DUNEDIN More than 100 years old and now past its use-by date, Bishop Colin Campbell has decommissioned the Catholic church in Naseby, Central Otago. The wooden church was opened in 1906 on the site of two former churches. The first was built in 1866 and replaced by another a few years later in 1874.
Although parishioners were sad to see the closure of the church at an afternoon Mass on March 8, there was relief at the fact that local builder Phil Flanagan had purchased the church and intends to retain the character and features of the building.
The building would have required upgrades costing about $30,000 to improve its present condition, and there was little prospect of that sum being found easily. There was also recognition that with Sacred Heart Church just ten minutes drive away at Ranfurly, the retention of the Naseby church was hardly warranted.
The rateable value of the church was $136,000 and it is understood that the purchase price was in excess of that figure. Dunedin diocese does not disclose the actual details of these transactions.
