Cathedral of St Stephen — Attraction in Brisbane City

An unappealing edifice with masonic overtones that is Catholic in name only. Upon entering we Catholics are accustomed to genuflecting before the tabernacle however here there is no tabernacle. Upon closer investigation you discover the tabernacle in an alcove behind the altar hidden by a wall. I guess the idea with the conciliar church has been to keep Jesus "out of sight, out of mind". The Masses held here are as you'd expect Novus Ordo suitable only for irreverent Catholics who are comfortable receiving the Blessed sacrament in their hands. But then it's not what I think but what God thinks that matters. Holding a tridentine Mass here would be a logistical nightmare should the powers that be ever were to come to their senses and realise they've gone way off track. There is however a quaint stone chapel adjacent to the cathedral that was the original church and must have been lovely before they stripped it of its former glory. Today there is an ugly aluminium tabernacle (of centre of course) with a hideous statue of Mother Mary McKillop. It must give children the creeps as it does me whenever I look at it. The atmosphere here despite the non-catholic aesthetic can be at times conducive to prayer and quiet meditation however I did get verbally abused one time by a young woman who was watching videos on her phone and then went on to make a loud conversation in Spanish. When I politely asked her to go outside to continue her call, pointing out this was a house of prayer, I was yelled at and called a racist. Though my native tongue is English (this is after all Australia) I to this day cannot see how she concluded I'm racist as we both had the same colour skin. I guess without some security guards present and being void of the sanctity that the tridentine Mass offered us I shouldn't be surprised that such displays of crass irreverence have now become the norm in what should be a sacred space for...

17 July, 2019: I had lunch in the cafe here. I knew instantly the lady who served me was a volunteer. She wrote the cafe docket order out in long hand rather than menu accronyms. The menu is simple unadulterated fair. I had an asparagus and tomato sandwich, an apple slice, and camomile tea. The desert choices could do with some fresh fruit? Fruit salad? I saw a lady sitting alone and asked if she would mind if I joined her? She said no. She was reading Woman's Day Magazine with Princess Kate on the cover. We talked while we ate. She is the tour guide for the cathedral. I commented that asparagus enhances male verility and was momentarily distracted by a lady from another table cackling and calling out "asparagus" while I was listening to her. She asking me it I write because I mentioned I was a teacher. I said a few journalists have frowned on me for writing for free and that I shouldn't. Google? I attended mass here on Saturday January 19, 2019. The climatic temperature indoors had me waving the mass paper program for comfort. It was boiling summer weather. I felt sorry for the young priest who kept looking my way, he was wearing a winter weight traditional priest cloak. The sermon was upbeat and cheerful. But when I consulted him at the end about some of my personal problems rhat are politicially charged by government funding he seemed to mentally put it in the too difficult collection badket. Even though other neighbouring Catholic Cathedrals are linked to my issues. In a way I was testing him as a priest to see if he cared. But he seemed more interested in complimenting my femininty. Perhaps he should chase women and join a different church. I was a visitor and had trouble following the hymn sequence program, the man four seats away from me pointed them out. They are on the back of the...

A beautiful heritage listed gothic revival architectural style Cathedral in Cruciform shape in plan! The architect was Benjamin Backhouse. It was constructed on 4th December 1989! It is a Cathedral Church of the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocese of Brisbane under the leadership of Mark Coleridge! Loçated on a site bounded by Elizabeth St, Charlotte St & Edward Sts of Brisbane! Built between 1864 & 1989 James Quinn was the first Bishop! On the 26th Of December 1863 on the Feast of St Stephen, Quinn laid the foundation stone for a grand Cathedral! For economic reasons Benjamin Backhouses original design was downsized many times! It is a plain Cathedral with features as the spiral topped sandstone towers & imported Stained glass from Munich! The organ, the alter & the Blessed Sacrament Chapel is at the rear! The stained glass window by Harry Clarke known as the "Mayne" window is above the sanctuary on the east wall! The Cathedral is made predominantly of Brisbane stuff & freestone! The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is made from reinforced concrete & the restored spires from glass reinforced concrete! The stained glass windows reveal pictures of Christ & his followers! While the Grand window over the door stands full & proud as it depicts Christ's Ascension. Restoration was completed in...