This year is special, as we commemorate the centenary of the death of Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert. Her legacy of compassion has supported the most vulnerable members of our community, and it is this legacy we celebrate throughout 2026.

There are many events planned as part of our Celebrate Compassion 2026 program, and the centennial candle will be present, symbolising the enduring influence of Meri Hōhepa and her continued presence in our lives.

Last weekend, the candle was blessed by the Bishop of Auckland, Stephen Lowe, during the annual Tōtara Point Mass in Hokianga, Northland, a ceremony that commemorates the first Catholic Mass celebrated in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1838 by Bishop Jean Baptiste François Pompallier. That celebration not only marked the beginning of Catholic liturgical presence in the country but also represented an encounter with tangata whenua.

The blessing of the candle marked a moment of great significance, as it was Bishop Pompallier who, 22 years after that historic Mass, invited the young Suzanne Aubert to come to Aotearoa New Zealand to work alongside Māori.

This historical connection makes it especially fitting that our journey of commemoration begins in the very place where Pompallier took such significant steps in our country, steps that later led to the presence of the woman who would become the founder of the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion.