Our beloved Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street was opened on 12 February 1905, but was demolished in 2020 after suffering irreparable damage in the 2011 earthquakes. The inscription on the front of the church reads Ecce tabernaculum dei cum homnibus, which may be translated as Behold, Look, here God lives among us! During the February 22 Quake in Christchurch , a statue of the Virgin Mary in the South Tower of the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral was turned 180

The iconic Christchurch Cathedral has been a key part of Christchurch city’s identity for over 150 years.

The Burning Bush. Exodus 3-21. The Red Sea Crossing. Exodus 14. Two Tablets, the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20. The Ten Commandments concern matters of fundamental importance in Judaism and Christianity: the greatest obligation (to worship only God), the greatest injury to a person (murder), the greatest injury to family bonds (adultery), the greatest injury to commerce and law (bearing false witness), the greatest inter-generational obligation (honour to parents), the greatest

Mark 6:17-29 This painting depicts the final moment of John the Baptist inside the prison cell. John had openly criticized Herod Antipas for divorcing his first wife to marry Herodias, the wife of his brother, Philip. And so, Herodias held a grudge against John and used her daughter’s performance at Herod’s birthday party to trick him into ordering the execution. Although Herod feared John and knew him to be a holy man, he reluctantly ordered his beheading to keep a rash vow

Mark 1:9-11 Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan river. And when Jesus came up out of the water, immediately John saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

John 1:29 Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Acrylic and air brush on canvas.

Genesis 3:4–5 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Jonah thought he could run away from God when God asked him go to Nineveh. God’s hurling the storm, sailors tossing ballast from the ship, and Jonah being cast into the sea, he was swallowed by a big fish. Jonah prayed to God, God commands the fish to vomit Jonah out. God again asked Jonah to go to Nineveh. When Jonah proclaimed the message that God would destroy Nineveh the people and king of Nineveh repented. God changed his mind when he saw their change of hearts. Jonah wa

The holy sacrifice of the Mass is the fulfillment of all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant, the one sacrifice on the altar of Calvary is revisited during every Mass. Jesus Christ merited all graces and blessings for us by His death on the Cross. These merits form an inexhaustible fountain of grace to nourish the supernatural life of souls. At Calvary, Christ not only merited all graces for people but also established certain channels whereby these graces

Genesis 22:9-13 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God,

Salvation comes through the risen Christ. John 11.25 I am the resurrection, and the life. The cross couldn’t hold Him, the grave couldn’t keep Him. Jesus has conquered death, and He will share the fruits of that victory with us in our own resurrection, at the end of time. In the meantime, we can find peace and joy even in the midst of our earthly trials, knowing Jesus is really, truly alive.

John 15:1–2, 4–8. “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye

Daniel 6 God saved Daniel from the lions’ den by sending an angel to shut the lions’ mouths, keeping him completely unharmed. Daniel was thrown into the den for praying to God despite a decree by King Darius prohibiting it. The next morning, Daniel was released, and his accusers were thrown in instead. Daniel 2:20 Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. This painting depicts Jesus stitching and mending a broken heart. Jesus offers comfort by promising that God actively cares for, heals, and restores those experiencing emotional, spiritual, or physical pain. It highlights God’s compassion and intimate, personalized care for the suffering, bringing hope to the hopeless and mending shattered hearts.

The Pietà (Italian for “pity” or “compassion”) depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after the Crucifixion, representing her (sixth) sorrow. It symbolizes profound grief, maternal love, and silent, faith-filled acceptance of the sacrifice. How the Devil Lost at the Cross In the Garden of Eden, Eve reached out and stole the forbidden fruit from the tree. Through her disobedience, sin and death entered the world. But God had a beautiful plan of redemption. At

King 2:11-14 As Elijah and Elisha were walking along and talking together, a chariot of fire and horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water wi

Matthew 26:36-39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will”. “Such a battle and such a victory become possible only through prayer.”

Matthew 14:30 When Peter saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Peter’s story of walking on water teaches us to fix our focus on Jesus in all that we do. It was fear replacing confidence which caused him to sink. Therefore, don’t let fear distract you from God! Martyrdom of Peter on the inverted cross: It is believed that Peter requested this form of crucifixion as he felt he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus.

Amos 2:6, 5:12 Amos condemned the wealthy elite for exploiting the poor, “selling the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals”. He attacked the corrupt judicial system, where judges accepted bribes at the city gates rather than protecting the vulnerable.

1 John 2:1-2 Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. When Jesus was on the cross, God placed on him the sins of the world, and by doing that, it fulfilled the requirement of judgment. We are reminded of this in Isaiah 53:5-6, where we know that all of our iniquity was laid on Jesus, and he became the once and for all sacrifice needed to meet the demand of God’s justice.