After more than a year of painstaking restoration, Armidale’s iconic Saints Mary & Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral will finally reopen its doors in time for Christmas.
Damaged during the 14 October 2021 tornado, the heritage-listed building has undergone significant restoration work to rebuild and preserve its original features.
“The cathedral is our spiritual home, but also very much a central part of the Armidale community,” says Father Damien Locke.
“It’s really exciting to be reopening and sharing it with the community again. People miss it.”
Restoration work on the 1912 cathedral began in late 2023.
“Most of the damage from the storm was to the slate roof, but it had also endured some hail damage over the years. The roof hasn’t been replaced since it was originally built in 1912,” Father Locke said.
“There were some minor repairs in the 1990s, but never a full repair or renovation.”
Over 30 skilled workers contributed to the project, many of whom travelled from overseas and were specially trained to work with the slate roof tiles. Approximately 41,000 slate tiles were brought in from Wales for the build.
“The restoration on the cathedral was a complicated project because of its heritage listing,” Father Locke said.
“We had to source slate for the roof and zinc fish-like scales for the spire, which took a bit of time to get together,” he said.
“The tiles are so intricately placed and they all had to be hand made because they were customised to the building. Even the scaffolding was a major project in itself!”
The restoration also revealed an unexpected treasure. A well-preserved, handwritten note from two bricklayers who worked on the original construction in 1911 was discovered during pointing work on the bricks.
“They signed their names with their ages, and the date was the 11th of the 11th, 1911,” Father Locke said.
“It makes you think of the history there, and it’s awesome to have the responsibility of being the custodian of this building now. We plan to have the note framed and displayed in the cathedral.”
The scaffolding around the building was finally removed last week, with the final touches and cleaning now underway. The reopening events kick off on Thursday 12 December 2024 with a Mass for diocesan priests.
The grand opening for the Armidale community will be held on Sunday 15 December 2024, with a 10am Mass and a celebratory carnival held on the grounds.
“The Sunday day is significant in our Catholic calendar. It’s called Gaudete Sunday, meaning rejoice. We’re rejoicing to have the cathedral open again,” Father Locke said.
“We have a quite a few food trucks coming, some entertainment, activities for the kids – it’s really just a party to celebrate.”
Christmas carols in the cathedral will be held on Wednesday 18 December 2024.
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