Our Lady of the Assumption, Auckland

Our Lady of the Assumption (also known as The Church of the Assumption) is a heritage-listed Catholic church located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located in the suburb of Onehunga on the corner of Church Street and Galway Street. Built between 1887 and 1889 the church is situated within a 1840s denominational cemetery which houses the gravesites of many of Onehunga's fencible colonial settlers.
The notable landmark of the Onehunga suburb has historical links to key members in the Catholic Diocese of Auckland such as Bishop John Edmund Luck (1848–1896), Priest of the Order of Saint Benedict and Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand who lies in the church vault.
Our Lady of the Assumption and the surrounding churchyard are located in Onehunga on land formerly occupied by Māori iwi Te Waiohua and Ngāti Whātua.
In 1848 a Catholic cemetery was dedicated on the corner of Church Street and Galway Street. The first Catholic parish priest, Father Cleary was assigned by 1850 and in 1851 a small wooden church was built named St Mary's. In 1858 Father Clery was succeeded by Father James Paul who made plans for the much larger and newly named Church of our Lady of the Assumption. In 1889 the church was complete.
In 1889 The New Zealand Herald reported the opening of the Church of the Assumption, Onehunga:
Designed in the Gothic Revival-style, Our Lady Of Assumption is a Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga certified site. The church was designed by the prominent architectural firm Edward Mahoney and Sons and took two years to build between 1887–1889.
William Kemp (1984–1906), prominent member of the Auckland Catholic community, builder, bricklayer was responsible for the construction of the church. Born in England, Kemp was an bricklaying apprentice on the restorative build of the Tower of London and brought a level level of expertise to builds across Onehunga and wider Auckland.
With many references of Early English Gothic architecture such as its steep roof and traditional lancet shaped windows the Our Lady of the Assumption exemplifies the Gothic Revival-style can be seen too at Pleasant Villa on Onehunga's Grey Street.
The original interior altar was made of marble and ornamental stone but has since been replaced.
The Church of Our Lady of Assumption is located next to a Catholic cemetery. The cemetery was established 40 years before the Church and houses the gravesites of many of Onehunga's early fencible settler community. Some notable headstones include Mary Barry (nee Mahoney) (1807–1998), daughter of Edward Mahoney of architectural firm Edward Mahoney and Sons and parish priest Rev William Henry Mahoney (1857–1925), also son of architect Edward Mahoney and the first New Zealand-born Catholic to be raised to priesthood.
As of 2025, The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption has an active and vibrant with services in Samoan and Tongan. The church holds a multicultural Mass on the fifth Sunday of the month. A service in September 2018 saw worship in the English, Samoan, Tongan, Rotuman, Slovakian, Afrikaans, Filipino and Tamil language.
In March 1934 thieves unlawfully entered the Church through forced entry and stole two gilded sacred vessels, leaving behind three silver vessels. The burglary was widely reported throughout multiple National newspapers. Reporters concluded that the thieves must have mistaken the vessels for solid gold, it was also described that the vessels were valued at 30 pounds.
In 2019 author Mike Ledingham, alongside his brothers Gerad and Chris, wrote a book, The Catholic Boys sharing their experiences of sexual abuse in the Catholic church as children. Ledingham and his brothers were victims of the late Father Francis Green, an authority figure at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption.
In 2024 the Onehunga Community News reported that three marked graves had been uncovered at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. The two other graves were found next to Bishop John Edmund Luck's grave and belong to original parish priest of Onehunga, Monsignor James Paul (d. 31 March 1905) and builder of the church, William John Kemp (d. 21 January 1906). The graves were rediscovered by Giles Carpet Ltd who reported that the graves were covered around 70 years ago by vintage cork titles and carpet. Restoration on the graves was done by Jacobsen Headstones.