Final Mass celebrated at Pongaroa Catholic church

The final Mass at the church was celebrated recently by Bishop John Adams, who acknowledged both the history of the settlement and the church’s role in the lives of generations of parishioners. Some 50 people attended the Mass.

In his homily, Bishop Adams reflected on the origins of Pongaroa, which developed in the late 19th century 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 Adams 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.

For many, the closure marks the end of a significant chapter in the history of Pongaroa. However, Bishop Adams 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.”

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Closure of Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Pongaroa (Tūmanako – Catholic Diocese of Palmerston North)