The Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 (2006 census). Parishes number 22 and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the south. The suffragan sees are: Auckland Christchurch Dunedin Hamilton, New Zealand Palmerston North History Pioneers The Catholic faith of the new immigrants to Wellington was initially sustained through the efforts of John Fitzgerald who arrived on 31 January 1840. He led the Sunday prayers and organised Christian Doctrine classes. The first resident priest was the Capuchin Father Jeremiah O’Riley who arrived as chaplain to Hon Henry William Petre, a director of the New Zealand Company and one of the founders of Wellington. O’Riley arrived in January 1843 and within a year the first, small Catholic church was built and dedicated to the Nativity. Meanwhile, the Auckland-based French Marists ministered extensively throughout the country and Fr J.B. Compte SM established a permanent mission at Otaki in 1844. Marists In June 1848, Pope Pius IX divided New Zealand into two dioceses, Auckland and Wellington which consisted of the lower half of the North Island and the whole of the South Island. Bishop Philippe Viard, who arrived in Wellington on the barque "Clara" on 1 May 1850, was the first bishop. With him were five Marist priests, ten lay brothers, two lay male teachers, three Māori and four young women, the "Sisters of Mary" who commenced teaching at what became St Mary's College and Sacred Heart Cathedral School. Establishment Viard bought and was given land in Thorndon on which his residence, St Mary's Convent and St Mary's Cathedral were built. Garin and Clause went to Nelson to establish the church there. Fr Lampila and two others established a mission in Hawkes Bay. Forest and Huntley worked in the Hutt Valley. Petitjean and Seon travelled extensively throughout the South Island. By 1852 a parish had been established in Whanganui and the Māori mission on the Whanganui River had a resident priest. For ten years, however, Viard received no reinforcements and illness took a toll on his personnel. In March 1860 the Sisters of Mercy arrived from Auckland to take over the works of the four Sisters of Mary. Expansion In 1859 three more Marist priests arrived and pastors could be provided to New Plymouth, Christchurch and Dunedin. The discovery of