|
History of St
Benedicts
 In 1866, Bishop Pompallier blessed
and opened the small wooden church of St Francis de Sales in what
was then East Street. This church was to be used as a mortuary
chapel in the Catholic cemetery, and serve as an outpost of the
Cathedral, to serve the large number of Catholics living in the
Newton area.
This little chapel served the people of Newton
for nearly twenty years. However as the population in the area
grew, the need for a larger church became more critical. In 1879,
Benedictine monks from Ramsgate Abbey, in England, were given
charge of the newly created parish of Newton. In 1880, the present
site, just across the road from the chapel, was purchased and fund
raising began.
|
|
The First St Benedict's
Church
The foundation stone for the new church, to be
dedicated to St Benedict, was laid in 1881 and the church blessed
and opened in 1882, quite a fast building feat. At the time of
it’s construction, this was probably the largest wooden
church in New Zealand, and comfortably seated 1200.
But tragedy was near at hand! On the night of
December 13th 1886, a nearby house caught fire. The flames spread
to St Benedicts, and the church was destroyed. Once more the
parishioners of St Benedict’s parish were faced with having
inadequate church facilities. Nevertheless they set to with much
enthusiasm, and raised the finance for a new building. This time,
the church was to be built in brick, with a slate roof,that
together would hopefully stand the test of time.
The Present
Church
 The new church, the present
building, was blessed and opened in 1888. Once again the
parishioners of Newton had a beautiful church, even if it was not
completed as planned. Lack of money meant that the tower was not
built, the great rose window above the main door was replaced by
three tall narrow windows with a small rose, and the sanctuary was
left in a temporary state. In 1950 the front porch was added, and
in 1955 the sanctuary was at last enlarged and finished.
|
|
Restoration
By the early 1990s water damage to the fabric of
the church meant that a full & costly restoration was needed.
Following a major fund raising campaign, this work was carried out
over a two year period. By the conclusion of this work in 2003, the
church was looking as good as, or better than, when opened in
1888.
Sisters of St
Joseph
The monks of St Benedict’s lacked the
resources to found a college along the lines of the great English
Benedictine Schools, but they gave early attention to the need for
sound elementary schooling in their parish. They turned to the then
recently founded Australian order of Sisters of the Sacred Heart
(commonly known as the “Brown Josephites”). This Order,
originating in Penola, South Australia, was at first intended for
teaching children in the back-block settlements, but soon extended
it’s work to schools in large towns.
 Abbot Alcock of St. Benedict’s
had been acquainted with the Order during his time in South
Australia. In 1881 he wrote to the Foundress, Mother Mary McKillop,
asking for Josephite Sisters to teach in the Newton Parish. His
request was supported by Bishop Luck.
In response, Sisters from Adelaide arrived in
Auckland in 1884, and went into residence in a cottage in St.
Benedict’s Street. They opened their first school in a
converted shop in Karangahape Road, and were soon teaching 200
children. The first school adjacent to the church was opened in
1886, and in 1898 a large new school was built on the opposite
corner from the church. The school flourished, and soon a secondary
department was added. The school drew pupils from a wide area, and
was noted for it’s scholastic achievements.
 In addition, the Sisters ran a
Correspondence School for Christian Doctrine, which covered the
North Island, and had a roll of over 2000. In 1906, a spacious
convent adjoining the school was opened. Here the sisters at last
had space to gather in community, and their own chapel for communal
prayer.
From the early 1970s, population drift, and the
construction of the nearby motorway system, led to a dramatic fall
off in pupils. The secondary department merged with the Marist
Brother’s Marcellin College, and the primary department
closed. After the final closure in 1982 the buildings were
demolished. So after a century of Josephite endeavour in the
Parish, the Sisters dispersed to other houses of the Order, but
their memories will always remain as part of the St.
Benedict’s story.
|