2009 CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION COMPLETION SPECIAL
EVE
"Be indefatigable in your purpose and with undaunted spirit resist iniquity and try to conquer evil with good, having before your eyes the reward of those who combat for Christ." -BISHOP MATTHEW GIBNEY 1874
THE PARISH. THE NATION. THE WORLD. www.therecord.com.au
Western Australia's award-winning Catholic newspaper - Wednesday December 9 2009
A dream is fulfilled
Perth, Western Australia $2
Historic moment: After almost exactly 145 years, Perth's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is finally completed
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands completed as worshippers file out of the building after the official opening and re-consecration by Archbishop Barry Hickey on Tuesday evening.
three attempts 'A witness to After across three different centuries, 1100 celebrated beauty and people the completion of St Mary's last love of God' TuesdayCathedral evening. But Here is the text of Archbishop Hickey's homily for the opening and rededication of St Mary's Cathedral
0
n an occasion like this, local history becomes especially significant. The 8th December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an important day for the Archdiocese of Perth. Fr John Brady, later Bishop Brady, the first Bishop of Perth, arrived in Fremantle on 8th December 1843. With lightning speed, on 16th January 1844, Fr Brady laid the foundation stone of the first C atholic Church, which later Please turn to Page 11
,v II
A
the moment was not just historic. In a country that so often says God is dead, Perth Catholics showed there really is a viable alternative. God is back. BY ANTHONY BARICH National Reporter AFTER 166 years in the making, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was opened and re-dedicated in ablaze ofglory on December 8, with Archbishop Barry Hickey concelebrating with 24 Bishops and approximately 191 priests from around Australia and two from Spain.
With Sydney Cardinal George Pell, Papal Nuncio to Australia Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto and Melkite Greek-Catholic Eparch Archbishop Issam John Darwish, among others, it was a unifying event for the Church in Australia. "My hope is that this place of worship, with its delightful spire and gleaming in the bright Perth sun, will proclaim to all who pass by the beauty and love of God, and be a beacon that reflects the light of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and the role of the sinless Mary Immaculate in offering her Son, Jesus to the world as its Saviour," Archbishop Hickey said in his homily. He said that the Aboriginal Pathway near the entrance to the Cathedral deserves "special a ttention". Drawn by local Nyoongar woman Laurel Nannup, it describes in 16 panels the life of the Aboriginal people at the time of the first Cathedral, and the coming of Christianity. He said that the Cathedral itself is a history lesson about the Church in Western Australia, and a lesson in Christian theology with the stained glass windows and litur-
PHOTO: P CASAMENTO
A small girl is held aloft during the historic ceremony last Tuesday evening as worshippers welcome their new mother Church.
gical and sacramental elements like the altar, baptisimal font and lecturn, which has on its stem the symbols of the four Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Cardinal Pell told The Record after the Mass that the depth of the faith of the WA people is "wonderfully reflected in the architecture of the building - a mixture of the old and new, and a
Congratulations to the Archdiocese of Perth for its successful restoration of St Mary's Cathedral — a truly wonderful achievement.
wonderful example of what Pope Benedict would call 'the hermeneutic of continuity', development and progress, (while) hanging on to the past". A clearly happy Archbishop Hickey welcomed an estimated 1100 people to the Cathedral on Tuesday evening for the fulfillment of the dream of thousands of Catholics since the establish-
ment of the Diocese of Perth in the Swan River Colony in 1845. December 8 is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and both the Cathedral and the Archdiocese are dedicated to Mary under that title. The pro-Cathedral in Victoria Avenue was originally called the church of St John the Evangelist
Catholic Church Insurances is the primary insurer of the Catholic Church in Australia.We are proud of our long association with the Archdiocese of Perth and congratulate all those who contributed to the restoration of St Mary's Cathedral.
M Catholic Church l ir Insurances Limited S erving Church Af-- St No 2
1
PHOIOS: P LASAMLN10/1 STEVENS
as construction started on his feast day - December 27, 1843 the day the first sod was turned. Bishop Jose Maria Benito Serra, co-adjutor and administrator of Perth, was in Rome when Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 (see Page 16). He returned to Perth and Please turn to Page 10