Catholic bishop considers ditching central city site for new cathedral

Monday, 11 December 2023

Christchurch Catholic Bishop Michael Gielen is reconsidering plans made by the former bishop to build a new cathedral in Armagh St.

Christchurch’s Catholic bishop is considering ditching plans to build a new cathedral on prime central city land.

Bishop Michael Gielen says he wants to return to the diocese’s “humble roots” at Barbadoes St, but is seeking feedback from the public before making a final decision.

Barbadoes St is the former home of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, which was demolished in 2020/21 after suffering severe earthquake damage.

Christchurch’s Catholic Bishop Michael Gielen discusses the options for the location of a new cathedral and explains the rationale behind Barbadoes St being the preferred choice.

In announcements at services across the region on Sunday, Gielen said there were three possible sites for a new cathedral precinct.

The preference for Barbadoes St means plans to build a $100m precinct on land bounded by Colombo St, Armagh St, Manchester St and Oxford Tce on the banks of the Avon River are now likely on hold.

The Armagh St project was announced in 2019 by then-bishop Paul Martin. The joint venture with developer Philip Carter was to also include a commercial building, a new 600-space car park, diocese offices, and apartments.

However, Gielen, who took over from Martin in May last year, is now considering other options.

The former site of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Barbadoes St is now used as a car park.

The bishop said he hoped to have a new cathedral operational in five years.

The church has engaged a series of experts, including quantity surveyors, planners, engineers and property valuers, to analyse three sites - the planned Armagh St site, Barbadoes St and adapting St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral on Manchester St.

Gielen said Barbadoes was his preference at this stage, but he would listen to feedback before making a final decision next year.

At more than 14,000m² the Barbadoes St site is two-and-a-half times larger than the others, he added, so has room for growth.

“The Barbadoes St site is steeped in history, with many identifying it as an anchor for their faith in Christchurch.”

The Armagh St site would constrain growth and a car park building would have to be built, adding to the project cost.

The earthquake-damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Barbadoes St before demolition was completed in 2021.

Refurbishing St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral was not viable, the experts said. It was cheaper and less risky to build a new cathedral.

“The reality is this site (St Mary’s) will not take us into our future. It would be more expensive, more cumbersome and with a less attractive outcome than building a new cathedral.”

As well as a cathedral, the church wants the site to have a function facility, a Perpetual Adoration Chapel, priests’ residence, a community cultural centre, offices and meeting spaces for parish and diocesan services, and car parking for the precinct.

“We want a precinct that is much more than just a cathedral.”

When asked what he thought about the church possibly pulling out of the joint venture, Carter said he had been kept fully informed and would await the outcome of the consultation and the bishop’s decision.

“As the bishop has made clear, a final decision has not been made.”

Gielen would not say how much the cathedral or the entire precinct was likely to cost. He said he did not know, because it was largely dependent on the design and location.

Diocesan general manager Simon Thompson said the financial analysis showed all options would produce a deficit.

Gielen wants Christchurch’s Catholic cathedral to return to its “humble roots”.

However, the size of that deficit was also not publicly known.

Thompson did say the diocese would have $30 million less to find if the cathedral was built on Barbadoes St compared to Armagh St.

Funds to build the new precinct would be made up of insurance payouts, sales of diocese-owned land and donations.

The diocese spent more than $15m in 2019 buying the Armagh St land, which it would sell if it went back to Barbadoes St.

Gielen said he would not be seeking any funding from the Vatican, which he said runs on a “shoestring budget”.

“There’ll definitely be no money from the Vatican.”

He also said he had no interest in parishes selling their land to fund the project, and that he was only proposing to sell diocese-owned land.

When asked if the church would seek some money from Christchurch City Council, Gielen said he had not given it any thought.

The Anglican church was given a $10m grant from the council to help restore the Christ Church Cathedral.

A survey and information on the three options will be open to the community from December 18, via the diocese’s website cdoc.nz.