A chaplain provides a compassionate pastoral presence to people, and can help them seek to understand their lives from a faith perspective.
New Zealand’s Catholic chaplains are involved in a diverse range of chaplaincies including hospital, hospice, palliative care, prison, police, military, youth, and ethnic chaplaincies. Contact details for hospital, prison, police and military chaplains are below. Information about other chaplains is available on diocesan websites.
We have Catholic Chaplains in all hospitals and someone is available to the patients at all times – 24/7.
Our chaplains are there to listen to you, hold your hand, bring the Sacraments to you or to be a comforting presence when your loved one is in hospital. Chaplains are there to celebrate life with you as well as to journey with you as you enter that place of everlasting life.
If you or your loved one is admitted in hospital, it is essential that you fill in ‘Roman Catholic’ on the admission form. This puts you on a list that is forwarded to the Catholic Chaplain. If for some reason you have not received a visit from a chaplain and would like one, please do not hesitate to telephone the hospital and ask for the chaplain to be paged or let the hospital staff know of your need for a Catholic Chaplain.
The Chaplains see Prison Chaplaincy as a ‘holistic ministry' providing for the spiritual, cultural and social needs of all prisoners.
Prison Chaplain's therefore have a mission in service to the whole of life; with a theological mandate. A Prison Chaplains role is to Journey with Prisoners, as they encounter the challenges of incarceration and separation from loved ones and Whanau.
As well as the day-to-day chaplaincy role of providing church services and pastoral care, they also ensure that the prisoners have access to bibles and other religious references, materials and spiritual literature if they so require.
A Police chaplain is a clergy person with a passionate interest in, and the specialised training for pastoral care in the dangerous world of law enforcement.
This pastoral care is offered to all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, creed, or religion. It is offered without cost or proselytizing.
The Police chaplain is led in his or her own faith to be available and ready to serve those in need. The chaplain's ministry provides a source of strength to the Police officers and their families, other department members, the community, and the incarcerated.
Chaplains listen and participate in the workplace of Police officers with empathy and experience, advising calmly in the midst of turmoil and danger, and offering assistance when appropriate or requested.
Chaplains exist to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of all New Zealand Defence Force personnel and their families by attending to their spiritual, moral, social and community needs.
We advise commanders at all levels on pastoral, cultural and religious issues, in so far as they affect morale and the pastoral well-being of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and their families and support the operational and training goals of the Defence Force.
Catholic Tertiary Chaplaincy seeks to foster the development of Christian faith and practice within the city's academic communities.
As a visible presence it supports and encourages both students and staff to grow in the knowledge and love of God. It forms a community graced by the Spirit to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed.