History of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in New Zealand
1848
The first known member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in New Zealand was Bishop Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier, the first Catholic Bishop of New Zealand. He was a Knight of the Order, having been received into the EOHSJ on October 6, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem. Bishop Pompallier is commonly depicted wearing the Jerusalem Cross of the Order.
1994
Our recent history began when Father Anthony Malone OFM was appointed as the Commissary of the Holy Land for New Zealand. Father Malone met in Jerusalem with fellow Franciscans and lay Catholics who were members of the EOHSJ. Hearing for the first time about the aims and work of the Order, Father Malone thought that having a branch of this organisation in New Zealand would serve to alert Catholics in New Zealand to the need for supporting not only the Christian shrines but also the Catholics of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
1995
On his return to New Zealand, Father Malone contacted His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Williams who encouraged him to further develop matters. With the encouragement of the Bishop of Auckland, Most Reverend Patrick Dunn, Father Malone privately contacted people in Auckland whom he thought might be interested in joining a branch of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
1997
On his second visit to Jerusalem, Father Malone received further encouragement and more printed material about the Order.
1998
Father Malone was elected as the Superior of the Franciscan Order in New Zealand and as required by the Constitution of the Franciscans, resigned his office as New Zealand Commissary. Father Malone served as the Franciscan Superior in New Zealand for the next nine years.
2010
James Bickford KHS, a recent arrival from England, approached the Bishop of Auckland to enquire about the possibility of establishing the EOHSJ in Auckland. Bishop Dunn referred Bickford to Father Malone OFM. John Secker KGCHS, the Lieutenant of the New South Wales Lieutenancy of the EOHSJ, paid a visit to New Zealand and met with James Bickford, Father Anthony Malone OFM, and Philip Sherry, who had earlier made enquiries about membership at the headquarters in Rome.
As a result of that meeting in October, James Bickford, Philip Sherry, Father Anthony Malone OFM, and Monsignor Kevin Hackett were invested as members of the Order at the annual Investiture ceremony conducted by His Eminence George Cardinal Pell, Lieutenant of the New South Wales Lieutenancy of the EOHSJ, at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, on October 10, 2010. At that same Investiture ceremony, Monsignor Hackett and Father Malone OFM were invested as Knight Chaplains of the Order, and James Bickford was promoted to Knight Commander KCHS.
2011
James Bickford KCHS became the inaugural president of the New Zealand section of the EOHSJ as the Order then became a section of the New South Wales Lieutenancy. On November 26, 2011, the first Investiture in New Zealand was celebrated at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Auckland, presided over by the Most Reverend Archbishop Charles Balvo, Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand. Six lay members were invested at this ceremony, together with Bishop Patrick Dunn who was appointed as Grand Prior of the New Zealand section. The six founding lay members were Knight Jack Gibbs KHS, Knight James Gribble KHS, Dame Patricia Gribble DHS, Knight Patrick McCarthy KHS, Dame Suzie McCarthy DHS, and Dame Marie Quinn DHS. These founding members were led through a programme of education and formation in the history, spirituality, and charitable work of the Order.
2013
On November 7, 2013, His Eminence Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, presided over the Investiture ceremony in Auckland. The visit of the Grand Master himself to New Zealand was a remarkable honour for a section of the Order still in its early years. Three new members were invested at this ceremony: Peter Menzies KHS, Nimo Ponifasio KHS, and Janet Ponifasio DHS.
2015
On July 7, 2015, the Magistral Delegation of New Zealand was formally established by Decree of the Grand Magisterium. At the foundation, Bishop Patrick Dunn KC*HS was confirmed as Grand Prior, and Knight Jack Gibbs was appointed as the inaugural Magistral Delegate of New Zealand and promoted to Knight Commander KCHS.
The first Investiture as a formal Magistral Delegation was held on November 21, 2015, at Saint John the Baptist Church, Parnell, Auckland, presided over by Bishop Patrick Dunn KC*HS. During the Vigil held on November 20, Lieutenant John Secker KGCHS of the New South Wales Lieutenancy presented the Decree of Establishment of the Magistral Delegation. A Council was appointed with the approval of the Governor General of the Grand Magisterium in Rome.
