Pope Francis appoints long-standing parish priest as New Zealand bishop

Denver, Colo., Oct 25, 2023 / 17:30 pm

Pope Francis on Wednesday appointed Father Richard Laurenson as the new bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton in northern New Zealand.

Bishop-elect Laurenson, 55, is a cat lover and canon lawyer who currently serves a parish on the Papamoa coast, All Saints by the Sea. He was born, raised, and ordained in Hamilton. 

The diocese has been without a bishop since 2021, when its standing bishop, Bishop Stephen Lowe, was appointed as bishop of Auckland. Lowe served Hamilton from 2015 to 2021 and then was the diocese’s apostolic administrator. 

The Diocese of Hamilton spans about 19,000 square miles and is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Wellington. The diocese serves almost 70,000 Catholics, according to a 2021 survey. There are six dioceses in New Zealand, two of which lacked bishops until this year.

Laurenson said he is resolved to trust in God as he takes up his new office.

“When I was ordained deacon in December 1994, I gave my life to the Lord, singing a hymn of St. Ignatius: ‘Take Lord, receive, all my liberty, my understanding, my entire will,’” he said in an Oct. 25 press release.

“I have reaffirmed that gift many times over the years,” he said. “Being a sinner I often ‘take’ the offer back, but I do intend once more to submit my will to his. This I resolved again to do when I was asked by Pope Francis to become the bishop for Hamilton.”

“Since then I keep moving between peace and terror, especially when I look at the future only known to God,” he continued. “Trust is an easy word, but difficult to live. I find it hard to believe that the Lord wants me to do this. I pray that I do not disappoint him too much.”

Laurenson was born in Hamilton in 1968, ordained in Hamilton in 1995 by Bishop Denis Browne, and has served many parishes throughout the diocese, including St. Joseph, Waihi; Immaculate Conception, Taumarunui; St. Joseph, Fairfield and St. Peter Chanel, Te Rapa; and Holy Cross, Hamilton North.

He attended Holy Cross Seminary in Mosgiel, New Zealand’s national seminary for diocesan priests. In 1992, he obtained a theology degree from Otago University, a top-ranking university in southern New Zealand. From 2007 to 2010, he studied in Rome at the Pontifical Urbaniana University and ultimately obtained a licentiate in canon law.

Laurenson is already involved in his diocese in many key ways. As diocesan chancellor and vicar for marriage, he handles the diocesan archives and information for annulment cases. Since 2019, he has served as defender of the bond at the tribunal of the Catholic Church in New Zealand, meaning he defends marriage in annulment cases. Before that, he was a judge and associate judicial vicar from 2016 to 2019. Laurenson also served as a military chaplain for about 10 years. 

Despite his fears, Laurenson said he hopes to focus on evangelization, liturgy, and catechesis as bishop.

“What do we need to be doing in the diocese once the dust settles? Given that it is too early to make pronouncements in this area, I have always had a passion for evangelization and the RCIA/RCIC [Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children], and this passion will continue,” he said.

“The worship of God is our No. 1 reason for being Catholic, so the promotion of good and godly liturgy will be a personal priority,” he continued. “To enable the right worship of God we need priests, holy priests, so calling our young men to a life of brave adventure with the Lord is more necessary than ever.”

“One thing generally lacking in all our dioceses is widespread, good parish-based catechesis for our practicing adults of all ages. This too is something that would benefit from our attention.”

His predecessor, Lowe, said he was “delighted” to hear of Laurenson’s appointment. 

“Bishop-elect Richard brings a wealth of experience to the role and will be a blessing to the people and priests of the Diocese of Hamilton,” he said in the press release.

Laurenson will be ordained Dec. 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.