The prominent central Wellington church is closed due to a positive case of Covid within the priests' community.

A March 7 notice on the parish's website says the Church is closed immediately.

Four priests live in the Marist community and all are fully vaccinated.

"Due to a positive case in the community and the priests needing to isolate, St Mary of the Angels Church will be closed immediately and all Masses and Reconciliation are cancelled" states the parish notice.

In his February 17 letter to priests and lay pastoral workers, Archbishop of Wellington Cardinal John Dew emphasised the importance of helping people feel safe when coming to Mass, to the point, in some areas, of going beyond the government's guidelines.

Among these guidelines, Dew cites the requirement for the priest and other ministers to be masked.

In the same letter, Dew permitted churches to be closed if Covid infections in the parish area rise to a point where it is unsafe or when the priest or priest's household members contract Covid and need to self-isolate.

The St Mary's parish also incorporates St Joseph's church by the Basin Reserve.

The parish is inviting parishioners from St Mary's to attend Mass at St Joseph's at 9:30. Mass bookings open on Wednesday at 9 am and close on Friday at 12 pm. There is a 100 person gathering limit.

Dew also asks parishioners not to attend Mass in other parishes as they will be trying to provide for their own people within the 100 person limit.

"In these changing and challenging times when many people are anxious about both the present and future, and there is uncertainty in planning events including Lent and Easter liturgies, I thank you for all you are doing. I am well aware that it is not easy and there are lots of varying opinions about government regulation, but our aim is to keep ourselves and others safe," writes Dew.

The Government announced on Wednesday that as of midnight Friday the isolation period for Covid-19 cases and their household contacts reduces from 10 to 7 days.

Sources

• St Mary of the Angels
• Letter of Cardinal Dew (supplied)
• NZ Herald

Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier and the early Marist fathers and brothers first dedicated the mission to New Zealand before they left France.

Then, after arriving, in 1938 they dedicated the country to Mary.

However, during the 2020 COVID lockdowns, many New Zealanders wrote to the Catholic bishops asking for them to dedicate the country to Our Lady.

The bishops' responded by commissioning an artwork of Mary and the child Jesus and agreed to re-dedicate New Zealand to Mary's care.

"There was a strong hint in many of these requests that if we had done this early enough the pandemic would not have even started!' said Cardinal John Dew.

"But, we know that Mary is not a magician!" Dew said on Sunday at the re-dedication Mass.

However, Dew told the standing-room-only St Mary of the Angels congregation, that renewing the country's dedication to Our Lady is about each of us.

"It concerns our future," he said.

"This is a day of hope for humanity.

"Even as we think of many sad situations, we can live in hope and hold out hope to others.

"Think today especially of women overwhelmed by the weight of life and the drama of violence; women who are slaves to the arrogance of the powerful; girls forced into inhumane work; women forced to surrender in both body and spirit to the greed of men.

"Our prayer today is for a life of peace, justice and love to reach these women in expectation of the day in which they finally feel gripped by hands that do not humiliate them, but lead them with tenderness into the presence of God."

At the Mass, a substantial Aotearoa-themed artwork depicting Mary and the child Jesus was unveiled.

Created by Rangiora artist Damien Walke, the artwork has left for Invercargill; the start of a hikoi around the country.'

The hikoi will end with the artwork's return and permanent placement in St Mary of the Angels, which will become a national shrine.

Auckland's Bishop, Patrick Dunn was not well enough to travel.

Source

• New Zealand Catholic Bishops
• Excerpts from Cardinal John Dew's homily (supplied)
• Image supplied

One element of the messaging surrounds the translation of the shrine's name which was corrected then confirmed by the bishops on advice from Manuel Beazley (pictured) who is the Auckland Diocese Vicar for Maori.

Beazley received support from other Katorika Maori in this choice.

The full name for the shrine now is: Te Ara a Maria: Mary's Way.

"We needed a formal name for the renewal, and Manuel's suggestion beautifully captures the role of Mary as the model of discipleship who leads us in the way of missionary discipleship," Stephen Lowe, the Bishops Conference secretary says.

The bishops confirmed that St Mary of the Angels church in central Wellington will become a national shrine to Our Lady.

The ceremony will begin with a Mass at St Mary of the Angels in Wellington on Sunday 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption.

