St Joseph's Church, Darfield

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St Joseph's Church
Darfield Roman Catholic Church 005.jpg
St Joseph's Church in 2024
St Joseph's Church, Darfield
43°29′32″S172°06′32″E / 43.4923°S 172.1090°E / -43.4923; 172.1090
Location Darfield
Country New Zealand
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Former name(s)Church of the Holy Angels
Status Church
Dedication Saint Joseph
Dedicated11 October 1936
by Bishop Matthew Brodie
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s) H. Francis Willis
Architectural typeChurch
Style Art Deco
Specifications
Capacity350
Number of floorsTwo
Administration
Archdiocese Wellington
Diocese Christchurch
Parish Selwyn
Clergy
Priest(s) Rev Fr Brian Fennessy
Assistant priest(s) Rev Fr Chris Orr

St Joseph's Church, Darfield is a Roman Catholic church located in Darfield, New Zealand. It is one of five churches in the Christchurch Diocese with its own choir loft, the others being: St Bede's College Chapel, St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, St Teresa of Lisieux and Sacred Heart Basilica, Timaru.

Contents

History

In 1861, the Reverend Father John Chevier was placed in charge of the areas between the Rangitata and Hurunui Rivers. From 1878, Father Chevier would celebrate Mass once in every three months in the Malvern region, in either road board offices or at Greendale Primary School. The first wooden church (named Church of the Holy Angels) was opened on 31 October 1880 debt-free, on land donated by Mr. Maxwell of Racecourse Hill. [1] In 1888, Darfield was made into its own parish (succeeding from the Lincoln-Leeston parish), with the Reverend Father J.J. O'Donnell serving as its first parish priest. Father O'Donnell oversaw the construction of the presbytery in September 1889 (now demolished) and extensions to the wooden church. [2] [1]

In 1894, the Reverend Father Chastagnan was made parish priest. It was during his time here as parish priest that Peter Clinton donated two acres of land, which included a brick cottage (later the converted to the convent) and the construction of a school, named St John's School. [1] These both opened in 1899. [2] Both of these original buildings are now privately dwellings. The Sisters of Mercy of Colombo Street, Christchurch were put in charge of the convent and school. [2] Following declining rolls in the latter-half of the 20th century, the convent and school closed in the 1980s. [3] [1]

In 1934, the Reverend Father John McMonagle was appointed parish priest. It was at this time that the original church building was destroyed by fire in April of the same year. The current church was built by J & W Jamieson Ltd, in the art deco style. It is made of poured concrete with a plaster-finish and Oamaru Stone window surrounds. [1] [4] The foundation stone was blessed on 11 October 1936 by Bishop Matthew Brodie and dedicated to Saint Joseph. [5]

In 2017, the church was repainted from its distinctive and often-mocked light-blue to its new colours of 'Double Dolphin Grey' and 'Oil Stone'. [4]

On Pentecost 2020, St Joseph's was amalgamated with Lincoln and Leeston again, with the formation of the Selwyn Parish, having been a part of the Hornby – Darfield parish since 2013. [6] [5]

2010 Canterbury earthquake

After a review of New Zealand building codes following the 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake, the new church was built to handle large seismic events. [7] Due to its structural integrity, the church suffered minor damage from the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, with Masses being celebrated in the parish centre next door, while measures were made to secure the structure of the church.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Knowles, Margaret E. (1998). The View From Tussock Square – An Illustrated Folk History of Darfield. Darfield: Roger Knowles. p. 131. ISBN   0-473-05309-8.
  2. 1 2 3 Popple, G. L. (1953). Malvern County – A Centennial History. Darfield, New Zealand: The Malvern County Council. p. 148.
  3. ↑ "St John's School, Darfield". Mercy Schools. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 "0800WePaint | Christchurch, Canterbury | Painting Contractors". CANTERBURY COATING SPECIALIST LTD. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 "St Bernadette's Parish, Hornby / Darfield – Diocesan Archives" . Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "History – Selwyn Catholic Parish". selwyncatholic.nz. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  7. ↑ Walker, Paul (1992). "Shaky Ground". Interstices: Journal of Architecture and Related Arts. doi: 10.24135/ijara.v0i0.260 .
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