St. Paul's Church on Symonds Street
| St Paul's Church, Auckland | |
|---|---|
| St Paul's Church, 28 Symonds St | |
St Paul's logo
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| Location | 28 Symonds Street, Auckland |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | stpauls.org.nz |
| History | |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Founder(s) | Governor William Hobson |
| Dedicated | 1894 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | William Henry Skinner |
| Style | Victorian Gothic |
| Years built | 1894-1895 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Paul's Symonds Street |
| Diocese | Auckland |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Ross Bay |
| Vicar(s) | Jonny Grant |
| Priest(s) | Paul Sawrey |
St Paul's on Symonds Street in Auckland, New Zealand, is an historic church of considerable importance, with one of the largest Anglican congregations in Australasia, located in the heart of the city, near The University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology.
St Paul's is Auckland's oldest church. Occupying its third building, it is known as the "Mother Church" of Auckland as the original St Paul's was the first church to be built in the city, in the same year that the original town was established. The St Paul's foundation stone was laid by Governor William Hobson on 28 July 1841 and the first service was held on 7 May 1843. St Paul's also served as Auckland's Cathedral for over 40 years. The current building was formally consecrated by Bishop William Cowie on 1 November 1895, and is now registered as a Category 1 Historic Place.
Since new services were set up in 2004, with a core group of about 80 people, St Paul’s has grown to a current congregation of around 1,500. There are four services held on a Sunday: 9am and 11am family services, a 3:30pm liturgical service and an informal 6:30pm evening service. An average of 750 attend each week across all the services. Around 30% of the church community is actively involved in a small group. A strong children’s and youth church operates during the Sunday services, with seven different age groups from 0–18 years catered for.
St Paul’s has a staff of about 20 which includes a vicar, a priest assistant, a worship leader, four in pastoral care, five in children & youth and seven in operations. Members of the staff manage the many volunteers who serve in all areas of church life, giving their time and talents in a variety of ways.
Now in its third manifestation, St Paul’s is the oldest church in Auckland, having been a light in the city since 1841. The first St Paul’s was built in Emily Place, just off Princes St, where a plaque still marks the site of the beginning of God’s church in the city of Auckland.
Old St Paul’s was located in the heart of the colonial city. It occupied a prominent ridge-top site in a prestigious part of the settlement, close to the main administrative buildings, the imperial garrison stationed at Britomart, and alongside the remnants of the old pā, Rangipuke in Albert Park, where Ngāti Whātua had defended their rohe during the Musket Wars of the 1820s. At that time, St Paul’s was the seat of the Bishop of New Zealand, the Reverend George Selwyn, and was the locus of ecclesiastical power, and worldly prestige, as the wealthiest settlers worshipped there. As the formal religion of British royalty, the Anglican faith was closely linked to the exercise of colonial power. Many of St Paul’s artefacts, such as Selwyn’s Throne, date from this time of connection to power and political importance.
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Wikipedia