WelCom May 2024
Christchurch’s new Catholic cathedral will be built on Barbadoes St, the site of the previous one, Bishop Michael Gielen announced in a pastoral letter to the Catholic community last month.
Bishop Gielen said the decision was reached after hearing from a range of key advisers and technical experts, as well as the responses to a survey of the wider community.
The survey invited people to consider three possible cathedral locations: Barbadoes St; Armagh St, on land the Diocese of Christchurch owns; or to refurbish and expand St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral on Manchester St.
Almost 85 per cent of the 1,604 survey respondents supported the proposal to build the new cathedral at Barbadoes St.
Catholic history dates back more than 160 years on the site. The former Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament opened in 1905. It was severely damaged in the 2011 earthquake and demolished in 2019.
Bishop Gielen said Catholics in the diocese ‘share my desire for a cathedral that glorifies God, that brings our community together, that serves as a source of unity and that enhances worthy liturgical celebration’.
There was no timeline for construction, but Bishop Gielen said he understood the congregation’s wish for urgency.
‘This will be the first new Catholic cathedral built from scratch in New Zealand for more than 120 years, so it will be a complex undertaking,’ he said. ‘Our new cathedral will take time, but the wait will be worth it.’
Bishop Gielen would initiate a process to select a name for the new cathedral in the next few weeks.
As with a timeline, a budget for the project is not yet known, but will emerge as master planning continues. Analysis of the three possible locations had found the Barbadoes St site was the most economical. It also offered the greatest capacity for future growth as needed.
Bishop Gielen said the site also made the most financial sense.
‘Our analysis said the Barbadoes St site would be the most economical option for our cathedral. This decision supports our goal to be a financially stable diocese.’
Diocesan general manager Simon Thompson said master planning for the Barbadoes St site, which will include the cathedral, a cultural and community centre, offices, a presbytery and ample parking, will begin this year.
Mr Thompson said an ordered selloff of land in the central city will soon commence, the proceeds of which will be used to fund the cathedral precinct build and support other Church initiatives.
More information at: catholic.org.nz/news/media-releases/