Official opening of cathedral date set

The official opening and re-dedication of Perth’s St Mary’s Cathedral would take place on December 8, 2009, Archbishop Barry Hickey announced on July 22.

December 8 is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and both the Cathedral and the Archdiocese are dedicated to Mary under that title. The pro-Cathedral in Victoria Avenue was originally called the church of St John the Evangelist because construction was started on his feast day – December 27, 1843 – the day the first sod was turned.
When Bishop John Brady became the first Bishop of Perth, the name was changed to the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist.
Bishop Jose Maria Benito Serra, co-adjutor and administrator of Perth, was in Rome when Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.
He returned to Perth and changed the name of the pro-Cathedral to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on June 17, 1855, the third Sunday after Pentecost. When the new cathedral was built the name was applied to it when it was opened in 1865.
“It is expected that many bishops from throughout Australia will attend the opening which is a significant event for the Church in Australia,” the Archbishop said.
“The conservation and completion of the Cathedral has taken around five years in preparation and three years in construction.
“Four local architects were invited to offer sketches of how the two earlier partial cathedrals could be brought together so that the finished cathedral would appear as a complete building. It is a matter of great satisfaction and delight that the chosen architect, Mr Peter Quinn, has succeeded in doing so.
“The first Cathedral was opened in 1865. In 1926 the foundation stone for a new cathedral to replace the old was laid.  Because of The Great Depression the new cathedral was never completed.  The cathedral opened in 1930 was an amalgam of the entrance and nave of the old and the sanctuary and transepts of the new.
“Finally, with the addition of a striking contemporary structure the two older cathedrals have been brought together to present a brilliant unity of diverse styles and textures.
“The new Cathedral is the product of three centuries of endeavour and is now on the verge of completion.
“Beneath the Cathedral is a complex of meeting rooms and other facilities, including a crypt or burial place for deceased Bishops and, we hope, canonized saints at some point in the State’s history,” the Archbishop said.
Archbishop Hickey expressed his profound gratitude to the people who had been so generous in raising the original target of $25 million well within the three-year appeal period.
 “People responded generously again when, earlier this year, we had to lift the appeal target to $32.9 million and we are confident of being able to open the Cathedral debt-free,” he said.
“Both the Commonwealth and State Governments gave generous and early donations, and I believe this gave the community confidence that the project could be completed.”
The Archbishop said that in addition to its deep spiritual significance, the new Cathedral would be a thing of beauty and a joy for all West Australians.