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Paul Martin, alumnus of St John’s College Hastings, Bishop of Christchurch, who has been appointed to a prominent position in the Catholic Church in Wellington. Photo / Supplied
Christchurch Bishop and former Hawke’s Bay scholar Paul Martin has been appointed to a new position in the Catholic Church that will likely see him become head of the church in New Zealand.
The appointment of Bishop Paul Martin, 53, as Coadjutor – Archbishop of Wellington has been confirmed by Pope Francis.
In office, he will assist Cardinal John Dew, Metropolitan Archbishop of Aotearoa. A statement from the church says that curators generally succeed when the incumbent retires.
Bishop was born in Hastings and attended local St Joseph’s and St John’s College Catholic schools, before entering formation for the Society of Mary in 1985.
In 1991 he worked in an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia and in 1993 he completed a Bachelor of Sacred Theology at the Angelicum University in Rome.
Ordained a priest that year, he was to hold various teaching positions in New Zealand, and in 2014 he assumed the position of Bursar General in Rome, before being appointed bishop of Christchurch in late 2017 and consecrated the following March.
