COMBINED PUBLICaTION OF ST MarY’S CaThEDraL, ST MarY’S
CaThEDraL COLLEGE aND ThE FrIENDS OF ST MarY’S CaThEDraL
SEP2009
BEQUEST
BENEFaCTOrS
We pray for those
benefactors who have
remembered St Mary’s in
their will, meeting the need
of its conservation, and
ensuring a great Cathedral
for future generations.
froM The Pen of FATHER PAUL
Walking around St Mary’s Cathedral
and observing its many features
and beautiful art work – particularly
the stained glass windows –
one is always impressed by the
magnificence of the building,
the faith and generosity of those
who built it, and the ongoing
commitment to ensure that the
heritage we hold will be preserved
for future generations.
In 1985, when appointed to the
Cathedral staff, I spent 11 happy
years here as an assistant Priest,
and then Private Secretary to
Cardinal Clancy, and formed a
close bond to St Mary’s and the
many people who are part of
the Cathedral life. I am always
fascinated with the old memorial
plate which was placed on the
wall in 1875. It is simply inscribed
“ELIZA… This tribute to the revered
memory of the most tender
fond and devoted mother” who
“fell asleep awaiting Our Lord’s
coming”. I have often wondered
what Eliza would have been like in
life. The plate describes her as a
faithful worshipper in the Cathedral
for 30 years.
This fascination with Eliza has
often provided useful material for
many homilies I have given. In St
Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 25:1-13),
Jesus tells the parable of the Wise
and Foolish Maidens who went out
to greet the bridegroom on his
arrival. The wise maidens took with
them extra oil whereas the foolish
ones went unprepared. all went
to sleep because the bridegroom
delayed in coming. When he did
arrive, the lamps of the foolish
2
maidens had gone out, but the
wise maidens, because of the extra
oil they took, were able to go and
joyfully escort the bridegroom
to the wedding feast. I am also
reminded of an old gospel song:
John Joseph Rivett
Andrew Doyle
Agnes Mary O’Grady
Francis James Cooper
May eternal light shine
upon them and may they
rest in peace. Amen.
Give me oil in my lamp keep me
burning,
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray,
Give me oil in my lamp keep me
burning,
Keep me burning till the break of
day.
The plate in the Cathedral gives
simple testimony to Eliza’s faith and
devotion. The oil of God’s grace
and the use she made of it in living
out a good and devoted Christian
life, will no doubt ensure that her
lamp will still be burning when the
bridegroom calls her to the glory of
the resurrection.
Coming back to the Cathedral as
Dean in October last year, I noticed
with some disappointment that the
plate had been removed from its
original site near the College Street
entrance. however, it has now been
beautifully restored and relocated
on the wall near the entrance on the
eastern side.
Eliza is a wonderful type of all
devoted people who have prayed
and worshipped at the Cathedral
over the years. May they always be
in our prayers and may their fervour
example ever inspire us.
I take this opportunity to personally
thank our many benefactors
who make possible the ongoing
conservation of our heritage.
MASS TIMES
St Mary’s Cathedral
Saturday Vigil 6pm
Sunday 7am, 9am, 10.30am
(Solemn Sung Mass), 6pm
Monday to Friday 6.45am,
1.10pm & 5.30pm
Saturday 9am and 12noon
Public holidays 12noon
St Columbkille’s
Sunday 9am
ST MarY’S CaThEDraL
St Mary’s road
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9220 0400
Fax: (02) 9223 5208
[email protected]
www.stmaryscathedral.org.au
Tenth anniversary of
the Letourneau organ
Since its dedication 10 years ago in 1999 by Cardinal
Clancy, the Letourneau organ has been used in a wide
range of liturgical roles – from the dedication of the new
high altar during World Youth Day, to weddings, funerals
and other events. It has been used in training organists
in the long tradition of liturgical playing through regular
organ lessons, examinations and master-classes.
There have also been memorable recitals by world
famous organists including Olivier Latry, Organist at
Notre Dame Cathedral Paris. Given that some organs
in Europe have had a lifespan of over 650 years, the
Letourneau is still a child in comparison, but its impact
in facilitating harmony in the praise of God will continue
over centuries to come. Next year the 3300 pipes will
be taken out individually and cleaned to remove dust
and dirt deposited during other restoration work at the
cathedral, particularly the replacement of the floor.
