Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch

The Latin Rite Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington. Its cathedral and see city are located in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. It was formed on 5 May 1887 from a portion of the territory of the Diocese of Wellington, which was elevated to archdiocese later that same month.

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch in the early 20th century.

Ordinaries of Christchurch
Tenure Incumbent Life
1887–1915John Grimes SM1842–1915
1915–1943Matthew Brodie1871–1943
1944–1950Patrick Lyons1903–1967
1950–1964Edward Joyce1904–1964
1964–1985Brian Ashby1923–1988
1985–1987Denis Hanrahan1933–1987
1987–1995Basil Meeking1929–2020
1995–2007John Cunneen1932–2010
2007–2016Barry Jones1941–2016
2017–presentPaul Martin SM1967–

Lyons was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, Australia in 1950.

Current bishop

Bishops other than ordinaries

Coadjutor bishops

Auxiliary bishops

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
  • Charles Drennan, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Palmerston North in 2011; succeeded 2012; resigned 2019
  • Stephen Lowe, appointed Bishop of Hamilton in New Zealand in 2014

Cathedral and churches
Main article: Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch

St Mary's Catholic Church in Hokitika belongs to the diocese.[1] Following a structural assessment triggered by the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the church was closed to the public in June 2012.[2]

For 57 years, the diocese was responsible for sending priests to the non-denominational Christian Chapel of the Snows at McMurdo Station on Ross Island, Antarctica, the second southernmost religious building in the world. This practice was stopped in 2015.[3]

Secondary schools
Main article: List of Catholic schools in New Zealand § Christchurch Diocese
gollark: Still at 300 or so. 6 slots is not enough!
gollark: I thought people wanted those things.
gollark: Does nobody want 2G PB aeons or something?
gollark: Well, probably some hatchlings, but I think value dropped (blame the market).
gollark: (periodic table codes! though technically under my scheme it doesn't count as one)

See also

References
  1. "Dioceses". The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  2. Mussen, Deidre (19 June 2012). "Engineers to look at Hokitika's historic church". The Press. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  3. "Catholic priests to leave Antarctica because of decline in church-going". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 February 2016.


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