Welcome to the official website of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch
Our Diocese is a diverse place, with a wide variety of ministries. These pages reflect the many ways in which we strive to serve God through service to His people.
The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch was established by papal brief in 1887. Formerly part of Wellington Archdiocese, the Diocese of Christchurch is currently comprised of 18 parishes covering parts of the West Coast and Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand as well as the Chatham Islands, the first place in the world to be touched by the sun each day.
Since 1887 the Diocese has had ten bishops.
The Catholic population of the Diocese is 62,715. The diocese covers 51,780 square kilometres (or 20,000 square miles).
The diocesan patron saint is St John the Baptist.
The current bishop is Michael Gielen.
Bishops that have served the Christchurch Diocese are:
John Joseph Grimes S. M.: 26 July 1887 to 15 March 1915
Matthew Joseph Brodie: 27 February 1916 to 11 October 1943
Patrick Francis Lyons: 2 July 1944 to 3 June 1950
Edward Michael Joyce: 16 July 1950 to 28 January 1964
Brian Patrick Ashby: 5 August 1964 to 4 July 1985
Denis William Hanrahan: 4 July 1985 to 1 February 1987
John Basil Meeking: 3 June 1987 to 15 December 1995
John Jerome Cunneen: 15 December 1995 to 5 May 2007
Barry Philip Jones: 5 May 2007 to 13 February 2016
Archbishop Paul Martin: 3 March 2018 to 1 January 2021
Bishop Michael Gielen: 9 July 2022 – (current)