The bells of St Patrick’s Cathedral rang in celebration through the streets of Melbourne on Thursday 27 October as the Archdiocese marked a momentous milestone: the 125th anniversary of the cathedral’s consecration. On this day 125 years ago, in a solemn ritual lasting four hours, the cathedral was officially consecrated by Archbishop Thomas Carr, set aside for its sacred purpose of being the ‘mother church’ in Melbourne.
More than 1,200 people were in attendance for the anniversary Mass, including representatives of many different Catholic organisations, members of parliament, bishops, priests, religious and many of Melbourne’s faithful. Members of the family of Mary Glowrey were also present for the occasion, her great nieces Mary O’Shaughnessy and Louise McGrath.
Bathed in the soft yellow glow of the cathedral windows, this was a chance for the Catholics of Melbourne to joyfully give thanks for the cherished gift of St Patrick’s Cathedral.
In a gesture of poignant symbolism, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli celebrated Mass bearing the crozier of Bishop James Alipius Goold, Melbourne’s first bishop and arguably the man most responsible for the cathedral’s existence. The pectoral cross he wore was that of Archbishop Thomas Carr, Melbourne’s second archbishop, who oversaw the building’s completion. The chalice, which was also used at the cathedral’s consecration, was a gift from Pope Leo XIII.
In his homily, Archbishop Comensoli reflected on the many ways St Patrick’s has been a point of connection for people up and down the years, and how we are the inheritors of a whole history and family of faith.
‘From the first Irish settlers to an emerging Australian people,’ the Archbishop said, ‘and from every nation and language under the sun, from old to young, rich and poor alike, the sure of life and the struggler, the familiar and the stranger, God’s people have walked, sat, kneeled and stood; prayed, cried and sung with joy in this Temple.’
While it is arguably ‘the most striking’ neo-Gothic cathedral outside of Europe, the real strength and vitality of St Patrick’s derive from the sacramental presence of Christ in the Eucharist, faithfully celebrated through the generations in a cathedral that
has rightfully lived, and moved, and had her being, as we, Christ’s Body, have lived, and moved and had our being in Him … it is the living Christ who has reached out to be present among us. Everything of him, and of us, has passed into this place.
Drawing on St Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians, he described the Church as a whole—all the people of God—as God’s building, noting that ‘the building [Paul] was referring to was not a noun, not a thing, but a verb, a living reality.’
He encouraged Catholics in Melbourne to continue the mission of St Patrick and to be a light to their city so that ‘these stones continue to sing’.
And may the waters of grace flow from this sanctuary of St Patrick’s to bring healing to us, and give life to our city. Happy anniversary.
At the end of Mass, Fiona Power, Curator and Educator at Melbourne’s Mary Glowrey Museum, officially presented the Catholic Precinct Walking Tour App, which was then launched by Archbishop Comensoli.
The app, free to download on mobile devices, allows people to explore the rich cultural and historical treasures within the Catholic precinct of East Melbourne and Fitzroy. It includes information about significant places, people and aspects of Catholic culture, and gives users the ability to view text, images and linked information, and to listen to audio commentary.
People can also use the app to explore St Patrick’s Cathedral, gaining insight into the meaning and significance of its different works of art, its architecture and the minds that brought it to life.
After the anniversary Mass, despite the looming rain clouds, the grounds of the cathedral hummed with hospitality and conversation, as the Knights of the Southern Cross offered a free sausage sizzle to celebrate the occasion.
This was yet another significant anniversary for the Archdiocese, as this year has also marked the 175th anniversary of the creation of the diocese of Melbourne.
