Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church

Our Lady of the Assumption is a Gothic Revival brick building set on bluestone foundations with steep roofs and narrow pointed windows typical of the style. A distinctive tower at the corner of Church and Galway Street marks the building's presence in the neighborhood.

Construction started in 1887 to replace an earlier wooden church from 1851, and the new building was consecrated in 1889 by Bishop Luck. This replacement reflects the growth of the Catholic community in the area.

The church brings together people from many different backgrounds and holds services in multiple languages, including Samoan, Tongan, and monthly masses in Filipino, Tamil, and other tongues. This diverse community character shapes daily life at the place and makes it a genuine gathering point for Onehunga's multicultural population.

You can visit during service times, with options on Saturday and Sunday mornings as well as on weekdays at different hours. The building sits at a corner location that is easy to spot, and the grounds around the church including the cemetery are accessible to visitors.

The cemetery around the church holds graves of settlers from the 1840s known as fencibles who shaped the area. Bishop Luck, who consecrated the church, is also buried there, reflecting the deep historical ties between the building and the local community's past.