“A gift for the next generation” is the aim of a plan to build a 500-seat church on Garin College grounds - amalgamating Nelson Tasman’s two prominent parishes.
Nelson City and Stoke’s parish, Holy Family and Our Lady of the Bays parish, which binds five churches from Richmond to Tākaka, have had parishioner number increase and an ever-growing idea for shared resources, together dawning the genesis of amalgamation.
Holy Family and Our Lady of the Bays Parish Priest, Father Andrew Kim, says the amalgamation process is in the early stages and a proposal for a new 500-seat church for Stoke and Richmond at Garin College is still to be finalised by the Archbishop of Wellington, whose archdiocese includes Nelson Tasman.
He says the outcome pledges more sustainable use of resources across the region.
“We have lots of migrants here and also young people, so we need to prepare for a new chapter for them as well,” Andrew says.
“Different communities have different strengths and we’ve got three priests, so it enables them to have one bigger church; it makes their resources go a little further. There’s also the benefits of the church on the school grounds… [Garin College] will be able to use it for school masses.”
Andrew says reservations had emerged from the churchgoers at St Francis of Assisi in Stoke and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Richmond as the proposal for a new church was announced.
“There’ll be individuals that are disappointed because these churches are where people have got married, had their baptism... there’s a lot of history there, so [the amalgamation] wouldn’t be easy,” he says.
“There’s nothing set in concrete what we’re going to do, we will probably have to look to close Richmond and Stoke churches, which will combine for this new church… but there’ll be consultation. While we know change can be challenging, we place our trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us.”
The remaining churches uniting, St Peter and Paul Catholic Church near Appleby, St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wakefield, St Peter Chanel in Motueka, Sacred Heart in Tākaka and St Mary’s in Nelson, would continue as normal.
An amalgamation mass is set for 19 April 2026.
