St Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta is one of 16 significant heritage and modern buildings in the city offering the public rare access as part of an open day on August 29. Source: Catholic Outlook.
The cathedral will feature in the first-ever Parramatta Open – a satellite program of Sydney Open, hosted by Museums of History NSW and Parramatta City Council.
Parramatta Open aims to give attendees “the keys to the city, unlocking buildings, places, and spaces that are rarely open to the public”.
Some of the experiences offered on the day will be a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Powerhouse Parramatta, and heritage building tours at the Parramatta Female Factory, Old Government House and the Brigid Shelly Building in Our Lady of Mercy College.
Visitors to St Patrick’s Cathedral will hear from Msgr John Boyle, who will give a history talk about the buildings in the precinct, including the devastating fire in 1996 and the rebuild of this award-winning architecturally and liturgically significant cathedral.
Cathedral dean Fr Robert Riedling said Parramatta Open will be a unique opportunity for people to learn more about the important role that the Church and its people has had on the history, faith and architecture of the local area.
“In Australia, Parramatta is known as the ‘cradle of Catholicism’ as many Catholic ‘firsts’ took place here, including the first official Catholic Mass celebrated on the Australian mainland in 1803, marking the beginning of a rich Catholic story that continues today,” Fr Riedling said.
“From some of the earliest Catholic schools, just across the road from the cathedral, and religious communities such as the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Mercy, the first convents and Catholic orphanages, to the pastoral ministry offered at the Parramatta Female Factory and the charitable works that have supported generations of families, Catholics have made an enduring contribution to the spiritual, educational and social development of our city,” he said.
“St Patrick’s Cathedral has been at the heart of that story for more than 180 years. It stands alongside places that reflect the Church’s long commitment to education, including the Brigid Shelly Building at Our Lady of Mercy College, and the service of many priests and religious orders whose legacy continues to shape Parramatta today.
“Parramatta Open is a wonderful opportunity for people to step inside these historic places, hear the stories behind them, and discover how Catholic faith, architecture and community have helped shape not only Parramatta, but the history of the Church in Australia.”
Details: Parramattaopen.com.au.
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Our iconic St Patrick’s Cathedral featured in the first ‘Parramatta Open’ (By Anita Sulentic, Catholic Outlook)
