St. Joseph's Cathedral

About

St Joseph's Cathedral is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunedin (Dioecesis Dunedinensis). It is located in City Rise in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. It serves as the seat of the bishop of the Latin Church Diocese of Dunedin, which was erected on 26 November 1869.

The Gothic Revival cathedral was designed by Francis Petre, who also later, in a complete change of style to Palladian revival, designed St Patrick's Basilica, Oamaru (1894), Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington (1901), the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch (1905) (renaissance-revival), St. Mary's Basilica, Invercargill (1905), St Patrick's Basilica, Waimate (1909) and Sacred Heart Basilica, Timaru (1911).

The first St Joseph's Church (the current cathedral's predecessor) was built in 1862 and was located to the north of the cathedral's site. It was a simple brick structure. This was the city's first Roman Catholic church.

In September 1868, one acre of land was purchased by the Diocese from The Crown for £59, with the title being transferred into the name of Bishop Moran in 1871.

The construction of the cathedral started off with difficulties, having to contend with a gully and underground streams. Fr Delphin Moreau SM unsuccessfully negotiated with the City Council for them to assist with the filling of the gully, however, Bishop Patrick Moran was able to secure excavated material from the construction of Dowling Street to fill the gully.

Construction of the cathedral's foundations started in May 1878. Owing to the infilled gully, forty piles ranging in size from 4–8 feet (1.2–2.4 m) squared were sunk 30–40 feet (9.1–12.2 m) onto a bluestone reef. These piles were then connected by concrete arches to give the cathedral a level surface on which to build on. Despite the rigid foundations, the front of the cathedral started to suffer subsidence after fifteen years of being built.

On 26 January 1879, Bishop Moran laid and blessed the foundation stone. It was used for its first church service on 14 February 1886, and was completed in its unfinished state in May 1886, at a cost of £22,500. The original design, however, was for a much larger building, with a tall spire with a height of 200 feet (61 m) over the transept.

A description of St Joseph's Cathedral from a letter of the reporter of the Auckland Evening Star in 1889 says, " The cable tram has carried you up barely two hundred feet when you see a double-towered church of dark grey stone standing on a site cut into the hill. This is the Catholic Cathedral, St Joseph — and it is a gem. The outside gives you no idea of the beauty within. " This is a poor description of what was built. While it falls short of the original conception the building as it stands gives a better idea of the outstanding structure which was never completed.

The cathedral has undergone several internal modifications, the most notable being the removal of the high altar after Vatican II ; it was returned after a long sojourn in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The 1896 Memorial Altar to Bishop Moran designed by Petre was dismantled in early 1970, and has since been made into a large tabernacle, kept in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (former Nuns' Chancel) beside the sanctuary. Other parts of the façade of this altar have been kept and are currently in storage. A reconciliation room was added to replace the old confessionals in the nave of the cathedral.

In the 1950s, the Oamaru stone pinnacles on the two towers had to be removed due to their deteriorating condition. It was not until 1974 that precast concrete replicas of the 12 feet (3.7 m) pinnacles were made and put back into position by Downer and Co. This work was completed by August 1975.

In March 2023, the confessionals were renovated and returned to their original use. The shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour was also reinstated.

On 19 November 2023, the Blessed Sacrament was returned to the tabernacle of the high altar (where it was housed in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel) by Fr Vaughan Leslie. Originally, Bishop Dooley, along with Novatus Rugambwa, Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand were also planning to be present at the Solemn Mass. However, due to other commitments and ill health, respectively, they were not in attendance.

The cathedral angels (originally crafted by the Mattei Bros., Melbourne ) that used to stand either side of the high altar were restored by The Studio of Saint Philomena, and both placed back to their original positions. Their wings and the candelabra which the angels once held have had to be remade. The wings, having not properly dried in time for the Solemn Mass were reunited with the angels on Gaudate Sunday (17 December 2023).

It is planned for new altar rails and the original altar rail gates, the wooden baldachin, and the entrance crucifix to be returned to the Sanctuary.

In September 1868, one acre of land was purchased by the Diocese from The Crown for £59, with the title being transferred into the name of Bishop Moran in 1871.

The construction of the cathedral started off with difficulties, having to contend with a gully and underground streams. Fr Delphin Moreau SM unsuccessfully negotiated with the City Council for them to assist with the filling of the gully, however, Bishop Patrick Moran was able to secure excavated material from the construction of Dowling Street to fill the gully.

Construction of the cathedral's foundations started in May 1878. Owing to the infilled gully, forty piles ranging in size from 4–8 feet (1.2–2.4 m) squared were sunk 30–40 feet (9.1–12.2 m) onto a bluestone reef. These piles were then connected by concrete arches to give the cathedral a level surface on which to build on. Despite the rigid foundations, the front of the cathedral started to suffer subsidence after fifteen years of being built.

On 26 January 1879, Bishop Moran laid and blessed the foundation stone. It was used for its first church service on 14 February 1886, and was completed in its unfinished state in May 1886, at a cost of £22,500. The original design, however, was for a much larger building, with a tall spire with a height of 200 feet (61 m) over the transept.

A description of St Joseph's Cathedral from a letter of the reporter of the Auckland Evening Star in 1889 says, " The cable tram has carried you up barely two hundred feet when you see a double-towered church of dark grey stone standing on a site cut into the hill. This is the Catholic Cathedral, St Joseph — and it is a gem. The outside gives you no idea of the beauty within. " This is a poor description of what was built. While it falls short of the original conception the building as it stands gives a better idea of the outstanding structure which was never completed.

The cathedral has undergone several internal modifications, the most notable being the removal of the high altar after Vatican II ; it was returned after a long sojourn in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The 1896 Memorial Altar to Bishop Moran designed by Petre was dismantled in early 1970, and has since been made into a large tabernacle, kept in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (former Nuns' Chancel) beside the sanctuary. Other parts of the façade of this altar have been kept and are currently in storage. A reconciliation room was added to replace the old confessionals in the nave of the cathedral.