The bishops also spoke of hikoi that will carry the artwork around the country's six dioceses and that the hikoi will now take place after the dedication ceremony.

Earlier this year a planned pre-dedication hikoi was cancelled until further notice after the hikoi had been approved without sufficient discussions with the wider community, including Katorika (Catholic) Maori.

Bishop Jean-Baptiste Pompallier dedicated the country to Our Lady Assumed into Heaven in 1838 when he celebrated his first Mass in this country at Totara Point in the Hokianga.

August 15 is a Holy Day of Obligation for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which falls on a Sunday this year. Parishes throughout the country will be invited to join in prayer for the renewal of the dedication.

Lowe says the bishops decided to renew the country's dedication to Our Lady following requests from parishioners during last years nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.

Rangiora artist Damien Walker has been commissioned to paint an image of Mary and Jesus that will be unveiled at St Mary of the Angels on 15 August.

Source

• Catholic Bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand
• Catholic Bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand
• Image: New Zealand Catholic

Twenty-five projects were commended that "have changed the face of Wellington city and other regional centres.

Bulleyment Fortune Architects and Ian Bowman, architectural conservator were the winners of the Heritage Award for the work done on St Mary of the Angels.

The jury called the restoration and seismic strengthening of St Mary of the Angels a "labour of love".

The citation says: "In many ways, St Mary of the Angels is the pinnacle of achievement for Wellington religious architecture, and an expression of faith in the pinning of buildings to the sides of rocky outcrops.

The restoration and strengthening of the church has been a labour of love for many.

Through subtle, understated, and almost invisible measures, including this century's only new Gothic flying buttresses.

The late Dennis Fortune has brought Frederick de Jersey Clere's brilliant original design into the modern seismic code era. St Mary of the Angels should endure well into the next century."

Source

architecturenow.co.nz

First to disappear was the paschal candle.

It had been used in a shrine halfway up the main aisle on the weekend of the mosque shootings in Christchurch.

But after moving it back to the sanctuary it was stolen a few days later.

The candle is worth about $100 and was due for replacement at Easter.

A few days later the Lectionary containing the scripture texts for the weekday Masses was also taken.

Parish priest Fr Kevin Conroy said he reported the theft to the police but on being asked whether he wanted it investigated he told them not to bother.

St Mary of the Angels is located in Wellington's CBD. The church is open from 6.30 am on weekdays and is locked and alarmed from 6.00 pm.

The Eucharist is celebrated each week-day day in the morning, at midday, and in the evening.

The sacrament of reconciliation is available at different times during the day.

It also provides a place of peace and reflection for Wellingtonians from many walks of life and visitors to the city to spend some time in silence and prayer.

One person on Trip Advisor describes it like this:

"This lovely old Catholic Cathedral is a visual feast with its stunning stain glass windows which are as good as any that can be found globally.

"Service times are clearly marked on the board outside so if you're simply going for a look or wish to find a calm, peaceful place, in the middle of the city to sit for a little bit you can confidently enter knowing you are not disturbing others."

When there are not public services taking place volunteer guardians are rostered to be a presence.

The parish looking for more volunteers to fill some gaps in the roster.

Sources

• Supplied
• tripadvisor.co.nz
• Image: tripadvisor.com

The move by the parish priest of St Mary of the Angels, Fr Kevin Conroy SM, came after helpful conversations with Liz Tonks, an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, and a further conversation with Catholic Church media advisor Dame Lyndsay Freer.

Initially, Conroy was uncertain about what the ribbons meant, so he cut them down.

"People dump pamphlets without permission, people put rubbish in our gardens, glass, vomit, whatever. And so we're forever trying to keep the place looking like it should", he told Dr Murray Heasley in a covertly recorded conversation.

Heasley is a spokesman for the Network of Survivors in Faith-based Institutions.

Freer told Stuff that the initial removal of the ribbons "does not mean the church is in any way lacking in empathy for the victims of abuse."

She said Conroy had a think about it and was now happy to see the ribbons reinstated.

Freer said Conroy explained at Mass the significance of the ribbons to parishioners, included a prayer for survivors of sexual abuse, invited parishioners to add to the collection of ribbons and added his own.

The St Mary of the Angels ribbon protest was part of the 'Loud Fence' movement which began last year in Australia as a response to the Australian Royal Commission.

