History of the Parish

[Compiled by Diana Clark - Parish Archivist]

Our Parish dates back to 1844 when the first Mass was celebrated in a building in Bridge St. by Fr. O’Reily who used to visit once a year from Wellington crossing Cook Strait by row boat.

By 1847 the Catholics had built a little Chapel on Sion Hill at the cost of 40 pounds.

It was in 1850 that we became a Parish in our own right; – this was when our first Parish Priest Fr. Antoine Garin was appointed to Nelson.

Parishioners helped donate money and material for the St Peter & Paul Church at Waimea West in 1855, and St Joseph’s Wakefield in 1870. Both the Motueka and Takaka churches utilised the infamous Takaka Marble for their churches.

The needs of another church for country Parishioners saw St Patrick’s church at Belgrove opened in 1891.

Nelson Parish stretched a very long distance, and included Blenheim, Kaikoura, Picton, Westcoast, as well as Tahuna Stoke Richmond, Wakefield, Waimea West Motueka, and Takaka.

2007 sees St Mary’s Parish just encompassing the City and Tahunanui, with only one church in use.

Over the years our Parish has seen many changes: 

1871 Sisters of our lady of the Missions arrive
1882 St Mary’s Presbytery built
1882 St Mary’s Hall built
1882 St Mary’s Boy’s Orphanage at Stoke opened
1890 Garin Memorial Chapel built by donations from Parishioners
1931 Census showed Catholic population of Nelson 1,155
1932 St Joseph’s School built
1934/36 Cubs and Boy Scouts established
1936 Parishioner Newsletter printed monthly
1942 Sunnybank Boy’s Home opened
1958 Church of the Sacred Heart Tahunanui Blessed and opened
1960 Richmond becomes a separate Parish
1962 St Joseph the Workman Church opened in Vanguard St
1962 Catholic Credit Union was formed
1963 Planned Giving introduced
1973 Society of Mary priests leave and Diocesan priests arrive
2000 Jubilee to celebrate 150years of Parish life