WelCom August 2024
This month our Hīkoi Whakapono | Journey of Faith takes us to the parish of St Mary of the Angels Central Wellington. The parish includes St Mary of the Angels Church on Boulcott St, one of the major churches of the city, and St Joseph Church, Mt Victoria. The pastoral area extends from the heart of the city and inner-city streets to its harbour wharfs, and suburbs of Kelburn, Highbury, Aro Valley, Te Aro, Mount Cook, Mount Victoria, Oriental Bay and Roseneath, to the base of the city’s east and west town belts.
Photos: Supplied and WelCom
St Mary of the Angels – a second home for many
The parish has been witness to change, to arrivals and departures and connections between people, communities and nations, in a way that is unique in our nation’s history. From the hospitality and trade offered by local Māori to the early settlers decades before Wellington was declared New Zealand’s capital and the seat of Parliament in 1865, those who gather in faith today do so in time-honoured tradition.
The church of St Mary of the Angels – now declared the National Shrine of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven – and the church of St Joseph near the Basin Reserve and Government House, define a pastoral area that has seen a remarkable cast of characters, long associated with public service and social support. The schools and family homes once within the parish are largely gone or rezoned into other parishes.
The parish today is for many something of a ‘second home’. Anyone who has set foot in either church, volunteered at the Soup Kitchen, joined in the singing or lit a candle in prayer is part of an enduring story of faith, no matter where their lives take them.
The Nature of St Mary of the Angels
Fr Kevin Mowbray
In 1939 the Second World War began. December 1941 saw the entry of the United States of America into this conflict because much of its navy was destroyed or severely damaged at Pearl Harbour by the Japanese Navy. Consequently, Wellington became the host to many American servicemen and women, destined to fight in the Pacific campaign. Their presence in the city, especially their sacramental and devotional expression of their Faith, helped initiate a change in the character of St Mary of the Angels.
No longer was it to be just an inner-city parish, a parish much like any others in Wellington during those years. It very quickly became a centre of devotion, spiritual care and reconciliation: long lines waiting for confession; groups approaching priests to talk and pray; Rosary devotions in the early evening crowded with service men and women about to board ship for a future unknown. All of this was particularly marked during the years of 1942 and 1943 when threats of an imminent Japanese invasion swirled through the streets of the city.
This emphasis on the church itself as a centre of devotion, spiritual care and reconciliation was further strengthened upon the return of Fr Tom Heffernan from a term with the parish Missioners in Australia. He was convinced St Mary of the Angels could further develop this turn away from being a parish community to a devotional church by following the example of a similar church run by Marists in Sydney. He organised a programme of times for Mass, confessions, exposition and also Instruction in the Faith.
With various changes, this post World War programme has been continued to the present day. Of course, much has changed but the quest for God still brings many off the busy streets and up the steps to experience a different space. The threat of invasion and death may no longer hang over the city but many, from far and wide, continue to appreciate the quiet, the holy beauty of the church, the opportunities to take stock, to acknowledge greater truths. It provides the chance for anyone and everyone to enter and rest awhile, to reflect or pray, to enjoy solace and peace. For generations of Wellingtonians, whether Catholic or not, it is a reassuring point of reference, a haven, a still point in a turning world. It comforts and strengthens simply because it is there, a grounded memory of eternal realities.
The Marist story
Emblazoned on the top of the steps leading up to the main doors of St Mary of the Angels Church is the Latin motto, Sub Mariae Nomine – the motto of the Fathers and Brothers of the Society of Mary. It means, Under the Name of Mary, and reflects the long association of the Marists with St Mary of the Angels, stretching back to 1875.
On 1 May 1850, Bishop Viard sm, arrived at Port Nicholson (Wellington) accompanied by five Marist Fathers and ten lay Brothers. They established their headquarters in Thorndon. A further mission station was established in the Hutt Valley. In 1875 Fr Kearney sm became the first Marist to be directly associated with St Mary of the Angels. He was appointed to assist the founder of the parish, Fr Jeremiah O’Reily OFM Cap, who was by then elderly and ailing, having served the Catholic community continuously in central Wellington since his arrival in 1843.
