CHURCHES - Geraldine, South Canterbury

 The last pew! Chairs are now used at St. Mary's.

'Parson Laurence Lawson Brown' arrived in NZ in 1860 with his wife and five children on the "Harwood"  settled in the 'Tripp Settlement' was a very energetic unofficial vicar, a 'farmer parson' and was instrumental in building St. Anne's in Pleasant Valley in 1862, St. Mary's in Geraldine, and St. Stephen in Peel Forest in 1868.  He conducted services in the community for a decade from 1862 and in 1864 conducted a school in the old survey hut of Samuel Hewlings in Geraldine. He was also a teacher at Washdyke School, opened a private day and boarding School in Heaton St., Timaru in 1876, and was schoolmaster at Burkes Pass and was also headmaster of the Summer School from 1883-1886. 

In 1870 the dioceses were subdivided with Rev. James Preston appointed Mission Deacon of Temuka, Geraldine and curate of Burkes Pass. In 1878 subdivided again with the parish of Temuka and Pleasant Point being formed. Rev. Preston b. 1834 in England, the s/o a clergyman came out to NZ in 1860 and took up a farm in North Canterbury.  He became a priest in 1872 and appointed to the large Geraldine Parish. Travelled over 100 miles on horseback monthly. His diaries are at the Canterbury Museum.

Rev. George Foster came out with his wife and two sons from England was the first appointed full time clergyman for South Canterbury and served from 1861-1875. Buried in Geraldine. He around travelled the Anglican diocese on horseback. In 1875 Rev. Harper took over. 

Timaru Herald Sept., 1898.
FOSTER. On the 24th inst, at the residence of his son-in-law, Mr William Pearse, Maori Hill, Timaru, the Rev. George Foster, of Fernside, Hilton, and late of Timaru.

Timaru Herald Saturday 31 Jan. 1891 Marriage
PEARSE - FOSTER - On the 27th January, 1891, at the residence of the bride's father, William Sargent Pearse, of Washdyke, to Ada Mary, third daughter of the Rev. Geo. Foster, Hilton.

Richard William Pearse was born on 3 December 1877 at Waitohi Flat, Temuka, New Zealand, the fourth of nine children of Sarah Ann Brown and her husband, Digory Sargent Pearse (m. January 16 1871), a farmer. How is Wm related to Digory? Probably a son.

Record Details: 	FOSTER, George 
Address: 		No plot record 
Age at Death: 		73 Years 
Date of Interment: 	09/27/1898 
Cemetery: 		Geraldine Cemetery 
Section:		Unknown, Block X, Plot 348 

Timaru Herald 4 December 1879 pg8
Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine.
The anniversary services in connection with this Church were held on Sunday, the 9th November, when the Rev. J. Dumbell preached. Dr Fish - introductory speech. Mr C.E. Sherratt, Mr Amos Sherratt, together with Miss Andrews presided at the harmonium. Mr W. King addressed the meeting. Mr W. Maslin spoke on "Methodism," in which the speaker stated that he hoped soon to see the day when there would be but one Methodist Church for New Zealand, instead of the various forms of Methodism now existing. In a letter from Wellington stated Rev. Thomas Saddler had been appointed to take charge of the station, and might be expected in a few days.

Otago Witness, 4 August 1909, Page 26
In response to a request from the family of the late Rev. G. Barclay, who was the first minister of the Geraldine Church, permission has been granted by the managers to the family to place a memorial tablet on the walls of the church.

All principal religious denominations have churches in the town built through the united endeavours of responsible and faithful congregations.

---

The Anglican Church of St Mary, Talbot Street, Geraldine

St Mary's and vicarage on Talbot Street, Geraldine are both registered as category 2 with the NZ Historic Places Trust.  Historic place of historical or cultural heritage significance or value. "...St Mary's, Geraldine, is regarded as the "mother church' of the Parish. Has five stained glass windows including to fine window by Joseph E. Nuttgens.  One a memorial window commemorating parish men who died in World War One with eight shields at the base depicting Great Britain and the Allies. 