Pope Benedict said that the pipe organ is capable
of echoing and expressing all the experiences of
human life. The manifold possibilities of the organ
in some ways remind us of the immensity and the
magnificence of God. Peter Kneeshaw, Principal Organist
OUR LADY
OF LORETO
A statue of Our Lady of Loreto,
patron of travel (a gift by the Italian
bishops), was presented to Cardinal
Pell during World Youth Day 2008.
This hand carved wooden statue
has been positioned in the eastern
alcove in Our Lady’s Chapel just
outside the sacristy.
PROCESSION OF THE
BLESSED SACRAMENT
Rain did not deter thousands who attended the annual
procession of the Blessed Sacrament, Walk with Christ, on 14
June to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. The multitude
of Catholics assembled at St Patrick’s Church Hill, with the
procession winding its way through the streets of Sydney and
concluding at St Mary’s Cathedral for Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament and Solemn Benediction. Bishop Julian Porteous
tells us that Walk with Christ is a public witness to our faith in
Christ and is becoming a significant event for Sydney Catholics.
LUX AETERNA
a concert for
All Souls Day
St Mary’s Cathedral Choir, St Mary’s Singers and
the Cathedral Voices present Lux Aeterna, a superb
sacred choral concert for All Souls Day. This great
combined concert will be held at St Mary’s Cathedral
on Sunday, 1 November at 3pm. For more information
or for tickets, contact the Cathedral Office.
The
beautifully
decorated
Cathedral
Steps at
the 2008
Procession
3
conservation
hOMECOMING FOr OUr
LaDY aND ThE ChILD JESUS
a homecoming was recently
observed at St Mary’s
Cathedral with the return of
an historic sandstone statue of
Our Lady and the Child Jesus
(circa 1850) which once stood
in a niche above the door of
the main façade of the first St
Mary’s Cathedral destroyed by
fire in 1865.
façade facing College Street
which otherwise remained intact
including the niches containing
the statues of St Joseph and
Our Lady and the Child Jesus.
For over sixty years from 1850 to
1912 the statue of Our Lady and
the Child Jesus was the constant
visible representation of St Mary,
Patroness of the Cathedral.
The statue was carved by Father
John, Dom Eugene Gourbellien
a Benedictine monk and sculptor
from the abbey of Solesmes
near Cambrai in France who
heeded the call in 1847 from
archbishop Polding for priests,
especially Benedictines, to come
to his Monastery in Sydney
australia. Father Gourbellien, a
talented sculptor, contributed
largely to the decoration of
the main façade and to the
religious statuary of the first
St Mary’s Cathedral. a further
statue of the Virgin & Child
which now occupies the central
niche of the reredos at the rear
of the sanctuary are the only
known surviving works of Fr
Gourbellien.
In 1912 the western façade
was dismantled to make way
for the present Cathedral and
the statue of Our Lady and the
Child Jesus was given to the
d’apice family who placed it in
their garden in Wolsely road,
Point Piper for the next eighty
years. It was donated back
to the Cathedral in 2008 by
June Baker then owner of the
property and restored with her
generous support in memory
of her mother Enid Joyce Baker
1918-2008.
after the great fire only the
walls of the Cathedral remained
standing and some of these
had to be demolished due to
safety concerns including the
upper sections of the western
4
June Baker with Our
Lady and the Child
Jesus in her garden
at Point Piper
hail Mary
Statue being
removed from
the garden at
Point Piper
a formal blessing ceremony
is to be held at the conclusion
of the 10.30am Solemn Mass
on Sunday, 8 November
2009 to celebrate the return
of the statue to St Mary’s. a
commemorative plaque giving
the history of the statue and
acknowledging the Baker
family’s role in its return and
restoration will be mounted on
the statue base.
The first St Mary’s
Cathedral circa 1860s.
The statue of Our Lady
and the Child Jesus
can be seen above the
main door to the left
Site plan showing
the first St Mary’s
(in bold outline)
in relation to
the present
Cathedral
Dilapidated
statue prior
to restoration
PrOJECTS
FOr 2009
• Restoration of the lower
façade of the Cathedral
facing College Street.
• Interior stonework restoration.
• Restoration of brass
baptistery gates.
