The Catholic Weekly 23 October 2022

16 23, October, 2022 H I S T O R I C A L E D I T I O N 2 0 0 Y E A R S Little-known, but there to discover W hile it may have stood in the middle of Sydney’s CBD for 200 years, St Mary’s Cathe- dral is steeped in thousands of years of mystery. From gothic-lettered prayers carved in sandstone, stained glass windows rich in symbolism and stories told through colour- ful mosaic floors, the cathedral is full of se- crets most visitors wouldn’t know exist. And kept in vaults away from prying eyes, priceless relics, jewel-encrusted liturgical artefacts and vestments worn by popes and saints from around the world are kept under lock and key. The Catholic Weekly was given exclusive access to some of the hidden gems from cen- turies gone by as part of the bicentenary an- niversary celebrations. While guarded on much of the detail, the Dean of the Cathedral, Fr Don Richardson, shed a little light on some of its secrets. “There’s no point in having secrets if everybody knows about them,” he grinned. “But as it’s such a special occasion I’ll show you a little of what we’ve got.” Prayers carved in stone IF YOU’RE looking for some divine inspira- tion look towards the heavens. Many people don’t know that there are prayers literally etched in the honey-colour- ed sandstone on the outside walls of the ca- thedral. Hand-carved in the late 19th Century in ornate Latin lettering above the windows of the northern half of the building, the prayers are mainly related to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in whose honour and under whose patronage the cathedral is titled. The beginning and ending words of the Hail Mary appear, but the walls where the words in between should appear had not been built at that time and when construc- tion started in the 20th Century the decora- tive friezes remained incomplete. Priceless relics MORE THAN a hundred relics from around the world are safely kept within the cathe- dral’s walls. While unable to be bought (rel- ics cannot be sold) they are considered priceless to Catholics around the world. Some of the more significant relics in- clude a small quantity of St John Paul II’s blood, some of St Thérèse of Lisieux’s hair, and fragments of bone from St Charles Bor- romeo and St Oliver Plunkett. While not con- sidered relics, a fragment of wood from the  Debbie Cramsie Today’s cathedral is visited by more than a million people annually, but is filled with fascinating aspects few ever get to know about crib at the stable in Bethlehem and hair from the first Archbishop of Sydney, Bede Pol- ding, are also considered significant. One of the newer additions is a relic from the right hand of St Francis Xavier, currently on display to the public. Cathedral treasures AN ‘ALADDIN’S Cave’ of liturgical treasures representing the whole tradition of the uni- versal Church and housed at the cathedral draw on not only the past but look towards the future. Each has its significance and value, re- flecting different artistic taste and times in- cluding the gothic revival, baroque and 20th century modern styles. There’s also an enor- mous collection of chalices, one belonging to Fr John Therry and others that date back to the 17th century in Ireland, through to the sacred vessels made for the Papal Mass at World Youth Day in 2008. Of particular significance are chalices used by Archbishop Bede Polding, Saint Paul VI, Saint John Paul II and Pope Bene- dict XVI. One of the most impressive is a stunning gem-encrusted chalice given to Archbish- op Polding in 1842 by the Roman princess d’Oria Pamphili, still used today at Christ- mas and Easter. Vestments A REMARKABLE collection of several hun- ❙ Memorial parks at Rookwood, Liverpool + Kemps Creek ❙ Chapels + condolence lounges available on site ❙ World-class cremation services ❙ Community events + monthly masses ❙ Newmemorial park to be built at Macarthur with walking tracks, café and sculpture parks. Phone: 1300 114 997 www.catholiccemeteries.com.au Serving the community for over 150 years dred colourful vestments made from the 19th through to the 21st centuries hang in the sacristy and are still used by both cathe- dral and visiting clergy. Made in Italy, Poland, France, Spain, Ma- cau, the US, Canada, Peru and Australia, they are of gothic, semi-gothic, monastic and classical Roman styles. Made of gold and silver cloth, silk, wool blend and synthetic materials, they have been worn by both saints Paul VI and John Paul II. The Crypt mosaic floor CONSIDERED BY many as the jewel in the crown, the Crypt is remarkable for the beau- ty of its terrazzomosaic floor, considered one Secrets of the cathedral: hundreds of vestments hang in the sacristy for use throughout the year, including some worn by popes and saints. Four reliquaries, below, are among the hundreds held by the cathedral. The four (left to right) carry relics of St John Paul II’s blood, a fragment of bone of Maronite St Rafqa, another fragment of bone from St Oliver Plunkett and hair of St Thérèse of Lisieux. Among the mosaic artworks of the Crypt is the separation of night and day from the biblical account of the creation of the world. Few know, but prayer is carved into sandstone above the walls of the cathedral. A statue of famed missionary St Francis Xavier, far right, stands above a reliquary containing a relic from his right hand. PHOTO: TOP: GIOVANNI PORTELLI; ALL OTHERS: ALPHONSUS FOK of the finest of its kind in the world. First and foremost a sanctuary, it is the resting place of some of Australia’s most important Catho- lic leaders. What is unknown by the thousands of ca- thedral visitors is the intricate mosaic floor inlaid with a Celtic Cross and medallions which depicts the days of Creation inspired by the 9th Century Book of Kells , an illumi- nated manuscript of the Gospels. Depicted in five large circles, the seven days of creation include Light from Dark, Sun and the Moon, Man and Woman, the Birds and the Fish and Water and Land. A series of 18 smaller medallions illustrate traditional titles given to Mary, to whom the cathedral is dedicated. Crosses on the spires THE CROSSES on top of the two cathedral spires are made of the same metal alloy as the Australian one and two dollar coins, and are over two meters tall. Lifted into place by helicopter in June 2000, they completed the cathedral’s con- struction and have become a landmark in Sydney. Three chalices in the cathedral’s possession in- clude those used by, left to right, Fr JohnTherry, at World Youth Day and one gifted by a Roman princess. PHOTOS: ALPHONSUS FOK