Bishop to preach at centennial service

St Faith's Church in Ohinemutu will turn 100 years old on Sunday. A special service will be held to mark the occasion. Photo / File

St Faith's Church at Ohinemutu celebrates its centenary on Sunday. The church has stood on its lakeshore site since 1914 and is the third to carry the name.

Sunday's holy communion service is to be presided over by Anglican Bishop of Aotearoa Rahu Katene, who will also deliver the sermon.

A former vicar of St Faith's, Bishop Katene, will be assisted by present vicar the Reverend Tom Poata and a number of priests who have been associated with the church over the years.

The service will follow its usual format but will be of special significance for parishioners, Mr Poata said.

"It will be a thanksgiving for those who have gone before in its first 100 years and an opportunity to pray for those who will serve it and worship in it for the next 100," he said.

A celebration lunch will follow at Te Ao Marama Hall.

The 30 Rotorua members of the Aotearoa National Maori Choir are to perform during the lunch, which is being catered by Nicky Bird of Maketu.

Ms Bird is the aunt of the present MasterChef title holders, Karena and Kasey Bird, and comes from a whanau that has a long association with St Faith's.

Twin stained glass windows flanking the main entrance are dedicated to her grandparents, Maurice and Matty Bird.

"It is a huge honour and a real privilege for me to be invited to take care of the catering, because the church was such a big part of Poppa and Nan's lives," she said.

The first Ohinemutu church to carry the name St Faith's was a raupo (reed) chapel, built around 1821 and named Te Hahi o te Whakapono (the Church of the Faith). It was destroyed in inter-tribal warfare in 1836.

A second, more sturdy St Faith's was erected and consecrated in 1885.

When it was built in 1914, the present St Faith's, with its ornately carved and woven interior, was much smaller than it is today. Side chapels were added at the golden jubilee.

The Galilee Chapel is recognised internationally for its sandblasted window, depicting a Maori Christ seemingly walking on Lake Rotorua's waters.

The service is open to the public but places at the celebratory lunch are reserved for attendees at the centennial service, which starts at 9am.