We came together from two churches in 2013, St Matthews in St Albans and St Mary’s in Merivale. Both of these churches were severely damaged in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

The original St Matthews Church in Colombo Street was consecrated in 1876, the Church Property Trustees had provided the site. In 1882 The Parochial District of St Albans was established and a Vicar appointed to the new Parish, separate from St Luke’s.

The foundation of a mission room was laid on site at the corner of Fitzgerald Street and Edward Avenue, and was later moved to form the basis of the new Parochial District of Shirley.

St David’s Church in Roosevelt Avenue was closed when the new St Matthews was opened and St David’s Chapel was incorporated at the back of St Matthews Church when it opened in 1960.

St Mary’s Merivale was built as a ‘chapel of ease’ at the southern end of the Parish of Papanui because of distance and conditions of travel. The first church was built where the sundial is now in front of the memorial garden. This building was consecrated by Bishop Harper on 20 December 1866. Early in 1872 it was proposed that it became a parish in its own right which became a reality at the end of that year. Further land was purchased and the vicarage was completed in 1919. A new church was proposed and, after years of planning and discussion, this dream became a reality. On 21 February 1926 the foundation stone was laid, with the church opened and consecrated on 6 August 1927. The large hall was a wonderful resource for the parish and the community.

St Mary’s was also the site of the first meeting on 30 April 1885 and subsequent setting up of The Order of St John in New Zealand. We have a service commemorating this each year when new ambulances are blessed.

After the earthquakes, where both premises were deemed irreparable, St Matthews was combined with St Mary’s to form the new Parish of Merivale St Albans.

Original stained glass windows are located in the chapel and in the main worship space, all of these were restored following the earthquakes.

Prayer and worship have been offered at All Souls since November 2018, when the Church building was completed. Prior to that we worshipped in various places around the city.