Options for name of new Catholic cathedral whittled down to three
A shortlist of names for the new Christchurch Catholic cathedral has been whittled down to three, with St Francis of Assisi, St John the Baptist and The Blessed Sacrament being the final options in the running.
Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen announced the final three names he will be considering for the Barbadoes St cathedral, the first Catholic cathedral to be built from scratch in New Zealand for more than 120 years.
About 700 Catholics suggested potential names for the cathedral in May after being invited to do so, and a shortlist of seven names was announced last month.
The Bishop and a group of advisers then reviewed responses from more than 2100 people about the shortlist before deciding on the final three options.
“We were in the enviable position of having seven powerful and compelling names and stories, along with rich insights from the community, when refining the list to three names,” Bishop Gielen said.
He said naming a cathedral was “a rare opportunity”.
The former 1905 cathedral was known as The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament before it was demolished in 2020 after suffering irreparable damage in the 2011 earthquakes.
The Blessed Sacrament signifies a central belief of the Catholic faith that Catholics receive the symbolic body and blood of Christ, in the form of bread and wine, during mass.
St Francis of Assisi was known for his ministry to the poor and underprivileged, care for nature and animals, and for shunning wealth to embrace poverty.
St John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus and the patron saint of the Christchurch Diocese, was known as a great prophet who drew large crowds and baptised many people.
“With the thoughts of so many people and with the knowledge of what the remaining names represent, I am now undertaking a time of focused prayer for this intention – choosing a worthy patronal name for our time and for our place,” Bishop Gielen said.
“And I’m fortunate, given that there are no wrong choices among these great names.”
The name of the cathedral will be announced in early next month.