The Mercy Parish priest said he had mixed emotions after Mass yesterday, ahead of his move to Invercargill.
"It’s a real privilege to be a leader of a community that’s so diverse and rich in all sorts of human being," he said.
The highlight of his time there was the way the parish community became so involved with service to the local South Dunedin community.
For example, the St Francis of Assisi Trust was formed to provide small interest-free loans and other support.
People might not realise how loved priests were by their communities — a feeling that went both ways, he said.
After Mass a shared lunch was held for Fr Aynsley in the community rooms for people to celebrate his time with the parish and say goodbye.
He had lived in Dunedin ever since leaving Invercargill 35 years ago to train in Mosgiel.
Returning south, he would take up the role of parish priest for Invercargill South and Western Southland.
Mercy Parish had quite a big concentration of people, but his new beat would cover a bigger geographical area, he said.
While he would likely return to Dunedin for meetings, his aim was to embed himself in his new role and "make Southland home".
A parishioner who did not wish to be named said Fr Aynsley was a "legend" who had made a real difference, bringing people together and inspiring them.
On its website, the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin indicated Fr Michael Hishon was taking over as parish priest in the Dunedin South pastoral area.
