as ‘high seismic risk’, civic officials have listed St Patrick’s Church in Masterton as one of six deserving priority attention. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) rates St Patrick’s as only 26% NBS compliant (New Building Standard). Church engineers originally rated the building at a much Read more
After many months of deliberation, the fate of five Wairarapa church buildings owned by the Catholic church has been decided. Three will be put up for sale. Cardinal John Dew announced in June that only Featherston’s St Teresa of Avila and Masterton’s St Patrick’s Church would be kept. The following properties will be up for Read more
Cardinal John Dew, June, announced that St Joseph’s Catholic church at Riversdale Beach would be sold along with three other churches in the Wairarapa. Since then, consultations have taken place between the cardinal and the Riversdale Beach Charitable Trust about the church’s status. According to Trustee Neil Prichard, a sale was unlikely to happen. He Read more
A radical shake-up of the Catholic church in Wairarapa could see fewer church buildings, fewer priests, and a shift in the traditional HQ from Masterton. In a letter to parishes in February, the Archbishop of Wellington Cardinal John Dew directed them to review their churches and presbyteries in response to a “critical situation” with the Read more
In October last year, two Wairarapa Catholic churches were abruptly closed for some time after being deemed earthquake-prone. One of the churches is Martinborough’s St Anthony of Padua. The decision left the local Catholic community to sort out its immediate future including the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass and Carols celebration. The Martinborough Catholic community considered a Read more