• Roof plumbing restoration
works including repairs to
flashings, downpipes and
roof dormers.
• Restoration of internal timber
doors.
restored statue
• Carving of life sized marble
statues of the risen Christ
and Mary Magdalene for the
main sanctuary.
• Restoration and installation
of historic stone statue of
the Virgin & Child in the
Cathedral surrounds.
• Completion of new burial
sites in the Cathedral Crypt.
• Restoration and installation
of the historic Pieta in the
Cathedral Crypt.
Restored statue
returns to St Mary’s
• Installation of historic bust
of Cardinal Gilroy within the
Cathedral surrounds.
BLESSING OF hISTOrIC STaTUE
Come, celebrate with us, the return and blessing
of the historic stone statue of Our Lady and the
Child Jesus (circa 1850) following the 10.30am
Solemn Mass on Sunday, 8 November 2009.
• Installation of a new Angelus
Bell in the south east bell
tower of the Cathedral.
st mary’s cathedral conservation appeal
St Mary’s Cathedral, St Mary’s rd, Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: 02 9220 0464 Fax: 02 9223 5208 www.stmaryscathedral.org.au [email protected]
MY GIFT TO ENSUrE ThE CONSErVaTION OF ST MarY’S CaThEDraL SEPTEMBEr 2009
TITLE
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SUrNaME
aDDrESS
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STaTE
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MONThLY TO MY CrEDIT
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FOr TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONaTIONS, PLEaSE MaKE ChEQUES PaYaBLE TO ST MarY’S CaThEDraL aNCILLarY FUND
5
MaGNIFICENT
SCULPTUrED hEaDS ON
ThE WaLLS OF ST MarY’S
“Perched aloft amid the sunshine and shadows, surrounded by grim
scaffolding… there may be seen today… a sculptor – artistically
carving the outlines of the head of a saint. Every touch of his chisel
and every blow of the mallet are adding to the beauty of this glorious
Gothic structure.”
An article in the Freeman’s Journal (May 29, 1924) gives light into the
150 magnificent sculptured heads adorning the walls of St Mary’s.
Well known sculptor, Fred McGowan, was commissioned for this
project, assisted by his brother, Charles, and a Harry Robinson.
Fred and the architect, Jack Hennessy, worked on the designs. They
extensively acquired pictures of saints from libraries and galleries.
From the picture a mask was produced. This was the model Fred
McGowan and the sculptors worked from. It was placed alongside
the rough stone while the artists skilfully worked with the chisel. Each
head took up to three days to complete.
forThcoMing
evenTs
Sep 21 A Day at St Mary’s
Towers Retreat Centre,
Douglas Park with The
Friends of St Mary’s
Cathedral
Oct 11 Marriage Sunday
a gathering of families of
those married at St Mary’s,
or whose ancestors were
married at St Mary’s, at the
9.00am Mass followed by
morning tea
Nov 1
Lux Aeterna
Combined Concert with
the St Mary’s Cathedral
Choir, St Mary’s Singers
and the Cathedral’s Girls
Choir, Cathedral Voices,
for the month of all Souls,
Sunday, 1 November at
3.00pm
Nov 8
The Return and Blessing
of the Historic Statue of
Our Lady and the Child
Jesus (circa 1850) following
the 10.30am Solemn Mass
As beautifully put by the Freeman Journal, “Generation after
generation will return to dust, but the skill of the Cathedral artist
will remain to be admired by the people for centuries to come.”
FLOWEr
FESTIVaL JOINS
ThE FrIENDS
at a meeting of the Friends of
St Mary’s Cathedral Committee
in 1986 a suggestion was put
forward that a Festival of Flowers
be held in the Cathedral to mark
the important date in australia’s
history of 1888.
The first meeting was held in
February 1987 and the Festival
in September of that year. The
original idea was that it would
be a one-off affair over a period
of three days, however, with
the success of the Festival
the committee agreed to
organise one every three years.
approximately $500,000 was
raised over this period with all
monies directed to the Cathedral
restoration appeal.
