Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral, located in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, is the

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of the

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of the Diocese of Wollongong, presently the Most Reverend Brian Mascord. The cathedral is the oldest church of any denomination in the

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal Regions of New South Wales, region in the southeast of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region. It encompas ...

region.

History

In 1836 a wooden chapel with seating for 250 people was built for the Catholics of Wollongong. The first Catholic school was opened in 1838. The pioneer priest Father John Rigney decided to build a larger permanent church in 1839. The church of St Francis Xavier is a stone building in the Gothic style, richly ornamented and large enough to contain 500 people. Its estimated cost was 2,000 Pounds. The building was furnished in 1848 with a splendid Gothic interior. The interior has been greatly altered over the years and apart from the beautiful stained glass window behind the sanctuary and the ceiling over the nave, little exists of the original interior. In 1986 it was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register.

Renovations

Wollongong_StFrancisXavierCathedral_Interior

The first addition was opened on 6 May 1906. The nave was lengthened by 7.6m, the original shingle roof was replaced by slate. Two galleries, one on each side of the sanctuary were added. In 1933, much damage was done to the interior with the church being widened. In 1951, St Francis Xavier's church was designated as the cathedral for the new Diocese of Wollongong. Alterations were made in 1960, the 1970s and in 1985. A Marian chapel was created from an old

confessional A confessional is a box, cabinet, booth, or stall where the priest from some Christian denominations sits to hear the confessions of a penitent's sins. It is the traditional venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and the Luther ...

. Some of the aesthetic damage done to the church with the widening of the interior was softened with the cladding of the square concrete columns; arches were added between these columns to unify the space. The

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

were reorganised, carpet laid and the interior painted in tones selected to highlight the stained glass window.

2010 rededication

In April 2009, the latest program of restoration was initiated with the replacement of the roof of the cathedral with slate imported from Wales. On 16 March 2010, the dedication of the renovated cathedral took place as it coincided with the anniversary of the death of Archbishop

John Bede Polding John Bede Polding OSB (18 November 179416 March 1877) was an English Benedictine monk and the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Australia. Early life Polding was born in Liverpool, England, on 18 November 1794. His father was of Du ...

, the first bishop in Australia. It was Bishop Polding who commissioned Saint Francis Xavier's Church. Bishop Peter Ingham performed the dedication.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Francis Xavier's Cathedral

Buildings and structures in Wollongong Roman Catholic Diocese of Wollongong

19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Australia Roman Catholic churches completed in 1848

History

Renovations

2010 rededication

See also

References