Clergy and other appointments 2016

by NZ CATHOLIC staff
Clergy appointments for 2016 have been announced for Palmerston North diocese and Wellington archdiocese.

PALMERSTON NORTH
Bishop Charles Drennan said these appointments will take effect in the last week of January.
Fr Brian Walsh, administrator of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit parish; Recently ordained Fr Bryan Buenger, administrator of St Joseph’s parish, Dannevirke and St Brigid’s parish, Pahiatua, including the communities of Eketahuna and Woodville; Fr Paul Byers, SM, the Catholic parish of Napier; Fr Marcus Francis, parish priest of St Mary’s, Palmerston North and St Brigid’s parish, Feilding, and assumes the role of vicar forane for Manawatu and Tararua; Fr John Jolliffe, SM, member of the pastoral team, St Peter’s parish, Wairoa; Fr Robin Kurian, IC, assistant parish priest at St Mary’s (Palmerston North) and St Brigid’s (Feilding) and co-chaplain to the SyroMalabar Community of the diocese; Fr Vaughan Leslie (on loan from Dunedin diocese), administrator of Our Lady of Lourdes parish (Palmerston North); Fr Manoj Mather, IC, assistant priest at the Catholic Parish of Hastings. He will take the position for a year, then return to Palmerston North to form a Rosminian Community with Fr Kurian. He is also co-chaplain to the Syro-Malabar Community.
Fr Sanjay Pradhan, assistant priest at the Catholic parish of New Plymouth; Fr Adonis Rancho, assistant priest at the Catholic parish of Whanganui; Fr John Roberts, priest in solidum of the Catholic parish of Whanganui, with particular responsibility for resthomes and hospital care; Fr Simon Story, parish priest at the Catholic parish of New Plymouth.
WELLINGTON
Cardinal John Dew appointed Fr David Gruschow parish priest of Otaki-Levin; Fr Maurice Carmody, parish priest of Plimmerton; Porirua East parish priest, Fr Pene Patelehio, assistant priest, Fr Tikoua Kautu; parish priest at Johnsonville-Newlands-Khandallah, Fr Peter Fitzgibbon and Frs Doug Shepherd and Sebastian Vandanamthadathil, VC, assistant priests of the pastoral area.
Fr Ron Bennett moves to Otari parish. Mary-Anne Peetz will be the lay pastoral leader there.
The new pastoral area, Wellington South, will have Fr David Dowling as parish priest. Fr Dennis Nacorda will be assistant priest. Msgr Gerard Burns, priest in residence at St Joseph’s.
Fr Tony Kearns, administrator of Heretaunga-Stokes Valley pastoral area and Fr Danilo Cipriano, priest in residence to assist with Filipino chaplaincy Masses; Fr Tony Kearns, administrator of Upper Hutt pastoral area and Fr Maleko Api, assistant priest and to assist with Samoan chaplaincy; Blenheim-Kaikoura-Picton pastoral area parish priest, Fr Pat McIndoe, CP, assistant priest, Fr Gilthus Mathias, CP, and lay pastoral leaders, Mrs Patsy Buttle; Nelson-Stoke parish priest, Fr Bill Warwick; Richmond-Motueka-Takaka parish priest, Fr Seph Pijfers and priest in residence at Motueka, Fr Pat Maloney.