Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hamilton

Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Location 494 Grey Street, Hamilton East 3216
Country New Zealand
Denomination Catholic
Website Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
History
Former name(s) St Mary's Church
Founded 1911-1912
Dedication Blessed Virgin Mary
Dedicated 1980, 2008
Past bishop(s) Bishop Edward Gaines and Bishop Denis Brown
Architecture
Groundbreaking 1911
Completed 1975, 2008
Administration
Parish Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish
Diocese Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, New Zealand
Clergy
Bishop(s) Bishop Stephen Lowe
Priest in charge Fr Philip Billing
Assistant priest Fr Dan Johns & Fr Reno Alima
Deacon(s) Deacon Peter Spiller

The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, New Zealand. It was opened in 1975, replacing an earlier Neo-Classical building known as St Mary's Church which was built in 1911-1912.[1] The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary was dedicated and renamed on 27 April 1980 and rededicated, following refurbishment, on 7 November 2008.[2]

The Cathedral is particularly celebrated for a large stained glass window depicting the Resurrection of Christ. This was in the earlier St Mary's Church and was then placed in the rebuilt St Mary's church in 1975 and remained in place when that church was dedicated as the Cathedral. "The steeple-like effect of this central window and bold cross above is a Hamilton landmark and it remains firmly in place in the remodelled cathedral, offering beauty and a sense of history".[3] This Resurrection window has been associated with Hamilton’s "church on the hill" for more than 50 years. It was made for the early Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in the 1950s, by Dutch immigrant artist Martin (Martinus Wouterous) Roestenburg who lived and worked in Taihape.[4]

Notes

  1. Dominic O'Sullivan & Cynthia Piper (eds) (2005). Standing Together: The Catholic Diocese of Hamilton 1840-2005. Wellington: Dunmore Press. p. 121.
  2. "Hamilton east of the river". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  3. Irvine, Denise (2009). Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary Hamilton. Hamilton: Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, New Zealand. p. 25.
  4. "Resurrection Window". The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 16 March 2015.