As the needs of the growing Catholic community increased, the Marist Fathers were active in establishing more churches and parishes in central Wellington. In 1885 the church of St Joseph’s was built in Buckle St, while in 1902 a new parish was established in Newtown. In 1913 St Joseph’s was erected as a separate parish and staffed by diocesan priests. The parish of Newtown was further subdivided in 1919 and the Marist Fathers accepted responsibility for Island Bay, a smaller part of the former Newtown parish, on Wellington’s south coast.
The original wooden St Mary of the Angels church, opened in 1874 to replace the first chapel built on the Boulcott St site and further expanded in 1892, then burnt down in 1918. Through the extraordinary efforts of the parish priest of the time, Fr Stan Mahoney sm, the church was completely rebuilt by 1922. This is the present-day church of St Mary of the Angels on Boulcott St that looms over Willis and Manners Sts, though somewhat dwarfed now by the Majestic Tower on the opposite corner of Boulcott St.
In 1936 Thorndon parish, with the Basilica of the Sacred Heart as headquarters, was transferred to the care of the diocesan priests. Finally, the parishes of the Holy Family (1960) and Brooklyn (1961) were separated from St Mary of the Angels.
Almost 100 years of division and sub-division of the original inner-city parish of St Mary of the Angels was partially reversed in 2021 when the community of St Joseph’s, now in a new church opposite the Basin Reserve, was reincorporated into St Mary of the Angels.
For almost 150 years, virtually from the arrival of the first European settlers, the Marist Fathers and Brothers have been working in the heart of Wellington city. Though the parish of St Mary of the Angels has shifted in shape and size many times in those years the present community of priests still tries to breathe life into those words that greet all who climb up Boulcott St and into the church – Sub Mariae Nomine: you are welcome and sheltered here, under the name of Mary.
Te Ao Māori
John Sullivan
When the first New Zealand Company settlers arrived in Te Whanganui-a-Tara [Wellington Harbour] in January 1840, the region was home to Māori from a number of different tribal groups, most of whom had moved south during the previous two decades as a consequence of intertribal conflict in their whenua. The area from Ngauranga south to Te Aro was home to Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāti Tama. Te Aro Pā, occupied by Taranaki and Ngāti Ruanui, was on the foreshore near the intersection of present-day Manners St, Taranaki St and Courtenay Place. Its people harvested kaimoana [seafood] from the harbour, eels and flax from Hauwai Swamp (south to the Basin Reserve), and had extensive cultivations extending south to Pukeahu (Mount Cook). They were early converts to Wesleyan Christianity, received from missionaries who had arrived in 1839.1 Despite this, and the friction caused by the New Zealand Company practice of selling to its colonists, sight-unseen land to which it had not yet gained title2,Māori from Te Aro Pā were well represented at services held by Catholic settlers.
A deal of credit goes to the leader of the Catholic community, Dr John Patrick Fitzgerald, the consulting physician at the Wellington Infirmary, who was proactive in extending his medical practice to Māori, and spoke Te Reo. He made extensive visits to Māori communities, promoted public health measures, and a successful vaccination campaign among Māori after the introduction of smallpox from a visiting ship in 18403.
When Fr O’Reily arrived in 1843 he was, initially at least, apprehensive of Māori4, and he did not speak Te Reo. His mission was to the newly arrived settlers, rather than to tangata whenua. When Bishop Pompallier visited in 1844, he left behind Fr Jean-Baptiste Comte sm, who was fluent in Te Reo, as Fr O’Reily’s assistant for Māori. Within a year Fr Comte had relocated to Ōtaki, where he built up a thriving community, which became a base for his ministry to Māori throughout the southern North Island.
During the 1840s the rapidly increasing settler population put pressure on Māori to leave Te Aro Pā and their cultivations, to provide land for colonists. In consequence many returned to Taranaki, and Māori representation in the parish dwindled.
Today we celebrate every year on Waitangi Day with the communities of Te Ngākau Tapu and to Kainga, to acknowledge our partnership under Te Tiriti, and we honour the memory of Dr Leo Buchanan (1941–2017), devoted parishioner and kaumatua, whose tipuna lived at Te Aro Pā.
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa.
Let us keep close together, not wide apart.
