By Cameron Ryan
The faith, constructed
On the 31st of October 1897, St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne was consecrated and formally opened by Archbishop Carr.
In the Gospel reading, we hear that the Second Temple in Jerusalem had taken 46 years to build. St Pat’s took 47.
So naturally, once it was completed and ready to be consecrated, no effort or attention was spared in celebrating the occasion.
Bishops from all over the country converged on Melbourne; there were three days of grand festivities, a whole host of special Masses and devotions, and Cardinal Moran of Sydney even delivered a two-hour meditation on the calling of St Patrick. This reflection will be somewhat shorter.
A newspaper report from that week acclaimed St Pat’s as “a story in stone of faith and generosity”, and bills it as “a striking manifestation of Catholic unity, Catholic activity, and Catholic strength”.
This sentiment ought to echo through the Church in Melbourne today. Our Cathedral is no more impressive for its scale and beauty, than for what it does, what it represents, and the story it tells.
The icon of unity
The Cathedral is significant, first and foremost, because it houses the Body of Christ.
We know that our true wealth as Catholics is not in any splendid buildings, but in the very thing that they exist to house and glorify – the Eucharist.
In his own time, Jesus was zealous enough for the purity of the Temple, which was God’s dwelling place, prefiguring the greater presence that was to come. How much more zealous should we be for the dignity of our churches then, in which the physical presence of Christ abides here and now, and his ultimate sacrifice is made present daily?
Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord reminded the Jews that in the Temple, “the silver is mine, the gold is mine”. Now, something even greater than the Temple is at hand. How much more rightfully, then, can he lay claim to the splendour of our sanctuaries of the New Covenant, where his Body and Blood dwell?
The Cathedral is significant too, because it has been consecrated, as we celebrate today. It has been built and set apart for the exclusive use of the worship of God. It is not simply a beautiful display of architecture, or a large event space.
By apostolic authority, it has been designated as a fundamentally spiritual place: a place in which heaven meets earth, and where the people of God may assemble with the communion of angels and saints, in perpetuity.
And as a result, our Cathedral continues to be the icon of our “unity, activity, and strength”. It is a place of communion where the Church assembles from afar, it is where priests are ordained and commissioned, and it is the seat of our Archbishop. It is the mother church of Melbourne, and a permanent monument to the devout priorities of our forebears. A testament to what Catholics can achieve when they are all on the same page. Had they been ashamed of their faith, or split by factions, St Patrick’s never would have been built.
Living stones
Look at our Cathedral from any angle, and it gives no false impressions. It is a building of character. Through its own architectural eloquence, it says what it means, and means what it says. It is a holy building; a sanctuary claimed for Christ. From the outside, it calls and commands. From the inside, it nurtures and soothes.
Did our Lord not say that if his disciples failed to acclaim the King, “the very stones would cry out”?
If that time ever comes, our Cathedral would surely have a lot to say on that subject.
Next time you go to St Pat's, have a good look again upon all its features. Realise that you are in a building that lives and breathes with us. It speaks our language. It is a pattern for our own faith.
We must be willing heirs to that “faith and generosity” that we see embodied by the Cathedral, so that we might let our own faith grow into every aspect of it.
May our conviction be as immovable as its mighty bluestone walls.
May the virtues of faith, hope, and love stand as nobly in us as those three great spires.
May we support our neighbours in living a life of grace, as surely as the buttresses fortify the high walls.
May our prayer be bejewelled with heartfelt piety as cheerfully as the sanctuary is encircled by the chapels.
And may we be clear and transparent reflections of God’s light, like those great orange windows that illuminate and warm every surface within.
Long may St Patrick’s stand as a witness to Christ in Melbourne. May its stones cry out the name of Jesus to the hearts of the faithful, and to the world. Let us take up this “story in stone” as our own. May our Cathedral serve us well on our pilgrimage toward the heavenly Temple.
May St Patrick intercede for us, and for the whole Church in Melbourne.