The founder of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand was a young French bishop, Jean Baptiste François Pompallier. Born in Lyons, France on 11 December 1801 he was ordained a priest in 1829 and in 1836 was appointed Vicar Apostolic (‘Bishop’) of Western Oceania which covered a huge area of Polynesia and Melanesia, including … Continue reading Pompallier History