RIP Br Peter Thompson: A Life of Faith, Service and Brotherhood

On 30 June, Br Peter Thompson passed away in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Below is an obituary written by Br Darren Burge, the Provincial of the Star of the Sea Province.

It is with deep sadness that I share with you the news of the death of Br Peter Thompson, who died peacefully at 11.00 am on 30 June in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. His health declined sharply in recent days, especially from Sunday, when he lost consciousness. Throughout this time, he remained peaceful and comfortable. Several Brothers visited and spent time with him, as did members of his family. He received the anointing of the sick on Monday, and two of his wonderful carers were with him in the final moments of his life. Peter was 82 years old and had been a Marist Brother for 63 years.

Br Peter Thompson FMS 16.05.1944 - 30.06.2026

In June 2019, Peter suffered a serious accident in which he sustained a major leg fracture. The following month, he moved to a nursing home for the physiotherapy and care needed for his recovery. The nursing home became his home in these later years, where he was supported with kindness as his health gradually declined.

Peter Frank Thompson was born in Invercargill on 16 May 1944 to Clifford and Ima. He was the third of five children. His eldest brother, a priest of the Dunedin diocese, died in 2004. He is survived by his three siblings. His father was a laboratory assistant, and his mother managed the home. His Southland roots remained dear to him throughout his life. He attended Marist Brothers Invercargill for Forms 3 to 4 and then Marist Brothers Tuakau for Forms 5 to 7. It was here that the seeds of his Marist vocation were planted and nurtured.

Following his initial stage of formation, Peter received the habit at Claremont on 12 September 1962, made his first profession on 12 September 1963 and his perpetual profession on 2 January 1969.

Peter completed a Bachelor of Science in Maths at Auckland University in 1968 and a Diploma of Teaching in 1973. He continued to develop his professional skills over the years, including gaining credentials in Religious Education and in Teaching English to Students of Other Languages.

Peter’s school ministry took him to St Paul’s College, Hato Petera College, Sacred Heart College, Verdon College Invercargill, Marcellin College, Campion College Gisborne, and Takuilau College Tonga. As a teacher, Peter had a gift for meeting students where they were and gently encouraging them forward. Hato Petera College, where he served from 1973 to 1980, held a special place in his heart. As senior dormitory supervisor, he brought steadiness, good humour and a listening ear to a demanding ministry. His pastoral manner helped him build strong relationships with students and their families, and he worked as part of an effective team. He juggled these responsibilities at the same time as being the Head of Department for Mathematics.

Peter was appointed to Tonga twice, from 1981 to 1984 and again from 1987 to 1992, serving as Principal of Takuilau College for five years. He loved his time there and formed lasting friendships. His days as a missionary in Tonga gave him greater scope for adaptability and practical initiative. Christmas visits back to New Zealand often included gathering useful objects to enhance the college in Tonga. With characteristic initiative, he readily approached those who might help bring his projects to life: flush toilets, sewing machines, rugby boots, water pumps, desks for classrooms and many other needs.

The Bishop of Tonga wrote warmly of Peter’s presence there, noting his innovation, his sensitivity to being in a different culture, his capacity to enlist the help of other teachers with projects, and his excellent communication with the Parents and Teachers Association. His Maths tutoring was highly valued, including by students living in the Tongan royal compound in Landscape Road Epsom. On returning to New Zealand and taking up his appointment at Marcellin College, he continued to engage warmly with the local Tongan community and was always pleased to return to Tonga for jubilees and other school celebrations.

Marcellin College became Peter’s last community and held a cherished place in his life. Over his years of involvement there, he held several positions of responsibility, including Director of Religious Studies and Assistant Head of Department of Mathematics. He was also appointed Community Leader of the Brothers’ community at Marcellin College.

This practical generosity was not limited to Tonga. Alongside his teaching of Maths and Science, Peter loved the outdoors and practical, hands-on work. Tools, wheels and electrical fittings were among the valued interests of his lively days. He enjoyed spending part of the school holidays working on the property at Cooks Beach, and in the days before schools employed groundsmen, he willingly turned his hand to maintenance tasks, especially those involving the tractor. At Hato Petera, this earned him the affectionate nickname “Spanner”, for he was rarely far from the small repairs and adjustments that school life required. In these simple, practical and generous ways, Peter embodied the humility, modesty and love of ordinary work so dear to Marcellin Champagnat.

Those same qualities shaped Peter’s relationships. He met people with warmth, kindness and easy friendliness, forming genuine and lasting connections. His outgoing nature, cheerful outlook and readiness for conversation made him approachable.

Back in New Zealand, Peter was never one to remain in the classroom if a practical need called for attention, whether up a ladder, down in a basement, around the community or somewhere on the school grounds. Once he found a task that needed doing, it drew his full concentration, and he pursued it with diligence until it was complete. He was very active as a fundraiser.

Peter did not seek attention or status; rather, he offered himself through ordinary acts of care, practical help and faithful companionship. In a deeply Marist way, he created welcome and belonging, especially among young people, and bore witness to service lived with humility, generosity and a Brother’s heart. His life showed how practical action, humble service and genuine care could become a quiet but powerful expression of Marist mission.

Peter will be remembered with affection for his cheerful presence, his kindness and the fidelity with which he lived his Marist vocation. We give thanks for his long and faithful life as a Marist Brother. We remember a man of goodness, generosity, perseverance, self-sacrifice and loyal service, whose life was shaped by simplicity and a deep affection for the people and places entrusted to him.

I offer my heartfelt sympathy to Br Peter Horide, the Brothers of Aotearoa New Zealand, Peter’s family, and his many friends. We are deeply grateful to the nurses and carers and to the Health Team, for the gentle and faithful care they gave Peter in his final years.

The vigil will be held on Friday 3 July at 9.45 am at Davis Funeral Home, Dominion Road, Mount Eden.

The Requiem Mass will be celebrated on Saturday 4 July at 10.30 am at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Church Street, Onehunga. The burial will follow at Waikaraka Cemetery, Onehunga.

May he now experience the full embrace of God’s love, and may Mary, our Good Mother, welcome him gently into the fullness of life.

-Br Darren Burge

Provincial