The Cathedral had been closed for six years for earthquake strengthening and extensive renovations and was a significant moment for the local church community.

The Mass also marked three days of celebrations.

Hope for the future

In his homily Martin said he had been asked about his vision for the cathedral's future.

"People have asked me what my hope for the cathedral is, and this is it. That this place be where people come for prayer, reflection and nourishment of their spiritual lives" he stated.

He also emphasised the importance of community activities within the cathedral.

"I want it to be where the place is humming and active seven days of the week, with various activities tied to our faith and for helping people in their lives to be more fully the people God made them to be."

Martin hopes the cathedral will be a centre of faith and community, and its reopening will mark a new chapter for the Wellington community.

Earthy and tangible faith

Another aspect Martin reflected on was the tangible nature of the Christian faith.

"One of the powerful realities of our religion is that we are an earthy religion. Our God came to this earth in matter. He walked on it. He engaged with us as creatures in an earthly body like our own" he said.

Martin said that Jesus experienced life on this earth and all that goes with it.

Emphasising the importance of beauty in the world, Martin said we express the reality of Jesus' life in earthly ways, through signs and symbols, words and gestures, the clothes we wear, and physical and tangible images.

He said that beauty is also expressed in our buildings, in our architecture, how we decorate them.

Elaborating on the importance of beauty, Martin said that beauty is also about the names we carry and those that we seek protection and care from.

"It's why we are so blessed to have a cathedral that bears the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and also of Mary his mother, the perfect disciple, the one who helped Jesus to develop his own Heart of Love in this world.

"May this be a place where people are able to experience the fullness of God, to be freed from fear, forgiven their sins, experience the mercy and love of God, and find a community of faith for support in the Christian journey" he said.

Celebration and gratitude

Martin told the congregation that a cathedral has a very particular place in the life of the church community.

"I feel very blessed to be the Archbishop at this time as our cathedral reopens.

"That we can be back here in this cathedral after these years of absence is a cause of great celebration and gratitude" he said.

Martin expressed gratitude to all who helped with the reopening and for the attendance of Emeritus Archbishop, Cardinal John Dew, who concelebrated at the Mass.

Dew's presence was met with hearty applause.

Fundraising goals

Acknowledging the considerable generosity of parishioners, the Government and Wellington City Council, Martin commented that the renovation project is not yet fully funded and that some aspects of the Cathedral still need to become fully operational.

"In terms of fundraising, we now have a target of $720,000 to be able to finish the project" Martin said.

The community looks forward to the necessary funds being raised to complete the renovations.

Sources

• YouTube: Mass of Thanksgiving for the Reopening of the Cathedral, 7 June 2024
• Welcom
• CathNews
• The Post

The sale includes the now-empty Catholic Centre, the Archbishop's residence, the parish house, and surrounds.

Earlier, Wel-Com, the Archdiocesan newspaper, reported that PwC is managing the process.

Ideally placed and considered one of the best locations in Wellington, the property is across the street from Parliament, close to the Central Business District, and up the road from the city's train station and central bus hub.

The Archdiocese says the site is underutilised commercially, so one objective is to unlock some of the capital tied up in the property.

The Hill Street site has been with the Archdiocese since the time of the first bishop, Philippe Viard.

Wel-Com reports that the property is considered very important for the archdiocese's future.

Poor seismic report

The Catholic Centre closed in April 2022 after a seismic report rated some key structural elements at just 20 per cent of the New Building Standards (NBS).

"Once the peer review is received, we will be in a position to make decisions around whether the Catholic Centre can be strengthened and we can one day return there, or whether our move out of the Centre needs to be permanent" said then Archdiocesan General Manager John Prendergast.

The peer review assessed the building at 40% NBS.

At the time, Prendergast said that the archdiocese's offices would be back on the site and incorporated within any redevelopment the archdiocese undertakes.

Prendergast has since resigned and taken up a position at Trust House in the Wairarapa.

The staff who worked in the former Archdiocesan headquarters now work at 204 Thorndon Quay.

The archdiocese has a four-year lease on the Thorndon Quay property with the right of renewal for another year.

CathNews understands several developers have expressed interest in the Hill Street development.

Sources

• CathNews
• Wel-Com

St Gerard's - a distinctive, category one, heritage-listed church and monastery building - was sold for almost $17 million to a secret buyer earlier this year.

Since the sale, St Gerard's former owner, the Institute for World Evangelisation (ICPE Mission), has been finding new homes for furniture and other items.

