The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

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° in the violent motion. On May 22 she was carried full circle in procession around the damaged Basilica.(cf Front Cover) She was accompanied by 200 people praying Rosaries, and singing Marian hymns. At the end of the march, a prayer was offered of Consecration to Mary, and for the protection of the City.