The Military Ordinariate of New Zealand is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...

military ordinariate A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, of the Latin or an Eastern church, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation. Until 1986, they were called "military ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. It is headquartered in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

. Immediately exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, it provides

pastoral care Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional, social and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support, as well as support for people from re ...

to Catholics serving in the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

and their families.Military Ordinariate of New Zealand
. ''Official website''. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
''Catholic-Hierarchy website''. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
''GCatholic.org website''. Retrieved 4 May 2010.

History

It was created as a military dictate on 28 October 1976, and elevated to a military ordinariate on 21 July 1986. The first military vicar, Owen Noel Snedden, was also an Auxiliary Bishop of

. His successor,

Edward Gaines Edward Russell Gaines (3 November 1926 – 6 September 1994) was the Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland (1976–1981) and was the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, New Zealand (1980–94). Born in Whanganui in 1926, Ga ...

, was also the Bishop of Hamilton. Since 1995, the post of Military Ordinary has been held by the Archbishops of Wellington.

Office holders

Military vicars

* Owen Noel Snedden (appointed 28 October 1976 – died 17 April 1981) *

(appointed 19 June 1981 – became Military Ordinary 21 July 1986)

Military ordinaries

(appointed 21 July 1986 – died 6 September 1994) * Cardinal Thomas Williams (appointed 1 June 1995 – retired 1 April 2005) * John Dew (current incumbent, appointed 1 April 2005)

References

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New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

1976 establishments in New Zealand Organisations based in Wellington