This is the superb alter window with St. Mary BV and the Christ Child, the central figures, with two knights representing Faith and Hope executed by Joseph Nuttgens, Great Missenden, 1926-27. Imagery was often shared by designers and Arts and Crafts Movement windows often incorporated complex iconography. Above the chained figure of Hope through a prison window is a motif of almond blossoms, the idea probably came from a painting by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones Spes [or] Hope (1871) a watercolour on paper now owned by the Dunedin Art Gallery, there an an image of the painting online. This window was donated by Maria Williams, probably a parishoner, and was installed on 29 May 1927. In the right base the coats of arms of the Williams' family. In the left base is the insigne of the Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment (the rose and tiger were replaced early in the 1980s after breakage.
Reference: Dr F. Ciaran's book Stained Glass Windows of Canterbury, New Zealand.

The Latin words here are:
"Fides Immota"—immovable or steadfastfaith. (I Cor. 16:13,Watchye, standfast in the faith.)
"Spes Alta"—highest or uplifted hope. (Heb. 6:19, Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.)
 "Caritas Aeterna"—eternal charity or love. (I Cor. 13:13, And now abidith faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.)

FIDES IMMOTA (Faith)     -     St. Mary BV and the Christ Child    -      SPES ALTA (Hope)
I believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
CARICAS AETERNA
To the Glory of God and in memory of JOHN HERBERT BERTHON, REGINALD MACDOWELL, ISABEL HARTLEY and ETHEL HERBERT. Dearly loved children of JOHN WILLIAMS and MARIA his wife.

Timaru Herald, 27 November 1882, Page 3
NEW PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MARY, GERALDINE.

The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new parish church of St. Mary, Geraldine, was performed on Thursday last, by His Lordship the Primate of New Zealand. The morning was beautifully fine, and the ceremony passed off most successfully. The ground was gaily decorated with flags and evergreens, and the arrangements generally were perfect. At eleven o'clock, the appointed hour, & large concourse of people had assembled, and a procession, consisting of the Churchwardens (Dr Fish and Mr R. S. Cook), the Vestry (Messrs Shiers, Pierpoint, H. W. Mosre, Cunningham, Hawke, Slack, Finch, Willoughby and Hughes), the choir, and the clergy m the following order — Revs. R. L. Brady and T. Chaffere-Welsh, the Incumbent (Rev. J. Preston), and the Bishop, attended by the Archdeacon of Timaru, who acted as his chaplain, issued from the church. On arriving at the site the special service for the occasion was gone through, the Bishop officiating, and Miss Fish presiding at the harmonium. Before performing the ceremony of laving the stone, His Lordship gave a molt eloquent and instructive address on the significance of the act he was about to perform, the necessity for the new edifice, and its uses. Lastly, he exhorted his hearers never to forget that their own bodies were temples of God. A collection was then made and the proceeds laid on the stone, which was then lowered into position. Mr Duval then came forward and presented the Bishop with a very handsome mallet and silver trowel. The latter was richly chased, with an ivory handle, and bore the following inscriptions — " Presented to His Lordship the Bight Rev. Dr. Harper, Primate of New Zealand, on the occasion of his laying the foundation stone of St. Mary's Church, Geraldine, by M. de H. Duval, architect, and P. Clayton, builder. 23rd Nov., 1882." Mr Duval, in presenting the trowel, said — My Lord, — Allow me, as architect of this temple which we are about to erect, as your Lordship has said, to the Most High, to present you with this trowel, and may I be allowed to express the hope, on behalf of all present, that your Lordship may be preserved m health and strength to perform at some future day the ceremony of the conteoration of this church. His Lordship acknowledged the gift m suitable terms, and with the assistance of the builder adjusted the stone. The service was then proceeded with and was terminated by His Lordship pronouncing the benediction. Altogether, the ceremony was of a most imposing character. Underneath the stone were placed a Church service, a copy of the special service used on the day, some coins, copies of the daily papers, and a parchment scroll, bearing the following inscription : — "The foundation stone of the now Parish Church (in place of a wooden church built about 1864) was laid on Thursday, 23rd November, 1882, by the Most Rev. the Bishop of Christchurch and Primate of New Zealand, and during the incumbency of the Rev. J. Preston, and m the presence of  "here follow the names of the Churchwardens, Vestrymen and some parishioners. Then the following — Edward Cooper, Esq., late of Peel Forest, contributed £500 towards the building of this Church." The collection amounted to upwards of £36. The following is a description of the building which about to be erected : — The church is designed m what is known as the perpendicular Gothic style, and is cruciform in ground plan.  The main entrance is through a handsome porch, 16ft by 10ft, and 24 feet high to top of ridge, having a triple lancet window in centre, and Gothic doors on each side. The nave of the church is 66ft by 30ft, and 38 feet to ridge of roof. The chancel is 18ft wide and 26ft deep, finished in a semi-octagonal shape. The organ chamber and vestry are of a similar shape, but 14ft by 16ft. At the back of these are likewise two neat little porches. The main body of the church will be lighted by means of 16 lancet windows, eight on each side, and rose window, the chancel by means of three double, and the vestry and organ chamber each by three single lancet windows, all to be filled m with lead lights and green cathedral glass. The roof is an open truss roof of bold proportions, and ornamented, all executed m native timber, left unstained but simply varnished. The roof of the chancel and organ chamber will be groined. The whole body of the church will be lined up to five fret with a Gothic dado, executed m kauri and picked rimu, the light and dark shades of the two timbers forming a pleasing contrast. The chancel will be raised, and the altar table reached by five elope, the table standing three feet above the floor of the nave, thus giving the officiating clergyman a commanding view of the congregation. - A tower of 12ft square and 26ft high, is situated at the south-east corner of the building, flanked on the four sides with strong ornamental buttresses finished in carved crockets, and each side of the tower pierced for double lancet louvres -and small rose windows. The tower is surmounted by a light spire 36ft high, and this by a gilded foliated iron cross. The materials to be used are concrete foundations up to l ft 6in above ground, the walls and buttresses being all in brick, stuccoed in Portland cement mortar, with bold sill and string courses, archivolts and trusses. The roof will be covered either with iron or slates, as may be hereafter decided, and finished with an ornamental lead and cast iron ridging, the ends being decorated with cast iron finials. The planes of the main roof will be broken on each side by four, gable louvres, with cast iron ridging and finials. Interiorly the walls will be plastered and decorated with enriched Gothic cornices, trusses, archivolt, etc., the Gothic arches of chancel, vestry and organ chamber being executed in Keene's cement. The estimated cost of the whole church, not including seats, is about £2200. 'The present contract, however, which includes only the entrance porch and nave, is £1120. The architect is Mr M. de H. Duval, and the contractor Mr P. Clayton, both of Timaru.