- Empire city: Wellington becomes the capital of New Zealand / John E. Martin. Wellington: Te Herenga Waka University Press, 2022. Pp 16-17.
- Steadfast in hope: the story of the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington 1850-2000 / Michael O’Meeghan. Palmerston North, Dunmore, 2003. P 36.
- Empire city: Wellington becomes the capital of New Zealand / John E. Martin. Wellington: Te Herenga Waka University Press, 2022. P 41.
- Apostle in Aotearoa: a biography of Father Jeremiah Joseph Purcell O’Reily, O.F.M. Cap., Wellington’s first Catholic pastor / by Owen O’Sullivan. Auckland: The Word Publishers, 1977. P 30.
Parish priorities – working for justice and peace
Suzanne O’Rourke
The 2017 and 2021 Archdiocese Synod processes arrived at the right time for the parish. By 2021 the decision had been taken to incorporate St Joseph’s Church and community into St Mary of the Angel’s Parish, returning the parish pastoral area to what was in place in the early 1900s. In the interim, much had changed and much had not.
The Compassion Soup Kitchen, established in 1901 has shifted locations and remains operating today within 100 metres of its original site, close to St Joseph’s Church. In more recent times, social justice activities have focused on refugee support and resettlement alongside the enduring work of the Society of St Vincent de Paul and Catholic Social Services. At the other end of the parish, daily access to the sacraments and a quiet space to sit in St Mary’s brings a steady flow of people to lay ministries such as Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats, which focus on resolving the grief of pregnancy loss through abortion.
The synodal process of discussion and discernment, ultimately led to the development of the St Mary of the Angels Parish Priorities, from which various spiritual formation, community and mission activities are being determined. ‘Working for Justice and Peace’ is one key priority area, the others being ‘Sharing our Living Faith’ and ‘Growing in Community’.
Society of St Vincent de Paul
A Ladies Branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society is first recorded at St Mary of the Angels in 1892. It folded around the turn of the century, but the society re-formed in 1907 and there has been a conference at St Mary of the Angels ever since – although numbers have fluctuated with the changing inner-city population. Early activities included visiting the sick, the Terrace Gaol and homes for the elderly, care for visiting mariners, and providing for orphans and families in need.
Today we are active in visiting the sick, the housebound, and social housing; providing food parcels and other practical assistance; helping inner-city schools provide for pupils in need; and assisting former refugees to settle in Wellington. SMOA SVdP members meet monthly and always welcome new members.
Visit vinnies-wellington.org.nz or Facebook vinnieswgtn or ph (04) 369-7122 for information.
Architecture of St Mary’s and St Joseph’s
The architectural treasure of St Mary of the Angels’ and St Joseph’s churches each represent a gift of living faith from generations past to generations to come. In these structures, so important as places of gathering and worship, there is much for which to be grateful.
St Joseph’s Church and community complex is a contemporary design which, when viewed from above, mimics a koru, the centre being the baptismal font unfolding first to the Blessed Sacrament chapel, then to spaces for gathering, sharing, hospitality and public worship. It is a building that claims by its very design, to be interested in people.
St Mary of the Angels Church stands as a much-loved place for public and private reflection, built in the gothic style of European sacred design. On entering the church, the splendour of the stained-glass windows, each telling a biblical story of everyday life, provides an easy prompt to prayer. Parables and miracles are depicted in windows on opposing sides of the nave and the story of how such beautifully crafted pieces, initially destined for a much grander church in Australia, is worth a window on its own. St Mary’s celebrated its centenary quietly in 2021, amidst pandemic restrictions.
St Mary of the Angels
Fr Barry Scannell sm
I was privileged to be parish priest of St Mary of the Angels from 2009 to 2018. I very much enjoyed my time as parish priest. The church is such a beautiful building and a sanctuary for prayer and reflection in the inner city of Wellington.
The Seddon earthquakes in 2013, especially the 6.5 quake on Sunday 21 July, resulted in the church being closed for four years. The quake at 5.09pm happened during the 5pm Sunday Mass. The building had already been assessed as being below the acceptable seismic rating for a public building and while there was no damage during the quake it was a frightening experience for all attending Mass.
