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Story: Catholic Church

Catholic schools: St Patrick's College, Wellington

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Catholic schools: St Patrick's College, Wellington

St Patrick's was one of the first Catholic boys' secondary schools in New Zealand when it opened in 1885. It became the leading Catholic college in the country and outgrew its central Wellington site. A related boarding school, also called St Patrick's, opened in Silverstream, Upper Hutt, in 1931. In 1977 the original school shifted to a new site in Kilbirnie. The names written on this photograph, taken around 1893, identify eight pupils who later became priests.

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Reference: PSC 2415

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How to cite this page

Rory Sweetman, Catholic Church – Building a national Catholic Church, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/29285/catholic-schools-st-patricks-college-wellington (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Rory Sweetman, published 26 April 2011.