St Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin
St Joseph's Cathedral is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunedin. 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 Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunedin, which was erected on 26 November 1869.
| St Joseph's Cathedral | |
|---|---|
 Cathedral as it appeared in 2005 | |
| 45°52′28″S 170°29′53″E | |
| Location | City Rise, Dunedin |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Open |
| Heritage designation | Category I (25 November 1982) |
| Designated | 14 February 1886 |
| Architect(s) | Francis Petre |
| Architectural type | Cathedral |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Dunedin |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Michael Dooley, 7th Bishop of Dunedin (2018–present) |
| Priest(s) | Rev Fr Vaughan Leslie PP |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | David Burchell |
| Organist(s) | David Burchell Maria Lane (assistant) |
| Music group(s) | St Joseph's Cathedral Choir |
History
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), St. Mary's Basilica, Invercargill (1905), St Patrick's Basilica, Waimate (1909) and Sacred Heart Basilica, Timaru (1911).
Construction of the Cathedral started in 1878, during the episcopacy of Bishop Patrick Moran. It was used for its first church service in 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 100 meters 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."[1] 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.
Renovations
The cathedral has undergone several 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 side altar was dismantled in early 1970, and has since been made into a large Tabernacle, kept in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel beside the sanctuary. A Reconciliation Room was added to replace the old confessionals in the nave of the cathedral.
2023
In March 2023, the confessionals were renovated and returned to their original use. The Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour was also revitalised.
Organs and Choir
Organs
The organ was purchased by Fr Delphin Moreau SM in 1866 for the first St Joseph's Church and built by George Fincham and Sons of Melbourne. Once the organ was shipped to Dunedin it was erected by Charles Begg and opened on 1 February 1867. After the new Cathedral had been built, it was transferred in early 1886 before the opening ceremony in February of that year. Edward Henry Jenkins (of Christchurch) was made responsible for the rebuilding of the organ in the new Cathedral.[2]
The organ was dedicated on 1 June 1976 after a rebuild was undertaken by the South Island Organ Company, Timaru.[3] Upon the completion of the rebuild, two wooden statues were presented as gifts of the Cathedral Choir. The statues now sit on either side of the Positive division casework. The three manuals of the organ are: swell, great and positive.
A second organ was obtained, installed and first used at the Mass of the Veneration of the Cross, on Good Friday, 2023. It has one manual and is a Casson's Patent, Opus 226, made by the Positive Organ Company Limited, London. The plaque on the organ reads: "+ TO THE GLORY OF GOD + PRESENTED BY EDWARD HERBERT, IN LOVING MEMORY OF MAGDELENE, HIS WIFE. 15TH NOVEMBER 1897".
Cathedral Choir
As of 2023, the Choir consists of about 15 members.[4] Since 2017, David Burchell has served as the director of music and before then, the organist. Burchell also holds the titles of Dunedin City Organist[5] and the conductor of City Choir Dunedin. He succeeded Michael McConnell ARSCM, a recpient of the Benemerenti Medal.[6][7] McConnell served as choirmaster for 41 years before he passed away on 4 November 2017.[7][8]
St Dominic's Priory and Cathedral Chapel
St Dominic's Priory is located beside St Joseph's Cathedral, also designed by Petre, in 1876. When built in 1877, it was the largest unreinforced poured concrete building the Southern Hemisphere and has been described by Heritage New Zealand as "one of New Zealand's most important Victorian buildings".[9][10] In 1889, a bluestone extension was built to accommodate older students in the newly established St Dominic's College. It holds a Heritage New Zealand Category I listing (No. 372).[10]
In 2020, the Priory was broken into, with intruders ransacking a flat and damaging historic paintings and other irreplaceable property.[11]
The Priory is of neo-Gothic design. It reaches four storeys at gable level and there are over 70 rooms, both large and small, including double-glazed music rooms. The Priory is no longer used for any purpose.
The Cathedral Chapel is situated behind the Priory and is still used. It still contains its original High Altar. Mass is celebrated there twice a week and the Traditional Latin Mass is still celebrated there every Sunday. Priests from the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer (FSSR) celebrate the Latin Mass here, once a month as well. The Cathedral Choir uses the chapel as their practice space.
The Catholic Pastoral Centre, located behind the Cathedral, contains administration offices, the Bishop's office and also the Dunedin Catholic Library.
References
- Auckland Evening Star, New Zealand, 1889.
- Mee, Peter R. (January 1986). St Joseph's Cathedral Dunedin, New Zealand, Centennial Year 1886-1986. Dunedin, New Zealand: Production Tablet Printing Co. OCLC 154299360.
- "St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral, Dunedin" (PDF). New Zealand Organ Preservation Trust. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- "The Cathedral Choir". October 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- Lewis, John (4 October 2019). "Norma's 100th 'Birthday Bash' to be a blast". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- Rudd, Allison (30 July 2008). "St Joseph's hoping candidate pipes up". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- "Tributes Online - Listings". www.tributes.co.nz. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- Staff, NZ Catholic (20 December 2017). "Fond farewell for Dunedin choirmaster". NZ Catholic Newspaper. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- Dungey, Kim (17 December 2021). "Inside an abandoned piece of Dunedin history". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- "Welcome to Heritage New Zealand". Welcome to Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- Lewis, John (1 April 2020). "Intruders ransack historic priory". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
Further reading
- Hamilton, Derek; Hamilton, Judith (2009). Early Churches in and Around Dunedin (Paperback). Christchurch, NZ: Self-published. ISBN 978-0-473-15950-4.
- Knight, H., and Wales, N. (1988). Buildings of Dunedin. Dunedin: John McIndoe.
External links
Media related to St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin at Wikimedia Commons- St Joseph's Cathedral