Fortunately, Brian McGuiness (managing director of LT McGuinness Ltd) was in the church at Mass and he told me of the enormous stress the building came under during the earthquake. Brian’s understanding of engineering and building practices were instrumental in the decision to close the church and begin the planning of the seismic upgrade.
During the next four years we focused on the engineering and building solutions to earthquake protect this Category 1 Historic Place and to bring it up to the highest possible seismic rating under the new building code.
During the following four years I think many miracles happened including:
1) being able to access the best seismic engineers and consultants to design the best possible way of strengthening the church without compromising the ascetic beauty of the building;
2) having the expertise and generosity of LT McGuinness Ltd as our major building contractor;
3) the generosity of so many people and organisations who contributed $12 million to fund the project;
4) being able to undertake the fundraising and work at a time when many other seismic strengthening projects did not become apparent until after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes.
St Mary of the Angels Church was reopened with much fanfare on 17 March 2017 – on St Patrick’s Day. The seismic strengthening has ensured this beautiful Gothic reinforced concrete church retains its status as one of the most beautiful churches in New Zealand. All of this was possible because of the generosity of so many and the skills of our consultants and building contractor. This Category 1 Historic Place has been preserved for future generations.
Our musical heritage
Music has been part of St Mary of the Angels since Irishwoman Jane Maria Sharp arrived in Wellington in 1841 and established a small choir. The choir sang vespers at Catholic house gatherings, and later in the Chapel of the Nativity on Boulcott St.
When the first SMOA church was consecrated on 26 April 1874, a choir led by Mr Frank Weber assisted with the Mass. Since then, a choral Mass has been celebrated at St Mary of the Angels every Sunday at 11am.
Initially the choir was accompanied by an orchestra and sang Mass settings and hymns influenced by popular theatrical music. Following the liturgical reforms introduced in 1903 by Pope St Pius X, the choir was accompanied by the organ only, and began the transition to Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony. This continues to form the core of the choir’s repertoire today under Musical Director William McElwee. At its heart is the music of Palestrina, Victoria and their contemporaries. Our range has expanded to include more modern works, including music composed within the parish by former musical directors Maxwell Fernie and Robert Oliver and currently William McElwee.
When St Joseph’s (1885) and St Gerard’s (1908) opened they both formed choirs, which have since gone. They played a major role in supporting worship in Te Aro. At St Gerard’s, Frank Oakes (St Mary of the Angels choirmaster 1892–1903) moulded a group of former SMOA choristers into the pre-eminent Catholic choir in Wellington during the 1920s and 1930s. Maxwell Fernie was introduced to church music at St Joseph’s and was organist and choirmaster there from 1929 to 1940. Eighteen years later he returned from England as director of music for St Mary of the Angels from 1958 to 1999.
The liturgy has been supported by dedicated organists who support the congregational singing at Mass, benedictions, funerals, weddings and many other parish events. From the 1890s all three churches had pipe organs built and installed by local craftspeople, culminating in the magnificent instrument installed in SMOA in 1958, designed by Maxwell Fernie and played by him to great effect. St Joseph’s also has a pipe organ donated by the Wellington Hospital Nurses Chapel. David Trott is the current organist at St Mary of the Angels, ably supported by James Young, who selects and accompanies hymns sung by the congregation at 9am Mass.
Following Vatican II, which brought renewed emphasis on congregational participation in the liturgy, new forms of music began to be heard. St Mary of the Angels and St Joseph’s have been blessed by singers and musicians who have brought music that reflects the national backgrounds and traditions in our community.
The impetus was provided in 1991 by Joanne Oliver and Lucia Kwa, who were based at St Joseph’s. With other singers and guitarists they also led the music at St Mary of the Angels evening Mass.
Today at the 5pm Mass, a small group of musicians and singers led by Kathy Perreau, provide enjoyable contemporary music chosen to fit the liturgy. On the last Sunday of each month the 5pm Mass is a youth Mass planned by the young adults’ group (SMAYACs) who also do the music for that service.
At St Joseph’s, the music group founded by the Magnificat Community continues and is led by Moyra Pearse.
Over the years, groups from the Polish, Filipino, Samoan and Korean communities have also enriched worship in both churches, and a Korean choir supports the 11am Mass at St Mary of the Angels during January and throughout the year.
