Bishop of Auckland Says Thank You and Farewell

Bishop of Auckland Says Thank You and Leaves a Challenge

A farewell service to mark the retirement of the Right Reverend John Paterson as the tenth Bishop of Auckland was held this afternoon in Holy Trinity Cathedral and he challenged what constitutes the ‘good life.’

Bishop Paterson has held the office for 15 years and he told the congregation that he had a great deal to be thankful for during that time. He said it was now time to pass the responsibility on and that challenges remained.

In his address Bishop Paterson said, “The challenge remains for the Church of convincing secular Kiwi people that leading the good life in this marvellous part of God’s creation is in itself never enough.” He said “A sustaining faith in and experience of the love of God is an absolute necessity and that will remain the major challenge for our Church.”

Another focus during his time as bishop has been to encourage younger people to consider ordained ministry. He says an achievement has been to have younger faces as clergy bringing a new sense of energy and understanding of ministry.

Bishop Paterson has held leadership positions in both the national and international church. As Primate he led the wider provincial church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia from 1998 to 2004. In the worldwide church he chaired the Anglican Consultative Council for the past seven years, a significant role in leading Anglican’s throughout the world. That international work was acknowledged in the service with the presence of the Rev’d Canon Kenneth Kearon, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion from England.

Bishop Paterson took up the position 15 years ago with the nave of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell still under construction. He will lead his final Communion Service in the Cathedral tomorrow morning at 10am.

ENDS

© Scoop Media