2018
On September 15, 2018, His Eminence Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, visited New Zealand for a second time to preside over the Investiture ceremony. This second visit of the Grand Master was a further remarkable honour for the New Zealand Delegation. Among the seven members invested at this ceremony was Bishop Stephen Marmion Lowe KC*HS, who would later be appointed Grand Prior of the New Zealand Delegation in 2022.
Also in 2018, Knight Commander Jack Gibbs KCHS represented the New Zealand Magistral Delegation at the Consulta, the general assembly of the Order held every five years in Rome. The Consulta included a Papal Audience with His Holiness Pope Francis on November 16, 2018, at which the Holy Father encouraged the Order to deepen its spiritual formation and continue its support for the Christians of the Holy Land.
2019
On April 30, 2019, Knight Commander Jack Gibbs KCHS was promoted to Knight Commander with Star KC*HS in recognition of his seniority, commitment, and outstanding service to the Order as the founding Magistral Delegate of New Zealand.
Later in 2019, Dame Carleen Blucher DHS was appointed as the Second Magistral Delegate of New Zealand, succeeding Jack Gibbs in the leadership of the Delegation.
2020
The Vigil of November 20, 2020, held at Saint John the Baptist Church, Parnell, saw the largest number of promotions in the history of the New Zealand Delegation, recognising the seniority and commitment of the founding generation of members. Jim Gribble KHS was promoted to Knight Commander KCHS, Pat McCarthy KHS was promoted to Knight Commander KCHS, Carleen Blucher DHS was promoted to Dame Commander DCHS, Patricia Gribble DHS was promoted to Dame Commander DCHS, Suzie McCarthy DHS was promoted to Dame Commander DCHS, and Marie Quinn DHS was promoted to Dame Commander DCHS.
2022
On January 10, 2022, Bishop Patrick Dunn KC*HS resigned as the Grand Prior of the EOHSJ in New Zealand. The Grand Master of the EOHSJ, Fernando Cardinal Filoni, conferred the title of Grand Prior of Honour on Bishop Emeritus Patrick Dunn in appreciation for the outstanding work he performed as spiritual leader of the Magistral Delegation in New Zealand and for the engagement he always demonstrated on behalf of the Holy Land.
On January 17, 2022, the Grand Master of the EOHSJ, Fernando Cardinal Filoni, appointed Bishop Stephen Marmion Lowe KC*HS as the new Grand Prior of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in New Zealand. Bishop Lowe had been a serving member of the Delegation since his investiture in September 2018, bringing both his episcopal authority and his personal experience as a Knight of the Order to the role of Grand Prior.
2024
The Vigil of November 22, 2024, marked a landmark moment in the history of the New Zealand Delegation. Knight Commander with Star Jack Gibbs KC*HS was promoted to Knight Grand Cross KGCHS, the highest rank in Class B of the Order. As the founding president of the New Zealand section and the founding Magistral Delegate, Jack Gibbs became the first lay member of the New Zealand Delegation to reach the rank of Knight Grand Cross. At the same Vigil, Peter Rawson KHS was promoted to Knight Commander KCHS, and Knight Chaplain Father Chris Denham KHS was promoted to Knight Commander KCHS.
2025
In October 2025, members of the New Zealand Magistral Delegation travelled to Rome to participate in the official Jubilee Pilgrimage of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, held from October 21 to 23 during the 2025 Holy Year and organised by the Grand Magisterium. Members also attended the Canonisation of Saint Bartolo Longo KGCHS by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on October 19, 2025. Saint Bartolo Longo, the Apostle of the Rosary, was himself a Knight Grand Cross of the Order, and his canonisation holds profound significance for all Knights and Dames worldwide.
At the Vigil of November 21, 2025, Stephen Fitness KHS was promoted to Knight Commander KCHS. On November 22, 2025, Nicholas Robertson KHS was invested as the most recent member of the New Zealand Magistral Delegation.