A highlight is the Waitangi Day Mass. In 2003, an initiative of musical director Robert Oliver, after discussion with Pā Colin Durning saw the choirs of St Mary of the Angels, Te Ngākau Tapu and Te Kainga coming together to celebrate our national day at a Mass in St Mary of the Angels. This has become an annual event.
All of the choirs and music groups in the parish are keen to attract new members, and none require an audition. St Augustine is reputed to have said ‘those who sing pray twice’.
Come and help us pray.
Source: John Sullivan, William McElwee
Sr Frances Gibbs OSB QSM
Sr Frances Gibbs OSB QSM has met and spoken to many of the thousands of people who have been parishioners or crossed the threshold of St Mary’s church as visitors since 1974, when she was first invited to help with the Sacristy, alongside her full-time nursing and chaplaincy tasks. She has effectively been the sacristan ever since and while she retired from nursing in 2001, her commitment to the parish and people as a pastoral worker remains more than a full-time role.
Visiting the sick in hospital, Te Hopai, or in their homes is a large part of Sr Frances’ work, as is preparation for the public liturgies and special occasions. She has worked with dozens of clergy over the years and she remembers a time when the schedule included five Masses each day. Today there are still three Masses every weekday, one on Saturday and four on Sundays to prepare for. Weddings and funerals must be accommodated, recognising these are events create an enduring and personal connection to the parish for families. Sr Frances is the first person to say she doesn’t do all this on her own and she is happy to accept offers of help.
In recent years security concerns have highlighted the importance of having Guardians present in the church during the day, so the church can remain open for casual visitors and for private prayer. Sr Frances concedes getting the balance right between improved security measures such as CCTV cameras, the switch to online donations and allowing for privacy.
Sr Frances maintains her Brigidine community connections and credits her 99-year-old flatmate, Sr Cyrprian, as a significant prayer-support for her work. Sr Frances was recognised with a QSM honour in 2010.
Venerable Suzanne Aubert – Meri Hohepa
Sr Josephine Gorman dolc
Awareness of the influence of Suzanne Aubert – Meri Hōhepa in forming our nation’s social conscience, is gaining in momentum now that the Cause for her being declared Aotearoa New Zealand’s first saint is working its way through the myriad of Vatican channels and committees. Already declared Venerable for her ‘heroic virtues’, Aubert is recognised for her command of Te Reo and rongoā, traditional medicines and healthcare, her collaborative commitment to those made vulnerable by the times and not least, for her founding of the Sisters of Compassion.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel, named in her honour at St Joseph’s Church is a fitting reminder she saw God’s presence and love in every person.
Her funeral at St Mary of the Angels church in 1926 was unprecedented in its scale, inclusion and outpouring of public gratitude.
Polish Community
Since the mid-17th century Polish Catholics have had revered the Blessed Mother as ‘Mary, Queen of Poland’. Throughout the centuries they have turned to St Mary for succour and comfort at times of conflict and grief. So it was in 1977 when a plaque dedicated to those who perished in the Katyn massacre at the hands of the Soviet NKVD (the secret police) during the Second World War, was unveiled at St Mary of the Angels Church. This memorialisation, at the height of the Cold War, occurred when the Soviet regime was still denying its involvement in these brutal events. Even during the war, information on the massacre had been suppressed in the interests of maintaining good relationships between the Soviet Union and its Western Allies.
The Polish Community in Wellington comprised, at that time, the largest proportion of the Polish diaspora (or ‘Polonia’) within New Zealand. Many had survived forced deportation from their homeland to Siberia, or other far-flung corners of the Soviet Union, at the hands of the NKVD. Several hundred children and their caregivers, who had eventually escaped Russia through Iran, were given refuge in New Zealand in 1944. Most were housed in the Pahiatua refugee camp, which after the war also served to accommodate displaced persons. Polish ex-service personnel who came to New Zealand to reunite with their children or other relatives also passed through the Pahiatua camp, many later moving with their families to Wellington for work. It was these Pahiatua Polish Children, by then grown up, together with the remining older Polonia generation, who commissioned this plaque.
