Blog

The Revd. Canon David Pearce : 10 July 1931 – 23 September 2017 read more

St Mary's parishioner Rosemary Bent has inspired members of the Association of Anglican Women and Mothers' Union in Aotearoa and Pasifika with her work in Overseas and Outreach. This year she received a certificate of recognition from the AAW executive. Born in England, Rosemary came to New Zealand in 1962, and met her husband Michael when she was working for the Christian Mission Service. The couple lived in New Plymouth during Michael's term as Vicar of St Mary's (1976-85), and later... read more

The Ellmoos family, 'first timers ' at our Taranaki Cathedral cafe enjoying a hearty breakfast. Over the last three years we have raised over $61,000 for projects in NZ and overseas which support the most marginalised people. Now we are supporting Rahingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh. Thank you everyone! Every Tuesday from 7.30 am to 10 AM in the Hatherly Hall of the cathedral. read more

The Hui held in the Interim Cathedral on September 10 marked a significant milestone for The Cathedral Project. In a formal ceremony, the Reeves family gave its blessing to the association of Sir Paul Reeves’ name with the proposed Atrium at the south of The Cathedral. Preliminary designs for the Atrium show it as a light filled space looking out to Pukaka Pā and the churchyard. Designed to complement the expanded range of activities to be hosted in the Cathedral, this... read more

Matthew 15: 21-28 I invite you to imagine a circle, although the size of each of our circles will be different. You will be able to work out just how big your circle will be as you think of who will be in it. You see, inside your circle will be all the people you find you can relate with easily. That may include friends, family, perhaps neighbours, acquaintances, and colleagues, perhaps those you befriend on Facebook, those you encounter in... read more

A bid to get more people eating fruit and veg – at discount prices – is building communities and Christian interdenominational networks throughout NZ. Now the Food Together programme is spreading to Taranaki with the cathedral pivotal to its local distribution. It started as a three-week pilot in June, and has now become a permanent social enterprise in the region. It works like this: People view the fruit and veg menu each Friday on the Food Together Facebook page, place their... read more

Taranaki videographer Keith Finnerty has filmed this video of the cathedral’s interior. Watch it above or here. The short visual walk-around reminds us of the beauty and serenity of the historic building – one of the top 50 sites to visit in New Zealand. It also helps to see parts of the church you would not normally view such as the very tops of the organ pipes and the soaring roof. Note that the video was filmed after the removal... read more

The fund-raising campaign for the Cathedral Project has well and truly begun. Donations and pledges to earthquake strengthen and future-proof the iconic Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary are already coming in. By the end of April 2017, three-quarters of a million dollars has either been pledged or donated to The Cathedral Project – A Taranaki Taonga. This includes a number of individual donations of $100,000. Dean Peter Beck says this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be... read more

A prominent New Plymouth businesswoman, Jan Mason, has accepted the vital challenge to assist in raising funds for Taranaki Cathedral’s earthquake strengthening and enhancement project. As campaign manager, Jan Mason will start the position on May 1. She is pictured above (middle back row). Others in the photo are: back Row L-R: ++Philip Richardson, Peter Tennent, Richard Handley, Jan Mason, The Very Revd. Peter Beck, Lynn Bublitz. Front row: Terry Parkes, Jenny Goddard, Cathy Thurston, Mike Braggins The cathedral is... read more

Two vigorous churchmen who walked immense distances during their ministries were key figures in the history of St Mary's: Bishop Selwyn, the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand, and William Bolland, the first Vicar of St Mary's. In 1842 Bishop Selwyn reached the tiny settlement of New Plymouth after a walk from Thames during which he was delayed by floods and nearly starved. Only 31, he was an athlete who made extraordinary physical demands on himself and expected much from others.... read more