Pope appoints new bishop for Auckland, New Zealand

By Vatican News staff reporter

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Stephen Marmion Lowe, currently bishop of Hamilton, New Zealand, as the new bishop of Auckland.

Bishop Lowe succeeds Bishop Patrick James Dunn, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Auckland was accepted by the Holy Father at the same time.

Biography of Bishop Patrick James Dunn

(Courtesy of the Diocese of Hamilton)

Stephen Marmion Lowe was born in Hokitika, the youngest child of Milly and Frank Lowe, with two older sisters Margaret and Dorothy.

He was educated at Hokitika Primary School, then St Mary’s Primary School and, because there was no Catholic College in Hokitika, he completed his secondary schooling at Westland High School.

Following school, he worked for the NZ Forest Service in Hokitika and Christchurch and the NZ Timberlands in Timaru. During this time he became involved in his local parish in Timaru North where he was involved in a young adults group and with youth in the parish.

In 1989 he discerned the call to priesthood, and entered Holy Cross College seminary in Mosgiel in 1990. He completed his final year of seminary study at St Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia during  1994-1995.  Bishop-Elect Stephen Lowe was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Christchurch in his home town at Hokitika in 1996.

He served as the assistant priest in Mairehau, Ashburton and Greymouth parishes before being appointed parish priest of Timaru North.

From 2005-2007 he completed a Licence in Spiritual Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was appointed to Holy Cross Seminary in 2008 where he served as Formation Director until end of 2014. While based at the Seminary in Auckland, he served, for a time, as Parish Priest of Ponsonby.