The Cathedral is dedicated to and under the protection of Mary, the mother of Jesus, under the title of ‘Our Lady of the Rosary’. INDEX
22. ROSARY
To strengthen the point this rosary is hanging next to the Madonna and Child. The rosary (Latin: rosarium, in the sense of ‘crown of roses’ or ‘garland of roses’), is used as an aid to prayer, especially in the Catholic Church. It consists of a string of prayer beads used to count the component prayers.
23. SACRED OILS
There are three kinds of sacred oils: oil of catechumens, holy chrism, and oil of the sick. The first and third are pure olive oil; chrism has in the oil a mixture of balm or balsam. The holy oils are symbols of spiritual nourishment and the light of grace. They are used in the public administration of baptism, confirmation, and anointing of the sick.
24. FONT AND CANDLE
The font is made from sandstone and comes from the original church. Catholics believe that through baptism, God enables us to participate in his life in Jesus Christ and makes us his children. It is through this sacrament that we receive the Holy Spirit and become members of the People of God, of the Body of Christ, which is the Church. Baptism becomes our commitment to grow in this new life and to strive to acquire spiritual maturity. By baptism, God purifies us from sin.
25. PASCHAL CANDLE
The Paschal candle is a large, white candle used at liturgy in the Western Rites of Christianity (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, etc.). A new Paschal candle is blessed and lit every year at Easter, and is used throughout the Paschal season which is during Easter and then throughout the year on special occasions, such as baptisms and funerals.
26. BAPTISMAL WINDOW
The window over the baptismal font, is the work of Rodney Marshall. It was made in 1991 upon the occasion of the building of the Church. The central panel shows Jesus being baptized by John with the dove descending above. The modern rite of baptism is shown below.
27. CROSSES
I am unsure of the significance of these crosses. In 1996, a regular series of shared services with St Paul's Anglican Parish of Wahroonga began, alternating between the Cathedral and St Paul’s. At the end of the first shared Lenten Services, each parish presented the other with the gift of a Bible to express our common faith in the Word of God. The Bible presented to the Cathedral sits on a glass stand below these crosses, but was missing during my visit.
28. AMBO
The ambo or pulpit is the place from where the Word of God is proclaimed Sunday by Sunday. The front panel here shows the ‘chi-rho’ – an early Christian symbol for Christ. This Cathedral appears to have no separate lectern, so this ambo would be used for Scripture reading as well.
29. ALTAR
This is the altar which stood for many years in the original church. It was built, along with matching marble pulpit, altar rails and floor, in the late 1940s in memory of the work of Father W. Hawe. Upon the building of the new Church the altar was reduced in size and rebuilt. All marble in the church also comes from these original works.
30. LAST SUPPER
The front panel of the altar shows ‘The Last Supper’. It is based on a late 15th-century mural painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan. This is one of the world's most famous paintings. The painting represents the scene of The Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, as it is told in the Gospel of John, 13:21. Leonardo has depicted the consternation that occurred among the Twelve Disciples when Jesus announced that one of them would betray him.
31. SANCTUARY
We step back to appreciate the simplicity of the layout of the sanctuary area.
32. CRUCIFIXION WINDOW
The stained glass windows were made in the 1940s for the old church. The cost was defrayed from the proceeds of a bequest from the estate of James and Bertha Quinn who worked tirelessly for the parish in its earliest years.
33. CATHEDRA
A bishop has authority over a group of churches known as a diocese. He (or she) is normally centred at a particular church, and this is indicated by his ‘cathedra’ – the seat or throne of the bishop. The name comes from the Greek. A church becomes a cathedral if the cathedra resides there.
34. CENTRAL CRUCIFIX
Above the cathedra is this central crucifix. In Christianity, the death of Christ on the Cross, demonstrating that Christ died for man’s sin, is a central tenet of faith.
35. PROCESSIONAL CROSS
Cathedrals have a processional cross – a cross, or crucifix – which is carried atop a vertically held rod during religious processions.
36. EAST WALL SOUTH
We turn our attention away from the sanctuary area. From left we see the covered tabernacle with sanctuary lamp above, a special set of three stained glass windows, and a painting of Mary.
37. TABERNACLE
The tabernacle is a liturgical furnishing used to house the Eucharist outside of Mass. This provides a location where the Eucharist can be kept for the adoration of the faithful and for later use (e.g., distribution to the sick). The word tabernacle means ‘dwelling place’. The tabernacle in Church is so named because it is a place where Christ dwells in the Eucharist. Unfortunately for us, the tabernacle is covered when not in use!
38. OUR LADY WINDOWS
The window of Our Lady of the Rosary depicts Our Lady holding the infant Christ, with St Catherine of Siena and St Dominic. The lower panels all have a musical theme, with patron saint of music St Cecelia at left, King David playing his lyre at centre, and worshipping angels at right.
39. PAINTING OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a venerated image enshrined within the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in México City. The basilica is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, and the world's third most-visited sacred site.
