Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington
| Sacred Heart Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and St Mary his Mother | |
Wellington, Hill St | |
| 41°16′36″S 174°46′34″E / 41.2766°S 174.7762°E | |
| Location | Thorndon, Wellington Central City |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Website | mcshwellington |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St Mary's Cathedral |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Founder(s) | Philippe Viard, 1st Bishop of Wellington (St Mary's Cathedral, 1851); Francis Redwood, 2nd Bishop and 1st Archbishop of Wellington (Sacred Heart Cathedral, 1901) |
| Dedication | 1901 124 years ago |
| Consecrated | 18 March 1984 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Category I (2 April 1985) |
| Architect(s) | Francis Petre |
| Architectural type | Cathedral |
| Style | Palladian Revival |
| Completed | 1901 124 years ago |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Oamaru stone |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Wellington |
| Parish | Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Archbishop Paul Martin |
| Priest in charge | Fr Patrick Bridgman (Cathedral Administrator) |
| Laity | |
| Parish administrator | Mr Frank Doherty |
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The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother, better known as Sacred Heart Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral church on Hill Street, Wellington, New Zealand. It is the parish church of the Thorndon Catholic parish (founded 1850) and the seat of the Archbishop of Wellington. The New Zealand Parliament is a close neighbour of the cathedral. However, the Thorndon Catholic parish predates that institution. The cathedral is part of a Catholic precinct which includes: St Mary's College; Sacred Heart Cathedral School; St Mary's Convent, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Mercy in Wellington; the Catholic Centre, in which Catholic administration is located; and Viard House, which is both the cathedral parish presbytery and the residence of the archbishop.
The church was popularly known as "the Basilica", because of its palladian architectural style. It was designated as the cathedral of Wellington in 1984 after earthquake strengthening and the addition of the Blessed Sacrament chapel, foyer, sacristy, courtyard, hall (called Connolly Hall) and piazza. The parish of Thorndon was administered by the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) for eighty-five years until 1935, although secular or diocesan clergy were also stationed there. The founder of the see, Bishop Viard, and the first two archbishops, Redwood and O'Shea, were also members of the Society of Mary. From 1954 all the archbishops and the resident clergy of the cathedral were secular clergy. However on 4 May 2023 the Marist residency was restored when Archbishop Paul Martin SM succeeded to the see.
Thorndon has always been the residence of the archbishops of Wellington except for the period 1935–1954 when Archbishop O'Shea continued to live at Paterson St, Mt Victoria which was his address as coadjutor.
On 13 July 2018, the main cathedral building was closed for seismic strengthening and renovation, with services continuing in the cathedral hall (off Guildford Terrace) or at St Thomas More Church, Wilton. The building was reoccupied in June 2024.