In Wellington, the ribbons were placed on the church fence to acknowledge historic sexual abuse of children in the Wellington Diocese, particularly at St Patrick's Colleges in Silverstream and Wellington City, and at St Bernard's College in Lower Hutt.

In October, the movement reached Dunedin where sexual abuse survivors tied ribbons to the gates of St Joseph's Cathedral.

On that occasion, Dunedin Bishop Michael Dooley and others from the city's Diocese were on hand for the event to offer their support.

Talking to Stuff, an unnamed abuse survivor called the initial ribbon removal 'an outrage.'

"For the priests to take our ribbons down, rather than - as happened in Dunedin - joining the survivors and their supporters in acknowledgement of what happened and advocating [for] it be addressed ... is insulting, devastating and an attempt to silence survivors."

Sources

• Stuff
• ODT

Entered in the Heritage and Restoration category, the St Mary's project took out both Gold and Category Winner medals.

The awards were announced on Friday, at Sky City, Auckland.

With five category Gold medals, four Silver and one Bronze awarded, construction company LT McGuinness faced down strong competition.

In making the awards, the judges commented "the outcome was a finished church that looked identical to the original."

And, "It will stand the test of time."

Brian McGuinness, Managing Director of LT McGuinness, is thrilled to win the award.

He described the job as a "heart and soul project."

With considerable budgetary constraints and funding provided by personal and community donations, Mr McGuinness said the project was very different.

The priest who oversaw and fund-raised for the seismic strengthening of the Church, Fr Barry Scannell SM, is excited by the award.

"It's a fantastic recognition, particularly for LT McGuinness", says the former Parish Priest, speaking on Sunday after Mass from his new parish of Napier.

Fr Scannell on Wednesday received the MNZM at Government House, Wellington, from Governor General Her Excellency The Rt Hon. Dame Patsy Reddy, for services to the community and heritage preservation.

Eight other church-based projects featured prominently throughout the various award categories.

The New Zealand Commercial Project Awards are New Zealand's prestigious awards programme which set the benchmark for commercial construction in New Zealand.

The awards are about celebrating the completed construction projects and the team relationships that achieve them.

In 2017, Kerrin Manuel of LT McGuinness won the James Hardie Innovation and Excellence award for finding an innovative solution which materially benefited the St Mary of the Angels project, but which also provides longer term benefits for the construction industry.

Sources

• Society of Mary NZ
• New Zealand Master Builders Commercial Projects Awards
• LT McGuinness

The feature-length documentary is about the seismic strengthening of St Mary of the Angels church in central Wellington.

Parish priest Father Barry Scannell, who features in the film, says it "beautifully captures" the scale and challenges of the $9.5 million rebuild.

"The whole project was a great test of faith - never really knowing if it would all work out ... but the end result is just stunning," he said.

He hopes the documentary will help shed a light on the immense amount of work that went on behind the scenes to get the church to the standard it's at today.

"The finished film has turned out to be a remarkably rich documentary which anyone will enjoy - especially Wellingtonians who know of the church and its special place in the capital's history."

The film started out as just a way to document the church-strengthening project.

However, filmmakers Paul Davidson and Barbara Gibb quickly realised there was more to the story.

Now A Test of Faith tells the whole story of just how much of the church was taken apart and replaced with modern materials and innovative engineering.

"Although it was an exercise in challenging architecture and engineering, I knew that the story amongst all that could make a really rich, people-focused documentary," Davidson says.

"The fascinating thing for me was the intertwining relationships of all those working on the site, from the architects and engineers to the labourers down on the ground."

Proceeds from the gala, which had a price tag of $100.00 per ticket, will help fund completion of unfinished work on the church crypt, choir room and grounds.

Source

• Stuff
• Image: Stuff

He is only the second New Zealander to win the competition, after New Zealand-born organist Dame Gillian Weir in 1964.

In 2009, as an 18-year-old, Gaynor was the first recipient of the Maxwell Fernie Centenary Award.

Fernie was the director of music at St Mary of the Angels from 1958 until his death in 1999.

The trust continues Fernie's legacy by awarding scholarships to students of the pipe organ, choral music and conducting.

As a young boy, Gaynor learned the piano for a while but was transfixed by the power of the organ when he was listening to a concert at the Wellington Town Hall.

