OTAGO DAILY TIMES, Wednesday, June 2, 1993

Return of high Altar highlight of restoration

When St Joseph's Cathedral was opened by the Otago Catholic diocese in 1886, a feature of the priest's sanctuary was a high altar.

Carved from Oamaru stone by the stonemason responsible for much of the cathedral's ornate sculpture, Louis John Godfrey, the altar was designed by the architect of the cathedral, Frank William Petre.

But in 1970, after the Vatican Council II changed the presentation of the Catholic Mass, the sanctuary was remodelled and the altar no longer met the church's liturgical requirements. It had to go.

A petition to retain it was signed by 60 people but others felt comfortable with its removal and the altar was given to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. It is now in a storage room which is not open to the public.

But after 23 years, as the wishes of parishioners have changed, the gallery priorities have also altered, partly inspired perhaps by its impending move to new premises. Two weeks ago the chairman of the gallery society's acquisition committee, Dr R. D. J. Collins, contacted Bishop Len Boyle and said the altar could be returned.

The high Altar would be a fitting sanctuary backdrop in the cathedral, now undergoing major restoration, chairman of the restoration appeal, Mr John Farry said.

But a visually-pleasing backdrop would probably be its only function.

"Before Vatican II the priest used to stand with his back to the congregation (facing the altar) and mumble away in Latin," Mr Farry said. A modest concrete-block altar, installed at the front of St Joseph's sanctuary when priests had to face their congregations, would probably continue to be used.

Functionless or not, the return of the high altar would be a highlight of the cathedral's restoration which would began when the appeal to raise $1.5 million was launched last year.

To date, $724,000 has been collected and $250,000 of this has been spent on urgent remedial work, including replacement of some of the upper level stone carvings with pre-cast concrete replicas.

A draft plan for the remainder of the restoration work, including plans to improve access for disabled people, creating an internal lobby where people may gather after Mass and replacing the Kauri floor with a concrete, heated one, will be made available to interested parties.

"We want to make sure everyone who is entitled to have a say can have a look at the plan," Mr Farry said.

The costs of returning the high altar to the cathedral, which holds an historic A classification will be partly met by a $5000 grant from the Historic Places Trust.

OTAGO DAILY TIMES, April 18, 1996

Pleased to see altar's return

Artist Shona McFarlane is delighted the St Joseph's Cathedral altar is to be returned to its home, as she led a campaign to save the altar in 1970.

Ms McFarlane said from her Wellington home that the altar was destined to be broken up and dumped in the Andersons Bay Inlet when she heard about it from St Joseph's choirmaster Michael McConnell.

The Catholic Church was going through changes as a result of the recommendation of Vatican II and part of the new atmosphere was for priests to say Mass facing the congregation.

For this, a new altar was needed and a decision was made for the old altar to be deconsecrated and broken up, rather than go to an inappropriate home, Ms McFarlane said.

She was writing for the Evening Star newspaper in Dunedin at the time and began a call for the altar to be saved.

Ms McFarlane was also on the Dunedin Public Art Gallery council and approached the then-director, Charlton Edgar, about the possibility of holding the altar there for display.

The two started the "Save the St Josephs altar" campaign, which raised enough money to have the stonework dismantled, shifted and put together again on a specially constructed concrete floor at the gallery.

Part of the reason Ms McFarlane, a Presbyterian, wanted it saved was because the altar was designed by Frank William Petre who designed St Joseph's and made by Godfrey, who also did the stonework at Larnach Castle.

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