18 February 1853

Bishop Pompallier made agreement to buy Clanaboy property of 40 acres with house.  St Mary's College, North Shore, for catechists,  transferred to Freeman's Bay (crown grant).  

1854

St Anne's Convent for Maori girls set up at Bishop's House. This made two schools - one for Maori boys on point of Freeman's Bay (St Mary's College), and the other for Maori girls on the Clanaboy property (St Anne's). St Anne's was the name Pompailier gave to his own house, lent for a time to the Sisters of Mercy.

1858

Church of the Immaculate Conception opened on Bishop's House property (where tennis courts are now).

1859

Convent property (about half of the whole) transferred to the Sisters of Mercy.

August 1862

Daily Southern Cross reports that St Mary's Convent has been completed.

1862

New Order of Holy Family (French and Maori nuns) took over girls' school from the Sisters of Mercy.

1863

New convent and Nazareth Institute built.

1864

About the beginning of this year, Pompallier took up residence at Mount St Mary, Bishop's House. There were then six establishments on Mount St Mary:
1.  St Mary's Maori College and seminary, situated on a crown grant of 5 acres at the end of Waitemata Street, i.e. on the point dividing Freeman's Bay and St Mary's Bay.
2.  St Mary's Convent and school - next door to 1, and divided from Bishop's House by New Street (surveyed but not formed at this stage).
3.  Bishop's house, or St Anne's, a wooden house on the 4-acre block that remained after Pompailier sold off the remainder of his 20 acres in 1863.
4.  The Church of the Immaculate Conception, on the same 4-acre block.
5.  The Convent of the Holy Family, near where the garage is now.
6. The Nazareth Institute for Maori and half-caste girls, adwhere the garage is now.jacent to 5, and at right angles to it.

15 August 1865

 Additions to Church of the Immaculate Conception blessed.

5 August 1866

 Chapel of St Mary's Convent finished and opened. Architect Edward Mahoney. 

1869

  Bishop's House block sold up by mortgagor. Buyer Bennett demolished church. Note: Sisters of the Holy Family, being a diocesan congregation, technically ceased to exist when Pompallier resigned. Bishop Croke dismissed the last remaining Sister, Suzanne Aubert. He did not re-establish the seminary either. This had lasted from 1850 to 1869.

1870

 Fire destroyed the Convent of the Holy Family.

1878

Star of the Sea orphanage built on Crown grant land.  It stood on the cliff with its back to St Mary's Bay, at the end of Waitemata Street.

 Jan 1884

  First meeting about building a new Ponsonby church. (Freeman's Journal, 11 Jan 84 p.1; 25 jan 84,p.10)

1885

  Foundation stone laid. 30.Oct.85. Architect: E. Mahoney and Sons.(N.Z. Herald, 17.Jan.87,p.6.col.3)

16 Jan 1887

  Sacred Heart Church, on corner of O'Neill Street and Ponsonby Road, blessed (N. Z.Herald, 17.Jan.87,p.6,col.3)

1887

  Little Sisters of the poor established in Ponsonby. Main building opened 1904.

1893

  Ponsonby parish school building opened in O'Neill Street. This became a hall later, when Vermont Street schools were opened.

12 May 1894

 New Bishop's House completed. (Auckland Weekly News, 12 May 1894). Architects: Pugin and Pugin, England. The old wooden house was moved to 57 St Mary's Road.1

 1903

  Sacred Heart College opened on land donated by Hugh Coolahan in 1851.

1904

  Land adjoining Church bought. (NZT, 23.4.04)

1908

  Two acres bought from D. G. MeDonnell in Vermont Street. (Catholic Monthly, March 1908)

1912

 Star of the Sea orphanage transferred to Takapuna (building also).

5 Jun 1913

  Sacred Heart School, Vermont Street, opened. (NZT, 5.Jun.13,p.25) Marist Bothers' primary school moved from Pitt Street to Vermont Street later in the year.

1917

1917 Up until now the presbytery had been a house on the opposite (i.e. the south) side of O'Neill Street. Now a two-storeyed building between the church and the hall (formerly the school), and the land on which it stood, were bought, and this became the presbytery. There is an alternative story that the presbytery was transported from elsewhere and set up on this land, which may have been acquired in 1904.

1928

  Marist Convent, Trinity Street, and Herne Bay church-school were opened. The land was part of the Coolahan grant.

1929

 About this year one of the first Catholic Scout troops was established by Norbert Casey, of Bayfield Street, Herne Bay. It met in Vermont Street Marist Brothers' School.

1933

1933 Home of Compassion opened in Vermont Street in a house (see 1908) which later became the Mission House in 1939. This was on the site of the present church.

1939

  The Home of Compassion moved to Kelmarna Avenue, Herne Bay. (Zealandia, 17.Aug.39,p.7)

1950

  About this year a Mill Hill centre was established in Renall Street, Ponsonby.

1953

St Anne's Hostel for girls opened, in Shelly Beach Road, Herne Bay.

1954

  Herne Bay parish cut off.

1965

New church and presbytery in Vermont Street completed.  

1970

1970 About this year the Mill Hill headquarters at 83, Shelly Beach Road were set up.

29 May 1971

. New St Mary's Convent chapel was blessed by Archbishop James M. Liston.

1974

 The Sister Disciples of the Divine Master established a convent at 19 New Street, Ponsonby.

1977

  The Sister Disciples moved to Vermont Street, taking over a house built by W.J.Grevatt, which was at one stage a Mercy convent.