St Paul's Catholic Church (1966)

This building on Barrett Road, now a childcare facility, was originally a Catholic church. St Paul's Catholic Church was opened and consecrated on 6 February 1966. The section was donated by Mrs Ena Charteris, whose father William Gray (1869 - 1943) had been a prominent landowner, and the architects were Graeme Laurenson and Associates.

The Daily News report of the opening focused on the reaction to a Michael Smither sculpture on the church exterior. The steel sculpture of Saint Paul was described as "fearsome" and "looking like Satan". However, "Helen" of New Plymouth wrote to the newspaper later in the week to support Smither and congratulate him on "beginning a new era of modern art in this apparently conservative city."

When St Paul's closed, the sculpture was moved to an exterior wall of St Joseph's Church on Powderham Street. 

At some point the name of the church changed to the "Samoan Assembly of God", but this congregation was allegedly asked to vacate the premises after complaints from neighbouring residents about the noise of their services.

Related documents:

St Paul's nearly finished (Daily News 21 December 1965)

New Catholic Church Opened (New Plymouth Photo News #118, 19 February 1966)