In Poland, the Katyn Massacre Victims Remembrance Day is commemorated on 13 April. However, for the Polish Community in Wellington each year on ANZAC Day, the Community remembers those tragic events that occurred in the Katyn forests, and other places within the Soviet Union in 1940. They attend the Mass, proudly displaying their national dress, when honouring all those who gave service in defence of their country. The plaque reminds us the sacrifice of the victims of tyranny should not be forgotten – as salient today as it was when the plaque was initially dedicated.
Korean Catholic Community of Wellington
Thirty years ago, a few Korean people met in their homes to promote fellowship among Korean Catholics throughout Wellington. Soon a regular gathering was formed, but we still went to the Mass in different parishes on Sundays. We felt the necessity of joining a parish where we were able to participate in liturgy and the Mass together.
Some Korean people were baptised at St Mary of the Angels, so it was only natural for our community to make SMOA our parish in early 1995. Since then, we have been actively involved in various liturgical activities and ministries, such as altar serving, collecting, being extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and singing at Mass and at the ‘Carols with Angels’ Christmas event.
I was working as a coordinator of RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) for some years and have been an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. Now I’m also involved in the Liturgy Committee of our Parish.
As a community we gather in the parish hall after Mass each Sunday. We have Catholic teaching and Scripture reading, we pray, and practice singing with organist David Trott. We have Scripture-sharing groups each fortnight. We celebrate our anniversaries together with the SMOA pastoral team.
We are very proud of our history of the Catholic Church in Korea that began with lay people without any formal missionary priests and was strengthened by the century-long persecution that produced thousands of martyrs. In 1984 Pope John Paul II canonised 103 martyrs and in 2014 Pope Francis beatified 124.
This year our Korean Catholic community in Wellington will celebrate our 30th anniversary. We remember our martyrs and will try to follow the example of their spirituality.
We thank Fr Kevin Mowbray, the pastoral team and parishioners of SMOA for their support.
– Cecilia Kim, Korean Catholic Community/Chair, Liturgy Committee of SMOA
National Shrine of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven
When Bishop Jean-Baptiste Pompallier celebrated the first Mass in New Zealand at Totara Point in the Hokianga on 13 January 1838, he dedicated New Zealand to Mary as ‘Our Lady Assumed into Heaven’.
During the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 many Catholic parishioners urged the bishops to re-dedicate Aotearoa New Zealand to Mary to seek her protection.
On the Feast of the Assumption,15 August 2021, also the patronal feast of the Catholic people in New Zealand, the Catholic Bishops of New Zealand gathered in Wellington for a Mass to renew Bishop Pompallier’s 1838 dedication. The bishops believed the idea of a renewal of that dedication could help revitalise people in their faith during a period of pandemic crisis.
An icon artwork was commissioned and St Mary of the Angels Church was designated the National Shrine for ‘Ko Hāta Maria, te Matua Wahine o te Atua – Holy Mary, Mother of God’.
The artwork went on a hīkoi, called ‘Te Ara a Mary – Mary’s Way’, visiting the six Catholic dioceses across the country, and returning to its final destination at St Mary of the Angels in August 2022.
Visitors to the shrine are invited to touch the pounamu in front of the artwork and to pray with Mary that God will continue to protect our land and our people.
The Feast of the Assumption on 15 August is celebrated with particular significance at St Mary’s every year. All are welcome to participate in the Mass and to join the celebration and hospitality that follows.
Brief History
1840: Arrival of Dr John Patrick Fitzgerald (1815–1897), consulting physician to Wakefield settlement infirmary and leader and catechist of Wellington’s Catholic community. Other notable Catholics arriving: Baron Charles von Alzdorf, Rowland Davis. 24 Dec, Bishop Pompallier celebrates Mass in home of Police Magistrate, Michael Murphy.
1841: Arrival of Jane Maria Sharp, first organist and choir conductor for Wellington Catholic community.
1842: Fr Michael Borjon sm lost at sea off East Cape while sailing to Wellington to take up role of parish priest. Arrival of Charles Clifford and William Vavasour.
