Solemnity of the Dedication of St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney – 2nd September 2023

On Saturday 2nd September, we celebrate the Dedication of the Mother Church of Sydney and Australia: St Mary’s Cathedral. This celebration ranks as a Solemnity in the cathedral and a Feast in parishes of the Sydney Archdiocese. The Cathedral was Solemnly Dedicated in 1905 by special permission from the Holy See, as the building was then incomplete but was ready to serve the needs of the growing Catholic community of Sydney. Two stones in the temporary back wall were anointed and set aside for incorporation in the completed cathedral. Once a year dedication candles are lit to mark where the walls were anointed with Holy Oil by the Archbishop, ...