Message from the Bishop

After the devastation of the tornado in May 2005 which destroyed the previous St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Diocese and the wider community has been blessed with the magnificent new St Patrick’s Cathedral you can see today.

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After the devastation of the tornado in May 2005 which destroyed the previous St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Diocese and the wider community has been blessed with the magnificent new St Patrick’s Cathedral you can see today.

The outlook from Bunbury’s Victoria Street once again presents to the local community a structure similar in shape to the previous Cathedral which was one of the desired outcomes expressed in the consultation process involving the church and the wider community.

Since the tornado, it became clear that many people with little religious background also used St Patrick’s as a place for personal reflection, for quiet time and for soul searching and it pleasing to once again see people returning to the Cathedral.

In addition, the opportunity of enhancing the surrounding precinct has been well and truly achieved with the old heritage listed ‘Parish House’ being fully restored and used as the Diocesan offices, as well as the construction of a modern Parish Centre comprising presbytery and offices.

The new Cathedral precinct was largely made possible by insurance and natural disaster relief funding from both the Commonwealth and State Governments.

The completed project is testament to all those that gave in some way, whether large or small. May they all be blessed.

The Most Reverend Gerard J. Holohan

Bishop of Bunbury