His mother thought it was unusual, but she found him an organ teacher at St Paul's Cathedral, where from the age of 11 he learned to play. He went on to be honorary sub organist there, later working as the organist at St Mary of the Angels.

In May, while visiting New Zealand, Gaynor gave a recital in St Mary of the Angels on the newly refurbished Maxwell Fernie organ.

It was the organ's first recital after the church reopened following its earthquake-related work.

Douglas Mews, artist teacher in organ at the New Zealand School of Music, says St Albans is probably the most famous organ competition in the English-speaking world.

Winning St Albans launched a huge career for Weir: "So I imagine Tom's career, which was already very successful, will be rocketing to the stars now," Mews says.

Held every two years in the historic city north of London, the two-week long, multi-round competition ends with three finalists giving a solo recital, then playing a concerto with the Royal Academy of Music Chamber Orchestra at St. John's Smith Square in London.

Sources

• Stuff
• Thomas Gaynor
• Stuff
• The Masons
• WelCom
• The Maxwell Fernie Trust
• Image: Event Finder

The city council's Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian Awards acknowledge members of the community who have made outstanding contributions to the Capital and its people.

The picture above shows mayor, Justin Lester, Mr Keith Quinn, who received award on behalf of Scannell, and councillor Nicola Young.

Lester set the scene for presenting the awards.

"The Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian Awards are about recognising the people who selflessly give so much to our communities", he said.

Wellington city councillor, Nicola Young introduced Scannell to the other recipients and invited guests.

She described him as a "tireless worker" who is "deeply involved in many areas of Wellington life".

Councillor Young lauded Scannell for making the decision to close the church in the interests of public safety, saying the decision was vindicated by scientific tests showing the church was only 20% of the building code.

Labelling both the fundraising campaign and Scannell's lead role as "ambitious", Young praised the St Mary's parish priest for continuing to lead his congregation throughout the challenging process.

Called out of Wellington for a funeral, Scannell had asked Keith Quinn to represent him.

"In accepting this award I have to say I think this is a classic example of a Wellington friendship which goes across diverse and different interests and beliefs - which can lead to firm friendships," Quinn said in reply to Councillor Young.

"I am not a churchgoer at all (and Barry obviously is!) but our friendship is real - I have always noted his total commitment to his faith and his church - and in particular the hard work he put in to the recent re-build of the Wellington icon which is St Mary's of the Angels".

Source

• sm.org.nz
• Image: smnz.org

The possible additions to the current outreach at the newly earthquake strengthened Church, are the result of an Alpha Leadership Course and meeting of Marist city centre ministers held recently in London.

The changes are floated by a member of the St Mary of the Angels staff, Fr Kevin Conroy, who attended the early May leadership conference, along with 6,000 people from all denominations.

"Could St Mary of the Angels Parish, through Alpha Catholic courses, alternative liturgy styles, and focussed intercessory prayer by a core group of the parish, reach out to more people in Wellington?" asks Conroy by way of reflection.

Energy and hope

Conroy described being with thousands of mainly young and passionate about being christian, as giving him "energy and hope".

Labelling the conference input as "high quality", He said for him Cardinal Tagle and Jean Vanier were the standout speakers

"They moved me by their simplicity, joy and wisdom", he reflected.

Conroy said Cardinal Tagle described a church leader ‘as someone needing a compelling vision,' and who, on a practical level, has the opportunity to ‘model their vision when they meet people.'

Developing the Cardinal's observation, Conroy quotes him: "Often people come with dilemmas rather than problems to be solved, and a good leader helps a person find meaning rather than give a solution".

Conroy summed up Vanier's definition of leadership as simply, "helping people to grow in their humanity by listening well to them".

Alpha endorsed

The Alpha conference was endorsed by several high profile Catholics including Cardinal Christoph Schonburn and Preacher to the Papal Household, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa.

In an interview Cardinal Schonburn says Alpha helps us to be less afraid in bringing people to Jesus; it brings us joy.

Source

• sm.org.nz
• Image: sm.org.nz

The church was reopened and blessed by Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington, last week.

It had been closed for almost 4 years to undergo earthquake strengthening.

At the completion of the $9.5 m project the only visible change is the addition of two sheer walls at the rear of the church.

Large parts of the church have been taken apart and rebuilt.

But special care has been taken to retain its original appearance.

