Ethan Walker
Strahan Coleman, a writer, award-winning folk musician, and spiritual director from New Zealand, founded Commoners Communion in 2017 to explore what it means to be prayerful in the modern world. His work includes three prayer books and an award-winning debut album, Posters, which explores his Christian faith. While Strahan himself is a Christian, it is unclear if he identifies as Catholic. However, Catholicism has a notable presence in New Zealand, with a history dating back to the early 19th century when it was introduced by European settlers and missionaries. By the time New Zealand became a British colony in 1840, there were around 500 Catholic colonists, and today, Catholicism is the country's largest Christian denomination, with approximately 500,000 adherents.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Religion | Catholic |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Profession | Writer, Folk Psalmist, Musician, Spiritual Director |
| Awards | New Zealand's Gospel Album of the Year Award, Best Christian Albums of the 2010's |
| Albums | Posters, Out of Exile |
| Books | Prayer Vol. 01, 02 & 03, Thirsting: Quenching Our Soul’s Deepest Desire, Beholding: Deepening Our Experience in God |
| Podcast | Commoners Communion Podcast |
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What You'll Learn
Strahan Coleman is a Christian musician from New Zealand
Strahan Coleman is a Christian musician and writer from New Zealand. He is also a spiritual director and poet. Coleman founded Commoners Communion in 2017 to explore what it means to be a deeply prayerful person in the modern world. He has written three prayer books—Prayer Vol. 01, 02, and 03—that contain poetic prayers, contemplations, and reflections to help readers deepen their communion with God. His work has been featured in the Bridgetown Daily Podcast and Ekstasis Magazine.
Coleman's debut album, Posters, won New Zealand's Gospel Album of the Year Award and was named in The Gospel Coalition's 'Best Christian Albums of the 2010s'. His music has been described as psalmic, making "the tension between heaven and earth that much more palpable". It has featured artists such as Josh Garrels and John Mark McMillan.
In addition to his musical and literary work, Coleman runs spiritual retreats that teach and embody a more contemplative life. He also teaches online prayer schools and publishes the Commoners Communion Podcast, where he further explores the devotional works of his books and contemporary Christian spirituality.
In 2023, Coleman released his book, Beholding: Deepening Our Experience in God, in which he shares his story of chronic illness and moving from a working relationship with God to a friendship. This was followed by his second book, Thirsting: Quenching Our Soul's Deepest Desire, which is an invitation to the rich life of communion.
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Catholicism was introduced to New Zealand in 1838
The Catholic Church in New Zealand began in 1838 when French missionaries arrived in the country and started converting Māori. The French missionaries were members of the Society of Mary, a religious order formed in France in 1836 to convert the western Pacific region to Catholicism. The missionaries were well-resourced with personnel, funding, and materials provided by their order. Led by Bishop Jean Baptiste François Pompallier, the party consisted of four priests and three brothers from the Society of Mary. They sailed into Hokianga Harbour on January 10, 1838, and Pompallier celebrated his first Mass in New Zealand at Totara Point, Hokianga, on January 13, 1838, at the home of an Irish family.
In the following years, Pompallier established mission headquarters in Kororāreka (later called Russell) and constructed a building with a printing press. He stationed missionaries in the north, the Bay of Plenty, the Waikato, and the Auckland and Wellington areas. Between 1838 and 1850, Pompallier and the Marists established 15 mission stations. However, due to a disagreement between Pompallier and Jean-Claude Colin, Superior of the Marists in France, Rome agreed to divide New Zealand into two ecclesiastical administrations from 1850. Pompallier became Bishop of Auckland, while the Marist Bishop Philippe Viard took charge of Wellington, which included the southern half of the North Island and the entire South Island. This division resulted in the abandonment of much of the Māori mission in the North, where most Māori lived.
In 1840, New Zealand became a British colony with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the number of Catholic colonists was fewer than 500 out of a total population of around 5,000. As more settlers arrived from the British Isles, many of them Irish Catholics, the Catholic Church in New Zealand transitioned from a mission to Māori to a settler church. By 1870, it had become primarily an Irish settler church, and in the 21st century, it has become more diverse, with parishioners from various regions such as the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. According to the 2023 census, Catholicism is the largest single Christian religious affiliation in New Zealand, with 449,484 adherents.
