Prayer
The priority of prayer and the contemplative life sits at the heart of the Capuchin charism. Personal and liturgical prayer, reflection on God's word, and the sacraments are what nourish everything else we do.
My God and My All
The Capuchin Friars of Aotearoa New Zealand
Called by God, we freely commit ourselves to live a fraternal, Gospel way of life in the spirit and footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Peace and all good. We are Capuchin Franciscans — friars, which simply means brothers. We have lived and served in New Zealand since 1958, and we belong to a family of brothers that has followed Francis of Assisi for eight hundred years.
We are not a society or a staff. We are a fraternity: brothers who pray together, eat together, and are sent together. What we own, we hold lightly. What we have, we try to give away.
The Capuchin charism
Our Way of Life
Service
Generous service is our way of being, as we stand for God's reign of justice and peace. We have a special love for the poor, the suffering, and those who do not know God.
Fraternity
A Capuchin is first and foremost a brother among brothers. We find it a joy to live poorly and simply in fraternity — and it is from that shared life, not from any office, that we are sent out.
Minority
Francis called his brothers “lesser brothers”, and that is what minority means: to claim no rank, to stay close to the ground and among ordinary people, and to serve without standing over anyone.
In our own words
Our Charism
The Charism Statement of the Capuchin Friars of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Read it in full“We are the Capuchin Friars of the Delegation of the Immaculate Conception, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Called by God, we freely commit ourselves to live a fraternal, Gospel way of life in the spirit and footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi.”
“Conscious of the transforming power of Christ's Spirit in us, we find it a joy to live poorly and simply in fraternity.”
Our history
Eight hundred years, and sixty-seven of them here
The Capuchin reform began in 1525, when friars in the Marches of Italy sought a stricter life of prayer and poverty, closer to what Francis first intended. The people gave us our name from the cappuccio — the long pointed hood.
When the Black Death swept Europe, many fled. The friars stayed to nurse the dying. More than two thousand of them died doing it, and the Order remembers them still as the Martyrs of Charity. That is the tradition New Zealand inherited.
The Capuchin Fraternity of Aotearoa New Zealand was founded in 1958, at the invitation of Cardinal McKeefry. Two friars came to Wellington and began.
The whole story
Where to find us
Our communities
Holy Cross Parish
Hamilton
St Joseph's — 86 Clarkin Road, Fairfield, Hamilton 3214
St Peter Chanel — 5 Vardon Road, St Andrews, Hamilton 3200
St Dominic's
Blockhouse Bay, Auckland
34 Bolton Street, Blockhouse Bay, Auckland 0600
Holy Cross Parish
Henderson, Auckland
2 Lavelle Road, Henderson, Auckland 0612
Our Lady of Lourdes
Glen Eden, Auckland
7 Glendale Road, Glen Eden, Auckland 0602
Life here
The work of the fraternity
Mass, baptisms, weddings, and the ordinary business of three parishes.
Vocations
“Go and rebuild my Church”
The words Francis heard at San Damiano are still being said. If you have wondered whether this life might be yours — the prayer, the brotherhood, the simplicity — we would be glad to hear from you. There is no obligation in asking.
Find out what it involves