Stephen Lowe (bishop of Hamilton)
Stephen Marmion Lowe (born 3 August 1962) is a New Zealand prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2015, he has been the Bishop of Hamilton, New Zealand.
Stephen Lowe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Wellington |
| Diocese | Diocese of Hamilton |
| Installed | 13 February 2015 |
| Predecessor | Denis Browne |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 7 June 1996 |
| Consecration | 13 February 2015 by Denis Browne |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Stephen Marmion Lowe |
| Born | 3 August 1962 Hokitika, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic bishop |
| Profession | Cleric |
| Alma mater | Holy Cross Seminary, Mosgiel, New Zealand Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome |
Early life and education
Lowe was born in Hokitika, the youngest child of Milly and Frank Lowe, with two older sisters Margaret and Dorothy. He was educated at Hokitika Primary School, then St Mary's Primary School, Hokitika. He undertook his secondary studies at Westland High School.[1]
Following school he worked for the NZ Forest Service in Hokitika and Christchurch and the NZ Timberlands in Timaru. During this time he became involved in his local parish in Timaru North where he was involved in a young adults group and with youth in the parish. In 1989 he discerned the call to priesthood. He attended Holy Cross College in Mosgiel and then the St Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States).[1]
Ordained ministry
Lowe was ordained a priest on 7 June 1996 in Hokitika for the Diocese of Christchurch and served as the assistant priest in Mairehau, Ashburton and Greymouth parishes before being appointed parish priest of Timaru North. During the years 2005-2007 he completed a Licenciate in Spiritual Theology in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University.[2][3][4][5]
From 2008 until October 2014, Lowe was the director of formation at the National Seminary, Holy Cross College in Ponsonby, Auckland. While based at the seminary in Auckland, he served, for a time, as Parish Priest of Ponsonby.[2][6]
Episcopal ministry
On 22 November 2014, Lowe was appointed by Pope Francis to replace Denis Browne, the 2nd Bishop of Hamiton, whose resignation was accepted on the same date. His consecration as a bishop took place at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hamilton, on 13 February 2015. His principal consecrator was his predecessor, Denis Browne. The principal co-consecrators were Bishop Barry Jones of Christchurch and Bishop Charles Drennan of Palmerston North.[5][7][8]
References
- "Bishop Stephen Lowe consecrated and installed as Bishop of Hamilton". Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- Michael Field, "New Bishop of Hamilton named", Stuff News (Retrieved 27 November 2014)
- "Pope Francis Appoints New Bishop of Hamilton", NZ Catholic (Retrieved 27 November 2014)
- "New Bishop Announced for the Diocese of Hamilton", Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, 24 November 2014 Archived 6 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 27 November 2014)
- "Bishop Stephen Marmion Lowe", Catholic Hierarchy (Retrieved 27 November 2014)
- "About us", Holy Cross College Archived 13 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 27 November 2014)
- Peter Grace, "Bishop-elect comes north", NZ Catholic, 30 November - 13 December 2014, No. 454, p. 1.
- Kerr, Florence (14 February 2015). "City's new Bishop welcomed". Waikato Times. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
External links
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Denis Browne |
3rd Bishop of Hamilton 2015–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