The ICPE has been particularly careful in re-homing sacred items, many of which have historical value to the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington.

After talks with the Archdiocese, ICPE is donating the altar from the main church to the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

At present the cathedral is closed for renovation and earthquake-strengthening.

Catholic Archbishop of Wellington Paul Martin SM is delighted with the donation.

"I am personally excited that a cherished part of St Gerard's history - and of the Catholic history of Wellington - will live on within our Cathedral, which is home to all the people of God in the Archdiocese," he says.

St Gerard's Church (built 1908) and Monastery (built 1932) were originally owned by the Redemptorists.

The Catholic religious congregation of priests and brothers sold the property to the ICPE Mission in 1993.

The Mission, which is an international Catholic lay missionary organisation, sold St Gerard's because it could not raise the money needed for strengthening the buildings.

Since the sale in March, the ICPE community has been packing up the monastery's chattels.

Furniture is being donated to community organisations which could make good use of them. They include Kahungungu Whanau Services, St Vincent de Paul, Catholic Social Services and the Salvation Army.

Wellington Archdiocese Pastoral Ministry Advisor, Lucienne Hensel, who raised her family in St Gerard's Monastery as part of the ICPE Community, has been working with local organisations to re-home the items.

"It was great to see many of the household items moving on to worthwhile causes," she says.

Moving the altar

Plans are being made at present to move the altar from St Gerard's to the cathedral site as part of the Cathedral's restoration project.

The Cathedral parish is fundraising for the restoration project which began after Sacred Heart was closed in July 2018 after an earthquake assessment deemed it a significant risk to occupants.

Source

• Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington

"If the Church is going to do anything, it has to be us who do it," he said, emphasising the importance of individual and collective responsibility in the Church's mission.

"The church doesn't exist in some ethereal domain without bodies and people who have lives and with all the joys and sorrows that make it up."

He dismissed the notion of waiting for some magical 'other' to effect change, asserting, "It's us. You and me, with all our hang-ups and foibles, our talents and skills."

He also told the congregation that living in challenging times requires great hope and trust that God is at work in our world and in each of us.

"The good news is still with us," he reassured the congregation.

Martin made the comments to a 600-strong congregation at his installation as Archbishop of Wellington.

The ceremony was held at St Teresa's pro-Cathedral in Karori, Wellington.

Reflecting on the various stages of his priestly journey Martin said that, other than diaconate, he has never been ordained in a Church.

Sacred Heart, his parish church in Hastings, was burnt down, so he said he was "slam-dunked into the priesthood" in the St John's College gym.

Then when it came time to be ordained bishop so that we could fit everyone in, he was ordained in the Christchurch Boys High School auditorium.

Taking his reflection further on the role of buildings, Martin said in Christchurch there was no cathedral so he was installed in the pro-cathedral, and now in Wellington he is being installed in the Archdiocese's pro-cathedral of St Teresa.

"I think one of the things for me that it highlights is that places are important, but actually in the end, they aren't the key thing.

"The key thing is people and faith," he said.

Martin says he wants Sacred Heart Cathedral open and the archdiocese to have a home. If we can, he wants to see the Archdiocese in good places and for local people to have a place to call home.

But in the end, Martin said it all comes back to faith and that today, again, he wants to thank God for that.

"I really do look forward to journeying with you in faith and trust, whatever lies ahead," he said.

At times emotional, Martin used the opportunity to thank many people.

He began his speech by thanking his parents - Ron, who died 28 years ago, and Carmel, who was in the congregation.

"You both show me what a life of faith looked like.

"You provided me with a really stable environment of love.

"And you enabled me to be able to respond to God's call to me.

"And you've been a great support to me, Mum, ever since.

"But also allowing me to be free to do what's been asked of me.

"And I'm really grateful to God for all of it."

Martin also acknowledged the diocese of Christchurch, where he was extremely fortunate to lead and to learn what it meant to be a bishop, and his episcopal forbears.

He said he is very aware of the faith and witness of those who have gone before him.

He said he remembered some years back sitting in the cathedral and looking at the names of the bishops around the pulpit.

He acknowledged with gratitude Cardinal Tom Williams and Cardinal John Dew.

Martin told the congregation that he never wanted to be a bishop but now God has asked him to follow these "men who have led bravely and well."

"And now God has asked that of me."

Then committing himself to the people of the Archdiocese of Wellington, he said the Archdiocese is now his home, and its people are the ones on whom he will focus his care, concern and energy.

Source

• Archdiocese of Wellington

Father David Orange's painting of Wellington Harbour, "Dawn at Wellington", sold for $3500.

