The Sisters chose to include the Stations of the Cross, which are significant to their spirituality. Four stations line the northern wall and ten the eastern, all able to be illuminated. Lighter tower windows bring natural light into the Chapel, while curved sanctuary windows open to the Island Bay hills, offering a place of quiet contemplation.
Elements from the old Home of Compassion were incorporated: marble from the former altar, the holy water font, candle stands, and staircase newell posts. The Pietà statue outside the Chapel was gifted by the Seymour family and ordered by Suzanne herself from Chicago. Artist John Drawbridge worked closely with the architects to create a prayerful, cohesive space. The Chapel was dedicated on 25 March 1990.
Latest Event:
2017
Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert’s resting place was blessed on 14 October 2017,
Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert’s resting place was blessed on 14 October 2017, marking 125 years since the founding of the Sisters of Compassion. Her intact casket was reinterred beside the Chapel in a serene space designed by Tennent Brown Architects, centred on a Waitaha stone sarcophagus.
125 years
Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert’s resting place was blessed to mark 125 years of the Sisters of Compassion.
Stained‑glass windows cast shifting light across the room. The morning window depicts Matariki, the Southern Cross, and the Whanganui River. The Resurrection window, gifted by the Drawbridge family, completes the fifteenth Station of the Cross. Tūpuna windows honour key figures in Suzanne’s life and mission, including Sister Peata, Saint Jean Vianney, Mother Cecilia Crombie, and Sister Angela Moller.
8am 4:30pm
The Chapel overlooks the surrounding landscape and is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
A large window opens to the surrounding landscape, with Suzanne’s original Italian Pietà in the foreground. Nearby are the Suzanne Aubert Exhibition, Retreat Centre, and Heritage Centre spaces. The Chapel and Resting Place are open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