Before the work began the church was assessed to be between 15 and 20% of the current building standards. It is now close to 100% compliant.

"But you'd never know the difference thanks to 3D digital mapping that's helped preserve the 1922 gothic architecture and some creative solutions to replace columns along the 21-metre-high ceiling," said Brian McGuinness.

He is the managing director of LT McGuinness, the construction company that undertook the project.

He was at Mass in St Mary of the Angels when the second Seddon earthquake occurred.

It is understood the cost of the project was put at more than $20m but LT McGuinness gave the church "value for money".

There has been widespread praise for Fr Barry Scannell, the parish priest of St Mary of the Angels.

He made the difficult decision to close the church and he then energetically led the money raising campaign required to fund the restoration.

"No-one else had the determination, vision, courage and cheek to enable this to happen," said Cardinal Dew after he had blessed are re-opened the church.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• tvnz.co.nz
• Image: screenshot video Paul Davidson

Four major construction projects are underway in Boulcott St, which has been labelled several hundred metres of motoring hell, with cars regularly bumper to bumper.

The projects are a revamp of the old Dominion Post building, seismic strengthening of the Majestic Centre and St Mary of the Angels, and the construction of an eight-storey apartment building.

St Mary of the Angels' Fr Barry Scannell, SM, said work on the church was not contributing to the congestion.

But Fr Scannell said the traffic troubles were adding to the price tag for the donation-funded project.

The church paid $800 a week to the Wellington City Council to hire five parking spaces off the road where trucks and work vehicles could park, and unload materials.

It was a "very expensive exercise" for the church as it upgraded a category 1 historic place through fundraising, Fr Scannell said.

Wellington City Council said there is little it can do about the timing of the work.

Council spokeswoman Victoria Barton-Chapple said congestion was "understandably frustrating" due to large and heavy vehicles on the road.

She said this should be only between the times in the traffic management plans for all of the sites, and which staff inspected every day.

"Unfortunately we have no control over the timeframe over the completion of these sites."

Sources

• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: Stuff.co.nz

Council staff had recommended giving the church $200,000 to help with its $9.3 million earthquake strengthening project.

But city councillors increased their contribution to $400,000 on Thursday, and signalled as much as $500,000 be given to St Mary of the Angels.

Deputy Mayor Justin Lester proposed giving the church $250,000 from the Built Heritage Incentive Fund this financial year and pre-approving $150,000 from the fund for 2016-17, provided it ticked all the boxes with councillors during the Annual Plan process.

He suggested even more money could be found for the church from other budgets in next year's Annual Plan, taking the total contribution up to $500,000.

Before agreeing to hand over more funding, councillors heard from representatives of Chamber Music New Zealand and the New Zealand Festival, and St Mary of the Angels patron Sir David Carruthers.

In her report to councillors, Vanessa Tanner, the council's senior heritage advisor, had said St Mary of the Angels was a fine example of a late Gothic Revival-style church.

"The building is an enduring landmark on Boulcott and Willis streets and makes a strong contribution to the sense of place and continuity of its site and the streetscape."

St Mary's was one of nine heritage properties that received a slice of the $675,500 councillors dispensed from the Built Heritage Incentive Fund.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

"Adjacent to the Majestic Centre, St. Mary of the Angels Church has been closed since 2013 because of safety concerns."

"A planned NZ$3 million earthquake strengthening project includes 50 new rock anchors—cables drilled into the ground to anchor the building against the upward thrust of a quake."

"Reinforced concrete beams encased in fiberglass will replace eight of the main columns in the church."

"'It's a moral obligation,' said Dave Mullen, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese in Wellington."

The article also talks about Project Stronger, the Archdiocese of Wellington's plan to upgrade all its earthquake prone buildings.

Red stickered Erskine College, which is describes as a 110-year old French Gothic building, also gets a mention.

Source

www.wsj.com

Well over a thousand people attended the event called "Festival of the Stars - Ave Maris Stella," held at St Patrick's College, Wellington.

Sponsored by St Mary of the Angels, the singing, music, dance and food event brought together the many diverse cultural elements of the city parish community.

Parish Priest of St Mary of the Angels, Fr Scannell SM described the event as "wonderful" and "very inner-city".

"It's fantastic to be able to express and show the wide variety of cultures and to do it in a way that helps the seismic strengthening of St Mary of the Angels.

