Catholic Diocese of Christchurch

The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch was established in 1887. The Diocese of Christchurch is 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 11 bishops. Bishop Michael Gielen, the 11th Bishop of Christchurch, was appointed by Pope Francis in 2022, after having served as Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland.  

The Diocese covers 51,780 square kilometres (or 20,000 square miles).

The Diocesan patron saint is St John the Baptist.

Under our shepherd, Bishop Michael Gielen, the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch seeks to grow a community of disciples of Jesus Christ, striving to strengthen and support our communities in holiness, on mission, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We fulfil this mission through our parishes, the education provided by our schools, and the good works of our social services and charities. We reach out far beyond our Church community.

Living the word of Jesus Christ, we seek to meaningfully contribute to the social fabric of Aotearoa New Zealand.