Timaru Herald Tuesday 21 August 1883 pg3
St Mary's Geraldine A Gothic Church of pleasing proportions and with a fine interior roof, it was built in 1882-1883. 
On Thursday last, the 16th inst., the new Parish Church of St. Mary was consecrated by the Primate of New Zealand. Attended by the Ven. Archdeacon Harper, the Revs. J. Preston (Incumbent of the parish), L. Brady, G. Coates of Waimate, T.A. Hamilton and Scott of Ashburton, and the Churchwardens (Dr Fish and Mr R.S. Cook). The Rev. J. Preston then read the petition signed by himself, the churchwardens and vestrymen, asking that the Bishop would consecrate the church. His Lordship having signified his readiness to accede to the request, proceeded up the nave of the church to the Communion table, repeating the twenty-fourth psalm alternately with the clergymen and those present. From within the alter-rails the Bishop then delivered a short address, and after the sentence of consecration had been read and signed by him, he ordered it to be preserved among the muniments of the diocese. The ordinary morning service was then proceeded with by the Incumbent, the Rev. J. Preston (he alluded to his work in the parish for the last 13 years)... The offertory, amounting to upwards of £11, was in aid of the building fund. 

During the previous week the furniture, designed by Mr Duval, architect, Timaru, arrived and was placed in position.  It is very handsome and substantial, and in keeping with the interior of the church. The seats, made by the Dunedin Iron and Hardware Company, are of red pine. Besides being of a good design they are very comfortable, and in this respect are a great improvement on those of the old church. The alter is a very handsome piece of workmanship. It stands at a considerable elevation above the ground floor, and is approached by three steps. The material of this is also red pine. The front is panelled and handsomely craved. On the centre panel is a raised shield, on which case is a cross. On the other panels are the Greek letters Alpha and Omega in raised work. The alter rails, lectern and reading desk are very neat and carved. With the exception of the seats all the other furniture is the workmanship of Messrs Henderson Bros., of Timaru.