"Maori, Chinese, Korean, Philippino, Tongan, Irish, Polish, Indonesian, English and New Zealand cultures all participated", he said.

It is the first time St Mary of the Angels has hosted such an event and event organiser, Mr Robert Oliver already has plans for 2016.

"I hope it is going to be bigger and even better.

"Ave Maris Stella encapsulates something very Wellington, very New Zealand at the moment", he said.

Mr Oliver explained the genesis of "Ave Maris Stella" as the bringing together of two ideas; the opportunity to celebrate mid-winter and the need to raise another $4.5m to strengthen the St Mary of the Angels church.

Mr Oliver said he tested the idea of a mid-winter festival with people in the parish community and it sort of spread out into the other elements of the wider community.

Asked how much the event will raise, Mr Oliver described the amount as "peanuts" in comparison to what is required.

"It's not really just about the money", he said.

"Ave Maris Stella shows we want to offer something to the community, we are part of the community.

"It also shows we're trying to do something towards raising this massive sum of money", he said.

Last week the St Mary of the Angels Charitable Trust received $1.7m from the Lottery's Commission, leaving it with a further $4.5 to raise.

"It also shows we're trying to do something towards raising this massive sum of money", he said.

Mr Oliver said he tested the idea of a mid-winter festival with people in the parish community and it sort of spread out into the other elements of the wider community.

"Ave Maris Stella encapsulates something very Wellington, very New Zealand at the moment", he said.

The irony of holding a inner-city event in Wellington's eastern suburbs was not lost on Mr Oliver.

"We're in exile at the moment while this beautiful inner-city Church is closed for strengthening, and we are very lucky to have such a strong relationship with St Patrick's College", Mr Oliver told CathNews.

Last week the St Mary of the Angels Charitable Trust received $1.7m from the Lotteries Commission, leaving it with a further $4.5 to raise.

Video of the work done to date shows contractors L T McGuinness are well underway with the first phase of bringing the heritage-listed church up to 100 per cent of code, which involves strengthening its foundations and shear walls.

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake forced the church's closure in July 2013 after its structure was found to be between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of new building standards. Any building below 33 per cent is considered earthquake-prone. View video

The theme will be the stars of midwinter: Ave Maris Stella - Matariki.

Matariki is the Maori name for the seven-star constellation that rises in the north-east before dawn in late May / early June.

In Western astronomy it is known the Pleiades, and it forms the shoulder of Taurus the Bull.

The festival will take place in St Patrick's College hall in Kilbirnie.

It will begin at 10:00am with a formal ceremony, and conclude at 6:00pm.

The Catholic Community of Wellington is a microcosm of New Zealand Society.

Along with the Tangata Whenua it includes people who have come to New Zealand from many different parts of the world, Dutch, Samoan, British, Tongan, Chinese, Polish, Tokelau, French, Indonesian, Kiwi, Indian, Italian, Korean, German, Filipino and many other places.

All of the these ethnic communities have been invited to showcase their cultures.

During the day there will be a programmed series of events that will give an opportunity for each of the ethnic groups to demonstrate or perform some aspect of its culture.

The St Mary of the Angels choirs will also be involved.

The organisers are asking for a response from all of Wellington's parishes and communities.

Anyone one who is interested in taking part can contact Robert Oliver:
robert.oliver@paradise.net.nz
04 934 2296;
021 0257 4375

Source

• Supplied
• Image: Farm4.static.flickr.com matervictoriae.altervista.org

Among those present were church patron and former prime minister Jim Bolger, Cardinal John Dew, parishioners and construction workers who will be involved in the project to bring the heritage building up to 100 per cent of the new building standard. Continue reading

Parish Priest Father Barry Scannell said: "At 2pm on Tuesday 17 March we will hold a short liturgy and blessing for our church and the workers who will bring it safely back to us in its rightful place in our community, as a cultural venue, and an important part of Wellington's streetscape.

The service will be followed by an afternoon tea in the Parish grounds, which will also be closed to members of the public during the work.

"Attending the service will be not only parishioners, but also the large number of generous donors - both big and small who have enabled us to get to this point, and the many people who have supported this project in other ways.

It will be an uplifting occasion, but also one tinged with sadness as we temporarily say farewell to the beautiful vaulting interior. Continue reading