Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Pongaroa has officially closed its doors after more than 90 years of serving the local community. The final Mass was celebrated on Saturday 28 June by Bishop John Adams, who acknowledged both the history of the settlement and the church’s role in the lives of generations of parishioners. Around 50 people attended the Mass.
In his homily, Bishop John reflected on the origins of Pongaroa, which developed around 1890 as a forestry service centre, before transitioning to support local beef and sheep farming. While the expected railway line bypassed Pongaroa, a Catholic church was eventually established to meet the spiritual needs of the growing community.
“Closing a church brings me no joy,” Bishop John said. “We can remember with gratitude those who have gone before us here. However, we close this place because of the reality that it has had very little use in recent times. We thank the Catholic communities of Pahiatua and Dannevirke who have looked after this place, along with an excellent group of local parishioners.”
Bishop Adams also noted Pongaroa’s link to Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who was born in the town in 1916. He drew parallels between Wilkins’ life of inquiry and the ongoing spiritual questions that remain for people in every generation. “Church or no church: here in this place, those questions still remain,” he said.
Our Lady of the Rosary was built in the early 1930s by members of the local community, including returning World War I soldiers who wanted a place of worship. Patrick Baker, the real estate agent who managed the church’s sale, explained that his grandfather, Robert Buckley, lent money to help finance the construction.
The building, made largely of timber with a hand-sawn rimu interior, was constructed by Gerald F. Harlod with the help of a Mr. Woods. Fundraising events, such as a Queen Carnival and regular barn hops, contributed to its completion. Prior to the church’s construction, Masses were held only once or twice a year in the local Foresters Hall. After the church opened, services increased to four times annually.
Over the decades, Pongaroa’s Catholic community was connected to various parishes, including Pahiatua and Eketahuna, before becoming part of the Dannevirke Parish in 1983. Mass times and frequency changed repeatedly due to shifting population and parish resources. In recent years, Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary was held only at Christmas, when former residents returned or holidaymakers from the coast attended.
Mary Barrow, a member of St Joseph’s Parish Dannevirke, described the church as “surplus to requirements” due to the dwindling congregation. “As has happened all around New Zealand, people have moved to the towns and cities and the little communities out in the boondocks are getting smaller and smaller,” she said. “It’s one of those signs of the times.” (source: Stuff.co.nz)
For many, the closure marks the end of a significant chapter in the history of Pongaroa. However, Bishop John emphasised that faith itself will continue to endure.
“People of every age, vocation, ethnicity, gender will always have a ‘god-shaped hole’ in their lives,” he said during the final Mass. “People will continue to wonder if life has a meaning or purpose beyond this world.”
