Church staff noticed the shattered shell in its grotto behind the church building in Maxwell Rd yesterday after the Queen's Birthday Weekend.

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The church has been shut since May after it was initially assessed as being about 8 per cent of the building code and at risk of collapse in a significant earthquake.

The steeple was an area of concern, as was how the roof and walls connected.

Father Bill Warwick, the parish priest, told parishioners last Sunday that the parish knew it had work to do to get the building up to code. A parish working group had been formed.

Project Stronger spokesman David Mullin said a detailed study of the church confirmed the initial assessment.

Mr Mullin said St Mary's was due for significant maintenance work and the "significant strengthening" work needed as part of the quake response would be dealt with as part of that maintenance.

Project Stronger is the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington's response to the Christchurch earthquakes.

Source

• The Marlborough Express
• Image: The Marlborough Express

St Mary's Blenheim was no exception. Parishioners felt sadness and disbelief at the decision to close the church for an indeterminate period while inspections were carried out and, if necessary, remedial work completed.

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Miss Oliver was active in the anti-nuclear movement, advocated for homosexual rights and protested against the Waihopai spy base in the Waihopai Valley, Mr Wood said. She corresponded with people in prison, including two men on death row in the United States, and regularly wrote to politicians. Miss Oliver recently told Mr Wood: "I will not die until justice is done".

In later years, she promoted Maori issues and campaigned for Scott Watson, whom she believed was wrongly convicted of the murders of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. Watson was convicted after the pair disappeared in the Marlborough Sounds in January 1998.

Her funeral is being held at St Mary's Catholic Church in, Blenheim, today, Tuesday 22 May at 12.30pm.

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• Marlborough Express
• Image: Marlborough Express

But it is not such good news for the people in Blenheim. Parish priest Father Bill Warwick has informed them that St Mary's would close on Saturday May 26, and masses would be held in the nearby parish hall.

Last Friday the St Mary of the Angels parish Maintenance and Restoration Committee met with four leading seismic engineers who have "peer reviewed" the committee's recommendations.

The Committee proposed five options to bring St Mary of the Angels Church up to 100 percent of the New Zealand Building Code New Building Standard. Three of the options had been drafted before the earthquakes in Christchurch and the remaining two as a result of what was learned from that seismic event.

After the meeting, one option was agreed to be the most practicable basis for further development of strengthening design and is the selected strengthening strategy.

"This is a major step forward and represents years of preparation and work by our builders, (L T McGuinness Ltd), our engineers (Clendon, Burns & Park Ltd,) and our architects (Bulleyman Fortune Ltd.)" said parish priest Father Barry Scannell in the parish's newsletter.

"The development of the agreed option will continue and we hope to be able to forward in the very near future our recommendations to the Archbishop for approval," he said

Father Warwick said said the Blenheim church, built in 1878 and renovated in 1993, was assessed at only 8 per cent of the current building standards, which ranked an E on the earthquake rating scale.

He said the risk was too high for continued use of St Mary's, which had about 1000 people attend masses during the weekend.

Wellington archdiocese property general manager Paul Bayliss says St Mary's is top priority for engineering assessment and repair.

Source

• St Mary of the Angels Newsletter
• The Marlborough Express
• Stuff.co.nz