St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Christchurch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
Location	Christchurch
Country	New Zealand
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Website	Official Website: https://catholiccathedralchch.org.nz/
Administration
Parish	Cathedral Parish
Diocese	Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch

The St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, also known as St Mary's Church, is a Catholic church in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located on Manchester Street in the South Island.

This church is very important because it serves as the main church for the Catholic community in Christchurch. The Diocese of Christchurch was created in 1887.

The church building was finished in 1889 and first served as a regular parish church. However, after major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, the original main church, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, was badly damaged. Because of this, St Mary's Church was given the special, temporary title of "pro-cathedral." This means it acts as the main church until a new cathedral can be built.

Music at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Music
Choir and Orchestra
Short name	CBS Music
Founded	1969 (1969)
Location	Christchurch, New Zealand
Concert hall	Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (1969-2010), St Mary's Pro-Cathedral (2010-)
Principal conductor	Don Whelan

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Music (CBS Music) group provides most of the music for church services at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral. Before the Canterbury earthquakes, they were based at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. CBS Music is connected to the RSCM New Zealand Canterbury Branch.

The first choir was started by Don Whelan at Christ The King church in Burnside. Don Whelan worked with Dutch immigrants who were good at singing in groups. He soon became a skilled organist and organized the choir and cantors (singers who lead parts of the service).

In 1969, an organist was needed for services at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Don Whelan took this chance, and the CBS Choir was officially formed.

Tours and Resilience

During their first international tour to Europe in 1990–1991, the CBS was recognized by the New Zealand Government. They were called "cultural ambassadors." On their third European tour, the choir was invited to lead the singing at the special Papal Midnight Mass. This mass celebrated the start of the Holy Year of Jubilee.

The 2010 Canterbury Earthquake badly damaged the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. It had to be closed. Church services then moved to a nearby chapel. During the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, the cathedral partly fell down. The chapel and music center were also badly damaged and later taken down.

Despite these challenges, CBS Music built a new, modern building at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral. This new space holds their music library, offices, and a practice hall.

Even with the earthquakes, the choir and orchestra continued their yearly New Zealand tours. They also went on their first Asian tour in 2012. They had their fifth Australian and European tours in 2013 and 2015. In October 2019, CBS members celebrated 50 years with Don Whelan as their leader. They had a special lunch in Central Christchurch.

In March 2020, the Catholic bishops of New Zealand ordered churches to close temporarily. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon after, the rest of the CBS program also stopped because of the national lockdown. Their "Wednesdays at One" music program, concerts, and appearances at Masses were paused for the first time ever. On June 14, CBS Music was able to start their program again. They celebrated the Cathedral's feast of Corpus Christi. The "Wednesdays at One" music program restarted in July 2020.

Concert Program

The "Wednesdays at One" is a weekly concert series put on by CBS Music. It features local and national musicians of all ages. They perform music by many different composers using various instruments.

Each year, they perform Bach's St John Passion on Good Friday. Handel's Messiah is performed in mid-December. In June, during the Diocese's Feast Day (Cathedral Feast of Corpus Christi), a concert is held. Often, a special Mass is performed. For example, in 2019, Missa Corpus Christi by John Ritchie was performed. Also, Hymn to the Blessed Sacrament by MacMillan and Verleih uns Frieden by Mendelssohn were played.

On the first Sunday of each month (except January), orchestral Masses are performed with the choir. On other Sundays, the choir sings different types of music. This includes contemporary, polyphonic (music with many voices), and Gregorian chant compositions. Orchestral Masses with the choir are also performed at the Christmas Vigil and Midnight Mass.

Personnel

Here are some of the main people involved with CBS Music:

Cathedral Music Director:

• Don Whelan (1969–2021)
• Michael Collins (2021–present)

CBS Music Director:

• Don Whelan (1969–present)

Assistant CBS Music Director:

• Simon Mace (2018–2019)
• Nicholas Sutcliffe (2019–present)

Cantor:

• Wally Enright

Concertmaster:

• Natalia M. Lomeiko

See also

In Spanish: Procatedral de Santa María (Christchurch) para niños

• Christchurch Catholic Cathedral, the proposed replacement of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
• Roman Catholicism in New Zealand
• St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland