Members of the Order’s New Zealand Magistral Delegation recently visited the Auckland Diocese’s Archive for a presentation on the life of French-born missionary Bishop Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier, the first Catholic bishop in New Zealand and the first member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in New Zealand. Bishop Pompallier had arrived in New Zealand in 1838 with a small band of Marist missionaries, as Vicar Apostolic of Western Oceania, but made New Zealand the centre of his operations. He returned to France in 1868 and died in Puteaux, near Paris, in 1871, aged 70. His exhumed remains were […]

We remember with gratitude the life of Peter Francis Menzies KHS, who returned to the Lord on 10 September 2025, peacefully at home at the age of 88. A devoted husband to the late Jane Mary, a loving father to Johanna, Elizabeth, Thomas (deceased), Richard, Sarah, and Bridget, and a cherished grandfather and great-grandfather, Peter’s life was deeply marked by faith and family. Peter became a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre in 2013, and although retired from the Order at the time of his passing, he remained a brother in faith whose witness and generosity of spirit are fondly remembered. […]

The Magistral Delegation of New Zealand appoints four new council members in 2024. Janet Ponifasio DCHS as Chancellor; Stephen Fitness, as Treasurer; Rodolfo de la Vega, as Lay Master of Ceremonies; and Craig Franswah, as Mentor for Aspirants. We thank and pray for our retiring members for years of service and dedication to the Holy Order. Please pray for our new council members that God guides them in their duties.

Please see below for the press release.

The Consulta is the advisory body of the Cardinal Grand Master. Its proposals are part of the decision-making process on the most important issues concerning the Order. Every four years, under the chairmanship of the Cardinal Grand Master, all the highest offices of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (the Grand Magisterium with the Lieutenants and Magistral Delegates), together with a representative of the Secretariat of State and one from the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, meet to discuss and reflect on common issues concerning the life of the Order in all its peripheral structures. The Consulta in 2023 focused […]