1843: Arrival of Fr J J P O’Reily aboard Thomas Sparkes with Henry and Eleanor Petre, for seven-year posting as chaplain to Catholic settlers in Wellington. 5 Feb, Fr O’Reily celebrates first Mass in room at Baron von Alzdorf’s hotel, cnr Woodward St and Lambton Quay. St Mary’s Chapel opens in rented premises on Willis St opposite Southern Cross Hotel.
1844: New Chapel on Hinau Hill (Boulcott St), purchased July 1843, blessed by Bishop Pompallier as Church of the Nativity of Our Lord. Referred to as St Mary’s Catholic Chapel until consecration of St Mary’s Cathedral in 1851. Early 1850s referred to as Chapel of the Nativity of Our Saviour; from early 1860s as Chapel of the Nativity of Our Lord.
1847: School opens in St Mary’s Chapel, Boulcott St. Teacher James Fryer.
1850: Arrival of Philippe Viard as Bishop of Wellington; appoints Fr O’Reily as Vicar General.
1851: Consecration of St Mary’s Cathedral, Hill St. Chapel of Nativity becomes part of Wellington parish based on Cathedral.
1855: Baron von Alzdorf dies in collapse of his brick hotel; only casualty of second major Wellington earthquake.
1873: St Philomena’s Convent School (Sisters of Mercy), opened on Willis St.
1874: Consecration of St Mary of the Angels Church. Fr Kearney sm appointed assistant to Fr O’Reily. Convent School moves to Dixon St.
1875: Te Aro Parish, based on St Mary of the Angels, created by division of Wellington Parish into Te Aro and Thorndon parishes. Comprises Te Aro plus southern and eastern suburbs.
1876: Marist Brothers’ School opens on Boulcott St, near Plimmers Steps, replaces Fr O’Reily’s school.
1878: Fr O’Reily retires as parish priest, replaced by Fr Patrick Kerrigan sm.
1880: Death of Fr O’Reily.
1883: Societies of Sacred Heart, St Vincent de Paul and Children of Mary participate in blessing of statue of St Joseph. Groups’ first mention at SMOA. Bishop Redwood grants Parish of Te Aro (St Mary of the Angels) in perpetuity to Society of Mary.
1885: St Patrick’s College, Wellington opening. Wooden octagonal church of St Joseph’s in Buckle St, opening.
1892: St Mary of the Angels first pipe organ, opening.
1897: St Joseph’s pipe organ, opening.
1900: St Joseph’s Home for Incurables, Sussex Square, opening.
1902: Southern suburbs of Newtown and Island Bay, eastern suburbs of Kilbirnie and Seatoun, separated from Te Aro Parish.
1903: St Mary of the Angels second pipe organ, opening. St Joseph’s Creche, Buckle St, next to St Joseph’s Church, opening. Te Aro Parish headquarters, Boulcott St, moves to new Buckle St presbytery. Frs O’Shea and Moloney move to Buckle St. Soup Kitchen attached to Home for Incurables.
1908: St Gerard’s Church, Oriental Bay, opening.
1911: Pupils of Boulcott St School move to Marist Brothers School, Tasman St (opened 30 Jan) and Marist Brothers Hawkestone St (permanent building opened Jan 1912). Convent School on Dixon St moves to Boulcott St building. St Anthony’s School, Brooklyn, opens in church building on Jefferson St. Archbishop Redwood opens and blesses St Anthony’s Church, Brooklyn, SMOA Choir (conductor Ted Healy) sang.
1913: Ordination of St Mary’s Rector Rev Thomas O’Shea as Co-adjutor Archbishop; new parish of Wellington East became his home parish based on St Joseph’s in Buckle St. With new church of St Anthony’s in Brooklyn, SMOA becomes Wellington Central.
1915: Te Aro Parish renamed Wellington Central.
1918: St Mary of the Angels Church destroyed by fire.
1922: New St Mary of the Angels Church, opens.
1925: St Mary of the Angels School, Aro St, opens.
1926: Funeral of Suzanne Aubert at SMOA.
1932: First issue of Catholic News, monthly organ of St Joseph’s parish.
1935: Investiture of Archbishop O’Shea. St Mary of the Angels chosen as Pro-Cathedral. Sisters of Mercy convent, Abel Smith St, opening.
