Message from the Bishop — 2 April 2025

Dear Friends,

The proximity of Timaru to Dunedin meant that on Friday and Sunday morning, Teresa and I were able to be in South Canterbury, spending time with clergy, visiting Craighead Diocesan School and participating in Mothering Sunday services at St. Mary’s, Timaru, with Archdeacon Ben Randall. In between, we had a lovely day trip on Saturday to Dunedin for Bishop Anne van Gend’s ordination and installation as Bishop of Dunedin. The whole weekend was blessed with plentiful sunshine and many happy conversations.

Taonga has a report on Bishop Anne’s service in St. Paul’s Cathedral.

On Sunday evening, back in Christchurch, we were at St. Michael’s and All Angels with Reverend Jordan Greatbatch for a special Evensong service to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Mountfort (1825-1898), Canterbury’s leading architect in the first fifty years of the European settlement). The particular connection with St. Michael and All Angels is that Mountfort designed the bell tower and the lychgate there. The service was put together by Fr Jordan and Dean Ben Truman, with the Cathedral Choir leading the music – the Cathedral’s role recognising that Benjamin Mountfort, from 1874, was the local, supervising architect for Christ Church Cathedral in the Square (the presiding architect, George Gilbert Scott, London based and never visiting Christchurch). Members of the Mountfort family were present and Archdeacon Nick Mountfort led the prayers. Our preach was Dr Ian Lochhead, art historian and author of A Dream of Spires: Benjamin Mountfort and the Gothic revival. My thanks go to all who planned and delivered this service and to Haydn Rawstron whose prompting led to the service happening. For more about Benjamin Mountfort, read here.

Last Wednesday, Te Kotahitanga (or advisory board to the St. John’s College Trust Board, of which I am a member), the St. John’s College Trust Board (including the Reverend Dr Carolyn Robertson) and General Synod Standing Committee (including our Diocesan representative, the Reverend Toby Behan) met in Auckland – the first time these three groups have met together in a very long time. Our shared deliberations were focused on how we may best distribute the income of the Trust Board (which is purposed for education and training according to Christian principles in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia) with particular respect to matters of financial equity between the Three Tikanga, each of which is differently resourced in respect of trusts and endowments from the past. It will take us a couple of years to reach a new agreement on the most just way forward.

This Friday, 4 April, is Principal Penny Tattershaw’s last day with students at St. Michael’s Church School. Her time as Principal of the school will conclude during the April holidays. I am grateful to Penny for her sustained work through the past seven and a half years to grow the school roll and to develop the educational opportunities available to students at the school. Thank you, Penny for your strong leadership through a challenging period in the history of one of our oldest Anglican schools!

Bishop Ngarahu Katene, Pihopa o Te Hui Amorangi o Te Manawa Te Wheke (i.e. a region including Waikato, Northern Taranaki, Western Bay of Plenty, King Country) retires this month from his role. Please give thanks to God for Bishop Ngarahu’s ministry and pray for him to enjoy a restful and long retirement.

I am pleased to hear news that the Alpine Presbytery has extended a call to the Reverend Pauline Hampshire to be the minister at the Community Church of Akaroa Banks Peninsula (that is, the combining of the Anglican and Presbyterian parishes of these districts). The Ordination and Induction service will be at 3.30pm on Sunday 29 June. We are looking to include the inauguration of the new parish at this service. Presbyterian and Anglican traditions of the parish will be reflected in the service. In the meantime, I am very grateful to Anglican clergy who are regularly leading services in Akaroa and other parts of the bays, pending Pauline’s arrival.

Thanks be to God, the Reverend Patrick Chrisp has begun his Interim Priestly ministry in the Parish of Hornby, Templeton and West Melton. Please pray for him and Trusella, his wife, as they settle into this ministry, after many years’ service on the African continent.

This coming Sunday, 6 April is Lent 5. The Gospel reading is John 12:1-8. What moves us most emotionally in this story?

Arohanui,

+Peter.