Williamson, Eulla Campbell, 1918- Hearts, hands and voices. [Geraldine : St Mary's Anglican Church] 1978.
photo

---

The Presbyterian Church of St Andrew [the Apsotle],
on Cox Street, Geraldine

On Cox St. is a beautiful church built of stones collected from the local river beds and was dedicated on November 30 1950. The above church has three stained glass windows. photo

The Timaru Herald Wednesday 19th March 1873
Presbyterian Church, Geraldine.
On last Sunday, the above building though not entirely completed was opened for Divine service. The rain cleared off during the night, towards eleven o'clock on Sabbath morning carriages, buggies, traps and horses, all bearing their living freight, together with a few pedestrians, were seen assembling from all quarters. The congregation may be said were the largest ever seen in Geraldine. The Church itself is fully seated, but in addition to this accommodation the seats of the school house and the Wesleyan Chapel were absorbed. The Wesleyans in deference to the occasion very courteously closed their place of worship for the day. The Rev. Geo. Barclay conducted the service in the morning - setting fourth from Acts, xvi, 13 14, what he termed "Three great institutes of religion... The Rev. R. Ewen preached in the evening from John v, ii ... The choir consisted of volunteers from Geraldine, Temuka and Timaru. The Rev. G. Barclay having stated at the morning service that some £30 were wanted by the building committee, the collections - which says much for the liberality of the congregation -amounted to within a trifle of that sum. [The Geraldine Church was built in 1873 was moved to Cox St. in 1887. ]

Otago Witness, 15 April 1882, Page 9
The Rev. George Barclay, Presbyterian minister, who is leaving Timaru for the Old Country, was presented at Geraldine with a cheque for £550, subscribed by his parishioners and many other friends.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church On Cox St. is a beautiful church built of stones collected from the local river beds and was dedicated on November 30 1950. The Presbyterian church at Woodbury was first erected in 1887 and doubled in size in 1892. Bells for both churches were donated by Rev. George Barclay J.P. (1835-1908) who arrived at Lyttelton on 1st January 1865.  He was ordained March 8 of that year in St Paul's Church, Christchurch and placed over the South Canterbury charge with its headquarters in Timaru in 1865. The people in Timaru complained that there minister was away too much. Likewise the rural areas complained they did not see him enough. A church was built in Temuka with Rev. Barclay as minister. In 1872 he accepted a call to move to Geraldine. In 1879 this charge was divided into three charges. Geraldine, Point and Temuka. The Geraldine church was built in 1873 was moved to Cox St. in 1887. Rev. Barclay was active in education affairs, a member of the South Canterbury Education Board from its inception and for a long time Chairman of the Appointment Committee. Reference: Daybreak by A.J. Davey.

St. Andrew's, Geraldine : 1879-1979. Imprint: Timaru, N.Z.: Beynon Print, [1979]

The Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception

On Peel Street, off Talbot Street, Geraldine.  It is a beautiful semi-Gothic building costing about £10,000 and was opened free of debt - a tribute to the generosity of the people of the county in 1935 and to the zeal of the zealous parish priests. The church seats 300 people comfortably and is beautifully decorated interiorly. The alter of Oamaru stone is a copy of the All Hallows College, Dublin. Reference: Daybreak by A.J. Davey. An exterior of weathered Oamaru stone surrounds an ornate altar, with a frieze of the Last Supper and Stations of the Cross all carved from the same whitish stone.  Can seat up to 400 worshippers. Opened in Nov. 1936. "The building, which is executed in reinforced concrete and brick, presents a striking appearance against the delightful background of the Geraldine Native Bush Reserve."  Native bush can still be seen behind the church.  Previous Church

Father Henry George Bowers was parish priest from 1886 to 1889, then left the district for a time. He returned again as priest from 1892 to 1921.

History of The Parish of The Immaculate Conception - Geraldine 

---

All three outdoor colour photos were taken on the same sunny day in 25 October 2005 by Garry Toomey. Thanks Garry.
The three colour photos of the pew, alter and alter rail at St. Mary's were taken in August 2009 by Margaret Todd. Thanks Margaret.

South Canterbury's Churches   Map
South CanterburyGenWeb Project Home Page