He says his love of the city and its harbour inspired him to paint the scene in 2019.

The online art auction attracted works by 30 artists from the greater Wellington region. It raised $12,000 for the cathedral, which has been closed since July 2018 for seismic strengthening.

Orange's connection with the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart extends over several decades. He was ordained there in 1964.

The former hospital chaplain has been painting all his life. Sadly, he is losing his eyesight from macular degeneration and can no longer read or sign his name on his works.

Even that hasn't stopped him from picking up his brushes though. He still manages to paint less detailed landscapes, though his ability to paint portraits has faded with his eyesight.

"I grew up in Miramar, and I never had any art lessons, but I always painted. I did the scenery for plays in the seminary and I used to illustrate the college magazine," he says.

He says encouragement to paint came from notable New Zealand portrait painter Sister Mary Lawrence, who painted under the name Julia Lynch. She introduced Orange to oil painting.

Fundraising continues

The Catholic community still has $2.6 million left to raise from the $16.5 million needed to complete the cathedral's refurbishment.

Among the funds collected to date are an $8.5 million dollar "shovel-ready" grant from the government and $120,000 from the Wellington City Council Built Heritage Incentive Fund.

Volunteer and chief organiser of the art auction, Malcolm Foo, coordinated the 120 works listed on the site.

"We thought it was a great way to connect with the community through the cathedral's fundraising efforts," he says.

While Omicron settings meant a last-minute decision had to be made to move the auction online, he says the digital approach had some benefits as it enabled a wider audience to get involved.

"We had bids from as far away as the States, someone from Florida actually purchased a painting," Foo says.

The strengthening of the cathedral is on schedule to be completed in 2023 and the cathedral reopened.

Source

• Scoop

Approximately 40 soldiers entered Sacred Heart Cathedral before a Lenten prayer service on Friday, April 8. They refused to allow worshipers to leave. The soldiers also occupied other buildings on the compound.

Archbishop Marco Tin Win and employees of the Archdiocese of Mandalay were herded into the building and forced to sit in the pews along with the worshipers.

The worshipers eventually were allowed to leave, and about 30 officers remained in the cathedral overnight.

"I was so afraid," one elderly Sacred Heart Cathedral parishioner, who did not give her name for safety reasons, told CNA.

"The military was always crazy, but they never acted like this before. We ran home as soon as we were allowed out of the church."

"The soldiers kept demanding to know where the gold and money and weapons were hidden," explained her nephew, who also asked for anonymity. "I told them there was none. Any money collected is for the relief of poor families."

Archbishop Win Tin, Vicar General Monsignor Domenic Kyo Du, their respective staff and approximately 20 diocesan priests are still under house arrest.

Four other local archdiocesan priests said they privately have solicited prayers amongst their parishioners for the archbishop and his staff. However, they are barred from even mentioning the crisis publicly during Mass.

"I don't know what to do on a practical level," explained one priest. "I'm praying. We're all praying, but this is too far. We expected this considering the evils these people are committing in many provinces. They are slaughtering Christians everywhere in Myanmar."

Since the coup, more than 12,000 people have been arrested. An estimated 1,600 have been killed in the conflict, including 50 children. According to media reports, the military junta has deliberately targeted churches, other institutions and civilians.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Catholic World Report

Fletcher was the Director of Music at the cathedral for the past ten years.

The occasion followed his final choral Mass on Sunday 14 March with tributes from choristers and parishioners emphasising Michael's outstanding contribution to the cathedral, particularly in music ministry.

His resignation is deeply regretted but highlights the changed circumstances for the cathedral since its closure for earthquake strengthening in July 2019. Read more

The classical-style cathedral in Hill St, Thorndon - designed by Dunedin architect Francis Petre and completed in 1901 - has been closed since 2018 because of earthquake risks.

Cardinal Dew says the $16.5 million cathedral project is able to start now thanks to an $8.5 million contribution last month from the Government's "shovel-ready" Infrastructure Fund, a $120,000 Wellington City Council Built Heritage Incentive Fund grant, and $3.3 million raised so far by the Catholic community.

Wellington firm L T McGuinness is the main contractor for the work, which includes base isolators to protect the cathedral during earthquakes; seismic strengthening of the roof; interior and exterior restoration; and refurbishment of the historic Arthur Hobday organ, installed in 1905.

L T McGuinness also did the strengthening and restoration of St Mary of the Angels in Boulcott St, completed in 2017.

