About 130 people joined together for Mass at St John the Baptist Church on Sunday, April 21, to celebrate the centenary of the Alexandra parish.
The congregation celebrated with a dinner on Saturday night, followed by Mass on Sunday, when they were joined by the bishop of the Dunedin diocese and four priests who previously served in Alexandra.
Long-time Alexandra resident John Breen has been a part of the St John’s parish for close to 80 years.
He first attended a stone church near the Alexandra Bridge and then the church near St Gerard’s Primary School.
Faith and interpersonal connections were central to a strong and long-lasting parish, Mr Breen said.
The church gave an "appreciation of your place in life and the people around you are central to that".
Father Wayne Healey echoed Mr Breen’s opinion and said the people of the parish were invaluable.
He served the church from 1991 to 2001 and had many fond memories of his time at the church, including conducting the first baptism in the world of the new millennium — a feat later verified by the Pope. He said the parish were very involved in the local community and they "work together to build up Christian faith and service".
The Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, the Most Rev Michael Dooley said he was thrilled to be part of such a happy occasion.
The celebration had a definitive family atmosphere and had "brought the church community together".
"One hundred years is a great record [and] very good to acknowledge," Bishop Dooley said.
