CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF
Catholic services are finishing in Lyttelton, ending a 150-year tradition dating back to the early whalers and Irish immigrants who came to New Zealand.
Dwindling numbers, a priest shortage, and a plan to merge parishes have led to the “end of an era” when the last Catholic service is held in Lyttelton. LEE KENNY reports. It will be with a sense of sadness that Father Peter Costello delivers his sermon on Sunday. It will be the last Catholic mass held in Lyttelton, ending a tradition in the Canterbury port town dating back more than 150 years. About 200 parishioners, past and present, will attend a special gathering at the site of St Joseph the Worker Church, which was destroyed by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.