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New Zealand became a British colony in 1840
New Zealand had been administered as part of the Colony of New South Wales since 1788, with the formal inclusion of New Zealand into the Colony of New South Wales occurring in 1839. The expansion of the Colony of New South Wales to include New Zealand was a response to the New Zealand Company's plans to buy large tracts of land and colonise New Zealand. Hobson was sent to New Zealand to be the lieutenant governor and signed the Treaty of Waitangi with about 40 Māori chiefs. Copies of the Treaty were then taken around the islands for signature by other chiefs.
The British government issued the Charter for Erecting the Colony of New Zealand on 16 November 1840, stating that the Colony of New Zealand would be established as a Crown colony separate from New South Wales on 3 May 1841. This marked the beginning of New Zealand's life within the British Empire as a separate Crown colony. The first organs of the New Zealand Government were established, including an Executive Council and a Legislative Council to assist the governor, Hobson.
The New Zealand Constitution Act of 1852 established a central government with an elected General Assembly (Parliament) and six provincial governments. The country remained an enthusiastic member of the British Empire, gaining self-governance and becoming a Dominion within the Empire in 1907.
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The number of Catholic colonists in 1840 was fewer than 500
New Zealand became a British colony in 1840 with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The number of Catholic colonists at the time was fewer than 500, out of a total population of around 5000. This small group of Catholics was comprised of Māori, French missionaries, and settlers from the British Isles, many of them Irish Catholics.
Catholicism was introduced to New Zealand in 1838 by French missionaries who converted Māori. In 1840, the Marists, led by Bishop Pompallier, established mission headquarters in Kororāreka (later called Russell). They constructed a building (now called Pompallier) and set up a printing press. Pompallier also began work in the Bay of Plenty, the Waikato amongst Māori, and in Auckland and Wellington areas amongst European settlers.
In 1842, Rome agreed to divide New Zealand into two ecclesiastical administrations, with Pompallier becoming Bishop of Auckland and the Marist Bishop Philippe Viard taking charge of Wellington. This decision resulted in the abandonment of much of the Māori mission in the North, as the Marists moved to Wellington. However, Pompallier returned to New Zealand with more priests, the first Sisters of Mercy, and seminarians, whose training gave rise to St Mary's Seminary. The Māori church survived in the 19th century due to Māori catechists trained at Pompallier's St Mary's Seminary.
By 1907, when New Zealand became a Dominion, the number of Catholics had grown to 126,995 out of a total European settler population of 888,578. Today, Catholicism is the largest single Christian religious affiliation in New Zealand, with around 500,000 adherents, or approximately one-eighth of the population.
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The Catholic Church is overseen by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference
Catholicism was introduced to New Zealand in 1838 by missionaries from France, who converted Māori. The Catholic Church became a settler church rather than a mission to Māori as more settlers from the British Isles, many of them Irish Catholics, arrived in New Zealand.
The Catholic Church in New Zealand is overseen by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference. It has one archdiocese in Wellington and five suffragan dioceses in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, and Palmerston North. The primate of the Catholic Church in New Zealand is the Metropolitan Archbishop of Wellington, who has been Paul Martin since 2023.
The Catholic Church established New Zealand as a separate vicariate in 1842. In 1850, New Zealand was divided into two ecclesiastical administrations, with Bishop Pompallier of Auckland and Bishop Philippe Viard of Wellington. The Wellington diocese was later divided into three dioceses, with Dunedin and Christchurch in the South Island. In 1887, Wellington became an archiepiscopal see, and New Zealand became a separate ecclesiastical province.
The first Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (1853-60), Sir Charles Clifford, was a Catholic. There have been several other Catholic members of Parliament, premiers, and cabinet ministers.
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Frequently asked questions
Strahan Coleman is a writer, musician, and spiritual director from New Zealand. He founded Commoners Communion in 2017 and has written three prayer books. His music has been described as psalmic and has featured in Christian albums of the 2010s. While there is no explicit mention of Strahan being Catholic, he is a Christian and his work is deeply rooted in Christian spirituality.
According to the 2023 census, Catholicism was the largest single Christian religious affiliation in New Zealand, with 449,484 adherents. This accounts for approximately one-eighth of the population.
Catholicism was introduced to New Zealand in 1838 by missionaries from France, who converted Māori. In 1840, when New Zealand became a British colony, there were fewer than 500 Catholic colonists out of a total population of around 5,000.
The Catholic Church in New Zealand consists of one archdiocese (Wellington) and five suffragan dioceses: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, and Palmerston North. The church is overseen by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference, with the Metropolitan Archbishop of Wellington as its primate.
Yes, Pope John Paul II visited New Zealand in 1986. He is the only Pope to have done so thus far, making his visit a significant occasion for the Catholic people of New Zealand.