The Festival concluded when it
was no longer possible to close
the Cathedral and transfer the
Masses to the Crypt as the larger
6
Flower Festival Committee 2009
Front Ltor: M Tighe, G Granger,
a Nicey. Back: E Boissett,
J roche, P Brown, P van den Berg,
E Boys, h hofman
attendance at Masses could no
longer be accommodated there.
at the St Patrick’s Day luncheon
in March 2009, the President of
the Flower Festival Committee,
Mrs ann Nicey, announced
that the committee would
be dissolved and would join
with The Friends of St Mary’s
Cathedral. The support of lots of
valued and loyal supporters has
been an asset to the Cathedral
who from its beginning in 1821
helped made possible what we
see today.
DaME MONICa GaLLaGhEr
Nov 29 The Blessing of the
Outdoor Nativity Scene
in Cathedral Square
following the 10.30am
Solemn Sung Mass
Galilean Food Market, a
Christmas celebration with
Embrace Youth Group,
in the grounds of the
Cathedral following the
Blessing of the Nativity
The Opening of the
Christmas Story Arts
Exhibition for Catholic
students for Years 5 & 6
Dec 13 A Christmas Concert by
the Cathedral Girl’s Choir,
Cathedral Voices, and the
trebles from the St Mary’s
Cathedral Choir, 3.00pm in
the Crypt
Dec 18 Annual Christmas Carols
Service and Readings at
7.30pm
2
1
3
4
1. James Overton
croons ‘Feelin Good’
Music around the
world concert
The capacity audience left the College Hall on
the evening of Friday, 3 July, somewhat dazed
and even jet-lagged after experiencing a
supersonic ride around the world.
The students from St Mary’s Cathedral, who have
made the concert a must-see item over the last
decade and a half, presented musical items
drawn from folk and composed music from six
continents in the ‘Music Around the World’
program.
The Concert opened with the Irish/rock hybrid
‘Toss the Feathers’ played by the HSC Music
students and closed with John Williams’s
African-influenced ‘Dry your tears, Afrika’, sung by
the College Choir, having taken in music from
North and South America, the Caribbean, Asia
and Australia along the way.
Among highlights were James Overton’s
velvet-smooth reading of Nina Simone’s ‘Feelin’
Good’, backed by senior students on brass and
percussion; romantic tangos played by the
2. Jacob Ryan conducts
the College Choir
3. George Saouma,
Hunter Page-Lochard
& Kevin Florin in the
Hip-Hop dance item
4. Joanne Waples
conducting the
College orchestra
College’s string quartet; the entire Year 7 cohort
lifting the roof on a medley of patriotic numbers,
climaxing with an impassioned rendition of
‘Moscow’; the Junior, Intermediate, and Senior
Bands showcasing well-drilled talents in pieces as
diverse as ‘Geronimo’, ‘Oriental Portrait’ and the
challenging ‘Estampie’; Tom Kennedy’s stunning
interpretation of ‘When you say you love me’; the
jazz ensemble’s fiery swing on ‘Armando’s
Hideway’ and the inexorable drive of ‘Livin’ La
Vida Loca’; and, a perennial highlight, the latest
incarnation of the hip-hop dancers thrilling the
crowd with their self-choreographed moves.
5. Rowan Fitzpatrick
solos on tenor sax
The variety of the acts and their near-professional
quality are testament to the talents of the
students, the dedication of their teachers, and the
opportunities that the music program offers
students at the College. Particular thanks should
be extended to Mr John Alvear, Ms Elizabeth
Iffland, and Mr Michael Wyborn who oversaw the
planning of the Concert.
5
your
will
Join those who support the conservation of this great Cathedral and ensure that St Mary’s, the Mother
Church of Australian Catholics, continues into the future as a building of great beauty and significance.
To obtain a free copy of our booklet on preparing wills, Making a Will – a simple guide, or for more
information, contact our Bequest Officer on Tel. 9220 0411 or email [email protected]
Cover photo by David Liddle. Other images by David Liddle, Thuc Tran, Catholic Communications, Jeff McGarn, Strategic Campaign Associates and Cathedral archives.
©St Marys Cathedral 2009 Should you not wish to receive future issues of Gathering, please contact the Cathedral Office.
7
conservaTion
worKs in Progress
restored timber
and iron tracery
doors leading
to the Cathedral
Sacristy
Stone
restoration
works in
progress to
the Cathedral
College
Street façade
restored
baptismal
font and
new tracking
system for
baptismal
font cover,
currently
under
restoration
roof slating
repairs in
progress
to the main
roof of the
Cathedral