Sacred Heart Cathedral Community

Church:
Sacred Heart Cathedral, 841 Hunter Street, Newcastle West
View the Photo Gallery

The Sacred Heart Cathedral serves dual roles as the parish church for Hamilton Parish and as the Cathedral for the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese.

Mass Community Coordinator:
Kathryn

Usual Mass times:

Saturday Vigil	5.30 pm
Sunday	9.30 am, 5.00 pm. 11.30 am (Polish community)
Fifth Sunday of the month	6.00 pm (Slovenian community)

Weekday Masses and Novena:

Monday to Friday	8.20 am
Wednesday to Friday	12.05 pm
Saturday	9.25 am followed by Novena
First Tuesday each month	12 noon (traditional Latin Mass)

Other services:
Novena: Saturdays at 10.00 am (after 9.25 am Mass).

Reconciliation: On Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Times are on the Home Page.

Traditional Latin Mass: 12 noon on the first Tueday in each month.

Musical Director:

Phone : 0408293286 email : gregsmith@emotemuse.com

Disability access:
Yes, at western side door.

Hearing loop:
Yes

Audio visual facilities:
Sound and video systems installed

Public transport:
100 metre walk from bus stops on Hunter Street for Route Nos 100 and 118.
150 metre walk from bus stops on Parry Street for Route Nos 104, 111 and 235.
150 metre walk from bus stops on Tudor Street for Route Nos 222, 226, 230, 231, 317, 322, 334, 350 and 363.
Find more details on the Newcastle Buses website.

600 metres walk from Wickham Railway Station.

Stations of the Cross:
Images of The Stations of the Cross in the Sacred Heart Cathedral can be seen online by clicking here.

Seating capacity:
720

Parking:
59 spaces off street

Characteristics:
Sacred Heart Cathedral holds a special place in the affections of Newcastle Catholics. Its size and status make the Cathedral a popular choice for weddings and also for large funerals. As well, many parents like to bring their children to be baptised in the church where they were married.

The Cathedral also plays a major role in Diocesan events, such as the annual Chrism Mass in Holy Week and for other important Diocesan celebrations.

The Sacred Heart community works to accommodate these ‘Cathedral’ functions and its role in the Inner City Parishes as well as maintaining the local community for which the Sacred Heart is their ‘parish’ church.

On Saturdays at 10.00 am, we pray a Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. This Novena has continued since 1948 and, with the closing of the Redemptorist Monastery at Mayfield, was transferred to the Sacred Heart Cathedral in 2003. A special shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour has been established in a transept that was formerly used as the Nun’s Chapel. This is available for private prayer.

Near the grotto (Our Lady of Lourdes) at the Sacred Heart Cathedral there is a columbarium – a structure in the Cathedral grounds, shown on the left, with niches for the permanent placement of the ashes of deceased parishioners or others with a connection to the Cathedral.

Brief history
Until 1873 the Newcastle area was administered by the Archbishop of Sydney. Right Reverend James Murray, the first bishop of Maitland, established the parochial district of Hamilton in 1884. The current site between Hunter and Parry Streets was purchased from the AA Company and the first school-church built in 1875, near where the Southern Cross Hall now stands.

The present Sacred Heart Church at Hamilton opened on 15 June 1930, Trinity Sunday. In 1995, it became the Cathedral Church of the newly renamed Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. It was designed by Mr Peter Gannon, who was responsible for many churches in the Diocese.

The original copula, made of concrete, was severely damaged in the 1989 earthquake. It was replaced by a new copper cupola and is now located in the grounds as a memorial to quake victims.

To celebrate the centenary of the foundation of the Parish, the Parish Council invited Michael Sternbeck to write a story telling of the first hundred years of the Sacred Heart Parish of Hamilton, NSW. This impressive work, titled "With Hearts and Hands and Voices" was printed by Knight Bros. Printery, Newcastle in 1984.

Read a more detailed history of Hamilton Parish, including a list of the Parish Priests.

For more photos of Sacred Heart Cathedral and other Catholic buildings and history notes by a different author, click here.