The historic St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Geraldton is set to be reinvigorated, with the diocese undertaking a series of works to help celebrate the Cathedral’s 100-year anniversary in 2016.
The Cathedral was designed and built by Monsignor John Hawes, and although its foundation stone was laid in 1916, the building wasn’t completed until 1938.
But with several urgent problems becoming evident due to the building’s age, the Geraldton Diocese has decided to bring the building back to life in time for its major celebrations in less than three years.
Campaign coordinator Gerry Eastman told The Record the upcoming anniversary was the impetus behind the project.
“A lot of the things didn’t happen the way they were originally planned, so by 2016 we’d like to have it up to scratch,” she said.
“It wasn’t built exactly to Mgr Hawes’ plans because they didn’t have the funds. The main idea is to bring it back to what he would have liked to have seen 100 years ago.”
The proposed works include removing the asbestos from the roofs and recladding the dome in zinc and the nave and sanctuary roofs with tiles.
While more than $1.6 million has already been donated or pledged, the work will not begin until next year.
“We can’t start until we have an answer from government bodies about the funding of the Heritage Centre,” Mrs Eastman said. “We hope to start in the middle of next year.”
Mrs Eastman said most of the problems with the Cathedral building were due to its age.
“There’s a clock tower, but there’s no clock in it… the bell had to be removed from the tower as it was too heavy for the stonework,” she said.
“These things will all be rectified.”
There will also be some interior relocations, including moving the organ and lectern.
In addition to the repair work, there are plans to build a Monsignor Hawes Heritage Centre that will be home to a large collection of memorabilia.
“All of [Mgr Hawes’] plans are there, his notebooks, the cardboard models of his buildings and his photo albums,” Mrs Eastman said.
“Scattered throughout the diocese, and mainly stored in the Bishop’s house, is a lot of memorabilia and artefacts related to Hawes, and it’s important that the public gets to see it.”
The Heritage Centre will include a coffee shop for the benefit of visitors and the local community, while a wildflower garden displaying the best flora of the Mid-West region is also planned.
A fundraising committee has been established to help generate the required funds, and monthly cake stalls, concerts and a gala day have proved successful so far.
Mrs Eastman said people flock to the Cathedral because it is unique, and she hoped this would continue.
“It’s so unusual to see this type of architecture in country WA,” she said.
One of the building’s features is a two-level section at the Cathedral’s rear, where the crypt is located beneath the sanctuary. Mgr Hawes described the 800-person capacity building as “Roman or Norman, but certainly not Gothic”.
The former Anglican clergyman was the brains behind several church buildings in rural WA, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Mullewa and St Mary’s in Ara Coeli in Northampton.
WANT TO WIN A CAR? The fundraising committee is currently holding a car raffle. If you want to make a donation to the St Francis Xavier Cathedral Precinct Project or purchase raffle tickets, visit www.sfxcathedralproject.com.au or call (08) 9921 3221.