Archivist

In the archives blog post 16 February 2026 we remembered the Franciscan Friars in New Zealand between 1860 and 1872. https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/2026/02/16/800th-anniversary-of-the-death-of-st-francis-of-assisi/ Here are the archival records of their return of their return – The invite The response The return was announced in the Zealandia on 15 December 1938. The official permission to set up a house from Rome The Hillsborough Friary was officially opened on 6 February 1940. Here is a photograph from the Zealandia 15 February 1940. This key was presented to Bishop Liston at the opening – One of the first retreats – Zealandia 25 January 1940 The …
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The Altar-stone in the chapel at Bishop’s House The past week I have spent time working with slabs of marble- altar stones to be specific. We have over 25 in our collection which we are adding to our electronic catalogue. They come from the altars of closed chapels and portable mass kits of deceased clergy. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia Dictionary (Copyright 1941, The Gilmary Society)- An Altar-stone or Portable Altar is a small flat slab of natural stone, consecrated ordinarily by a bishop, containing in a stone covered cavity relics of two canonised martyrs, inserted into the centre of …
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Earlier this month I received an enquiry from an architectural firm asking is we had original plans for the Duchesne Building, Baradene College. They were doing some research on the heritage listed building designed by Thomas Mahoney. You can read more about Baradene College in Margaret McClure’s book Baradene College of the Sacred Heart 1909-2009 (2009). I found the plans listed in an ‘Old Plans’ folder and located them in our plan cabinets. The architects visited the same day and more than once said, “Wow!’ In total we have 27 plans which on examination appear to be two sets. The …
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In the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy asks himself the question “What is the cup of a carpenter?” Over the past week I have been loading information on the chalices in the collection into our electronic catalogue. Rather  than asking what Is the cup of a carpenter, I found myself discovering the cup of a 19th century priest, the cup of a 70s priest, the cup of a church in the Coromandel. Here are a few of the chalices in the collection:     This chalice belonged to Monsignor William Mahoney (1857 – 1925) the first New …
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Previously I posted a blog on the mention of Matariki in one of our earliest Bibles in Latin. This year I want to highlight the two earliest Bibles in Te Reo from the Auckland Catholic Diocese Archive collection. This is a copy of the first complete Māori Bible including the first complete Old Testament published, a long-delayed revision that the Church Missionary Society had asked for in 1862. It is based on Maunsell’s translations of the Old Testament and William Williams version of the New Testament. (Books in Māori 1815-1900. Alexander Turnbull Library, 2004. p.345)   Here are the verses …
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While entering accessions into our database I came across the donation of two rugby championship caps  awarded to Bernard Sweeney. Bernard played for Auckland Marist Brothers Old Boys Rugby League Club and was an old boy from the Marist School in Vermont St, Ponsonby. In 1924 the Marist Old Boys Club controversially defected from rugby union to league hence the RAU and ARL embroidery. These caps are not the only pieces of millinery in the archive collection. We have a number of mitres – the ceremonial headdress of a Bishop       This Mitre belonged to Archbishop Liston. It …
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While entering accessions into our electronic catalogue, this record caught my eye- A4023 – Eugene O’Sullivan 1 Correspondence to Eugene O’Sullivan from James K Baxter. Photo from https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/james-k-baxter-1971 James K Baxter was a poet I remember reading and hearing stories about. For those unfamiliar with him here is some information from Wikipedia- James Keir Baxter (29 June 1926 – 22 October 1972) was a New Zealand poet and playwright. He was also known as an activist for the preservation of Māori culture. He is one of New Zealand’s most well-known and controversial literary figures. He was a prolific writer who produced numerous …
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On 24 April 1976, Bishop Patrick Dunn was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John Mackey.. The Pompallier Centre held a morning tea to celebrate the occasion of his golden jubilee and Bishop Steve presented letters of congratulations, including  a letter from Pope Leo XIV. Last week Bishop Pat transferred the letter to the archive. As Bishop Pat is now our emeritus bishop, his records are already in the care of the archive. So it made sense for him to send this letter to us for safe keeping straight away. From the Archives – Congratulations Bishop Pat