1940: Solemn Pontifical Mass for National Eucharistic Congress.
1942: SMOA damaged by Wairarapa earthquake.
1944: Arrival in Wellington of Polish Children.
1945: Closing and subsequent demolition of wooden octagonal St Joseph Church, Buckle St. Parish shifted to east of Wellington’s Basin Reserve into renovated hall beside parish school, staffed by Sisters of Mercy in Paterson St.
1949: St Anthony’s Church moved from Jefferson St, Brooklyn, to new site in Taft St. New St Anthony’s School built on Taft St site.
1954: Funeral of Archbishop O’Shea at SMOA. Investiture of Archbishop McKeefry at SMOA. Basilica, Hill St, becomes his Pro-Cathedral.
1956: Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Webb St, founded as Mass Centre under Wellington East (Mt Victoria) Parish.
1958: Blessing by Archbishop McKeefry of third organ at SMOA.
1960: Webb St Parish, incorporating western parts of Wellington East Parish and southern parts of SMOA Parish, inaugurated, based on Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (renamed Holy Family Church), and included St Mary of the Angels School in Aro St, (renamed Holy Family School).
1961: Brooklyn parish, incorporating southern parts of SMOA parish, inaugurated, based on St Anthony’s Church and School, (renamed St Bernard’s to avoid confusion with St Anthony’s, Seatoun.)
1961: Inauguration of New Zealand Catholic Enquiry Centre, 140 Austin St.
1964: Webb St Parish renamed Te Aro Parish.
1965: Oriental Bay Parish, based on St Gerard’s Church, separated from Wellington East Parish.
1969: Liturgical reception for Cardinal McKeefry at SMOA.
1973: Funeral of Cardinal McKeefry at SMOA.
1974: Installation of Archbishop Delargy at SMOA.
1975: Oriental Bay Parish closes, folded back into Wellington East Parish.
1977: Installation of plaque by Polish Community commemorating death of Polish Prisoners of War, at hands of Soviet forces during WW2.
1978: Requiem Mass for Pope Paul VI at SMOA.
1979: Requiem Mass for Cardinal Delargy at SMOA. Investiture of Archbishop Thomas Williams at SMOA.
1981: Requiem Mass for Bishop Owen Snedden. Christmas morning worship service on Radio Concert Programme presented from SMOA by Wellington Polish community
1983: Restoration of SMOA organ starts, includes completion to original design.
1984: Restoration plaque unveiled by Rt Hon David Lange, marking completion of SMOA exterior restoration.
1988: Redemptorists sell St Gerard’s Church, Oriental Bay.
1989: Papal medal awarded to Maxwell Fernie for services to Church music. SMOA Midnight Mass broadcast live on TV1.
1995: SMOA closed for interior restoration. Choral Mass held at St John’s Presbyterian Church, Willis St.
1996: Korean Community at SMOA established.
2002: Te Aro Parish closes. Northern section incorporated into SMOA.
2003: First Choral Waitangi Day Mass at SMOA with combined choirs of Te Ngākau, Te Kainga and SMOA, featuring concurrent singing of Lord’s Prayer in Māori and Latin. Has become annual event.
2004: New St Joseph’s Church, Ellice St, opens.
2009: Sr Frances Gibbs osb awarded QSM for Services to the Community (sacristan, pastoral worker, hospital chaplaincy).
2010: Introduction of Pastoral Areas in Archdiocese. Wellington Central (SMOA) and Mt Victoria (St Joseph’s) parishes linked in Wellington Central area.
2013: Mt Victoria Parish joins Brooklyn, Newtown and Island Bay parishes in Wellington South Pastoral Area. Seddon earthquake struck during 5pm Mass, 21 July. SMOA immediately closed for seismic strengthening and renovation.
2016: Wellington South Pastoral Area becomes one parish.
2017: SMOA reopens after completion of earthquake strengthening.
2021: St Joseph’s transfers from Wellington South to old alignment with Wellington Central, integrated into St Mary of the Angels Parish Wellington Central. Catholic Bishops of Aotearoa celebrate Mass at SMOA, 15 August, rededicate Aotearoa to Mary, Mother of God, Assumed into Heaven.
2022: SMOA dedicated as National Shrine.