Safety fences are already up around the site, ready for work to begin after Friday's blessing. Cardinal Dew said the project is expected to take at least three years and employ up to 300 people.

"Once complete, the cathedral will again be available to serve the Catholic congregation, and the wider Wellington community," said Cardinal Dew.

"Due to its globally acclaimed acoustics, it is a much sought-after musical venue and its historical and architectural merits make it a popular tourist attraction as well as a landmark on Hill St across from Parliament."

Cardinal Dew said everyone is invited to attend the blessing and prayers for the safety of the workers. The event will take place on the piazza in front of the cathedral, or in the cathedral chapel if rain is a problem.

Source

Supplied David McLoughlin
Communications Adviser, NZ Catholic Bishops
Te Huinga o ngâ Pîhopa Katorika o Aotearoa

The grant is a "one-off" ‘out of round' contribution from the Wellington City Council's Built Heritage Incentive Fund.

Wellington's mayor and councillors voted unanimously in favour of funding the cathedral.

The council has already made a grant of $25,000 to fund the temporary strengthening of the building's roof.

The project has been jeopardised by the withdrawal of other funding because of the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mayor Andy Foster described the 119-year-old cathedral as one of the four or five most important landmark buildings in the city that still need strengthening and were eligible for the funding.

The parish has also applied for a share of the Government's post-pandemic funding for ‘shovel-ready' projects.

Foster said he urged the Government to seriously consider coming to the party.

"This is definitely a shovel-ready project - and jobs are involved," Foster said.

"This is not only about securing the future of one of our landmark buildings, it's about keeping Wellingtonians working."

"Every building that comes off our quake-prone building list makes the city safer," councillor Iona Pannett said.

"This is a well-thought-out project, and I am glad to see that the parish intends to base-isolated the building."

Pannett, who holds the council's Building Resilience and Heritage portfolio, said the cathedral is one of only seven basilicas in New Zealand.

The cathedral closed abruptly in 2018 after an assessment found the building's structural integrity to be just 15 per cent of the standard for a new building.

At the time it was said the building would be closed for several years and would cost "several" million to fix.

The Catholic Church has occupied the site since its arrival in Wellington in the 1850s and has been the hub of the Wellington Catholic community ever since.

Source

• scoop.co.nz
• wellington.govt.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• wellingtoncityheritage.org.nz
• en.wikipedia.org
• Image: heritage.org.nz

An assessment has found the building's structural integrity to be just 15 per cent of the standard for a new building.

This means there would be a significant risk to occupants if there was an earthquake.

While Sacred Heart Cathedral is closed, weekday masses will in the short term take place at Sacred Heart Cathedral school.

Sunday masses will be celebrated at St Mary's College Hall, Guildford Terrace.

A spokesperson said while the detailed planning for remediation work has not started yet, it is likely that the building will be closed for several years.

The restoration work will cost several million.

The Cathedral Parish will be enlisting the help of the people of Wellington and others to preserve this Wellington landmark.

Following a verbal report from structural and civil engineers, Dunning and Thornton, the Parish Committee has been working through a process of due diligence regarding the structural condition of the Cathedral.

On Thursday it received a peer review of the detailed seismic assessment (DSA) that recently advised that the Cathedral was ‘earthquake prone' under the Building Act 2004.

Both reports have confirmed that the Cathedral currently presents a significant risk to occupants in the event of an earthquake.

In the 1980s the Cathedral was strengthened and the complex enlarged to include the foyer, Blessed Sacrament Chapel and Connolly Hall.

This work was done well and the building elements that were strengthened are rated well above the 33% minimum of NBS.

However, at roof level, ceiling diaphragms are insufficient to carry loads under the current building codes.

This has resulted in a lower earthquake rating being applied to the building.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, designed by architect Francis Petre, was opened in 1901.

In contrast to most other Wellington churches, its classical rather than Gothic styling has made it a prominent building on the Thorndon landscape.

Click here for further information

Source

• Supplied: Amanda Gregan Communications Advisor - NZ Catholic Bishops/Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: Supplied New Zealand Catholic Bishops

The 117-year-old cathedral has been evaluated by engineers in a verbal report and a brief written assessment.

Sacred Heart Cathedral's Reverend Father James Lyons said beams in the roof needed to be strengthened.

But everything else met the earthquake code.

Father Lyons said the cathedral could stay open while they were waiting for a full engineering report to be released.

A rating under 34 percent is classed as earthquake-prone under the code.

Sources

• Scoop
• Catholic Diocese of Bathurst