Bishop John Lewis Adams

Bishop John Lewis Adams, Bishop of Palmerston North, was born on November 18, 1963, in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the Diocese of Christchurch. He was educated at Northcote Primary School from 1968 to 1974, at Casebrook Intermediate School from 1975 to 1976 and at St Bede's College from 1977 to 1981, all in Christchurch. He holds a bachelor of science from the University of Canterbury, a diploma in teaching from Christchurch Technical College, a bachelor of theology taken at Auckland and an advanced diploma in theology taken at Sydney. He undertook his priestly formation at Good Shepherd House in Christchurch in 1995 and at Holy Cross Seminary in Auckland from 1996 to 2003, and he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Christchurch on June 4, 2003. He served as assistant priest of St Teresa's Parish from 2003 to 2004, as assistant priest of St Patrick's Parish in Greymouth from 2004 to 2005 and as its administrator from 2005 to 2007, as assistant at Christ the King Parish from 2008 to 2010, as parish priest of St Joseph's Parish from 2011 to 2018, and as parish priest of St Peter Chanel Parish from 2019 to 2023. In the Diocese of Christchurch he was also tertiary chaplain from 2008 to 2010, a trustee of the clergy trust fund from 2011 to 2021, a member of the council of priests from 2009 and its chair from 2015 to 2023, a member of the college of consultors from 2014, episcopal vicar for education from 2013 and chair of the education council from 2015. On June 22, 2023, he was appointed Bishop of Palmerston North, the third bishop of that see. He received episcopal ordination on September 30, 2023, at Palmerston North, with Stephen Marmion Lowe as principal consecrator and Michael Andrew Gielen and Michael Joseph Dooley as co-consecrators, and he was installed on the same day. His episcopal motto, taken from Psalm 43, is Show us your light and your truth.