The $6-million building projects both started last year.

The re-opening of Timaru's earthquake-strengthened Sacred Heart Basilica, included a mass, the confirmation of about 30 children and the presentation of four papal awards.

Sacred Heart Basilica had been closed since February 2019 for about $3.9m of strengthening and upgrading.

Later on Sunday Martin blessed and officially opened the neighbouring parish centre and sports complex at Timaru's Roncalli College.

The $2.4m parish centre and sports complex, which came in about $100,000 below budget, was started in May 2019 and completed earlier this year. It has been in use since May.

The Holy Family Parish and Roncalli College worked together to raise funds to pay for the project.

Located behind the basilica, the complex comprises covered basketball, netball, hockey and futsal surfaces, two changing rooms, two community rooms and an area for spectators.

Roncalli College principal Chris Comeau says the new complex has exceeded his expectations.

"It's fantastic and well used ... students use it at every break."

The facility is also available for community use.

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• Stuff
• Image: Stuff

Holy Family Parish priest Father Chris Friel said he and the parishioners were looking forward to Sunday's mass, the first in the historic building since February 2019.

Friel, who was ordained in the ornate church in 1994, has fond memories of it while growing up in Pleasant Point.

"It's very special ... It's great to have it open again." Read more

The cathedral in Hill St, Thorndon, has been closed since 2018, and the money will go towards restoring and earthquake strengthening the building.

The $8.5 funding will create almost 300 construction jobs.

The archbishop of Wellington Cardinal John Dew said the money would enable them to not only complete the strengthening to a high standard but allow for base isolation as well.

"We thought we would never be able to do that, but we decided that we would apply to the shovel ready project."

The church had independently raised $3.3 million so far, and the additional $8.5m brought them closer to their goal of $16m.

"This project is ready to go right now," finance minister Grant Robertson said.

"The restoration is expected to take about three years and once complete will see this Category 1 Historic Place once again available for the Wellington community to use."

"The cathedral is not only widely used by the Catholic congregation but also by the public as a performance space because of its globally acclaimed acoustics.

It is also a tourist attraction because of its architectural merits," Robertson said.

In May, it received a one-off contribution from the Wellington City Council's Built Heritage Incentive Fund.

The funding came from the $3 billion tagged contingency set aside in the Budget for infrastructure.

There had been a cathedral on the side since 1851, even before Parliament was built across the road.

The original cathedral burnt down in 1898.

The new one opened in 1901, not as a cathedral, but as a parish church.

It was established as the cathedral in 1983.

The community had been using St Theresa's in Karori and the smaller chapel on the site for weekday mass.

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• Stuff.co.nz
• mcshwellington.org
• Image: Supplied New Zealand Catholic Bishops

The project involves major improvements, maintenance and repairs.

"We have a responsibility to fulfil the requirements to earthquake strengthen this building for public use and maintain the building as an impressive symbol of Christian Faith into the future," said Father Brian Fennessy, parish priest of Holy Name parish.

The renovation will take about 10 months. In the interim, church services and funerals will be held at St Thomas' Church on Mountain View Road.

Fennessy said the strengthening project will be undertaken by Christchurch company C Lund & Son, but the general public will not be able to view much of the upgrades.

"Most of the work will be internal and won't be seen on the outside."

Fennessy said there was already one crane on site, with another coming later in the year to take bells out. The eight bells in the bell tower weigh eight tonnes.

He said steel and concrete will be used to reinforce the basilica's nave, transepts and towers to ensure the structure is above the mandated 34 per cent of the New Building Standard.

"We've received money in donations and pledges, just over $1 million," said Fennessy.

The money was raised in campaigns that took place late last year to raise the required $1.6m for the project's completion.

"We are very happy with the contributions, but we still have to raise some more. Any other donations we never say no to."

The overall cost of the project is $2.4m, with $800,000 of that coming from Christchurch diocese insurance disbursements.

"We've got five years to raise the money."

The basilica, designed by Francis Petre, was completed in 1911 at a cost of £23,000 and in a construction time of two years.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• Image: tripadvisor.co.nz