Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Austen IvereighFebruary 22, 2011

What matters more, of course, are the lives lost. But it's always symbolic when an earthquake destroys -- or in this case, half destroys -- a cathedral, because there are few buildings more solid. Reports suggest that the 150-year-old Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch has been severely damaged in Tuesday's earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, which have killed at least 65.

According to the Christian Science Monitor:  

The New Zealand earthquake leveled a number of central offices, wiped out iconic landmarks, and destroyed many homes, leaving parts of the picturesque cityscape – now swathed in dust and gas vapors – "unlivable." Local media is full of accounts of people trapped in damaged buildings, and residents of Christchurch have been told to evacuate, as no area is considered safe at this time.

Among the multiple casualties were an unknown number of foreign nationals, staying a city hostel that caters to the younger cohort of the hundreds of thousands of international visitors who arrive each year in the country's distinctly Anglican locale. The centrally-located Christchurch Cathedral has long served as the city's most visible icon.

Today, that 110-year-old cathedral's looming spire, too, collapsed.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
14 years 1 month ago
Thank you for the lyrics quoted.  It is very appropriate to mention it, as it is a great  reminder to all of us that we are totally dependent on God.  Our prayers go to the people New Zealand. 
Craig McKee
14 years 1 month ago
A ray of sunshine amidst the darkness on tonite's news:

''They got Ann out and God turned on the lights.''
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708236&

These lyrics come to mind:
''Though the mountains may fall, and the hills turn to dust, yet the love of the Lord will stand,
As a shelter to all who may call on His name. Sing the praise and the glory of God!''
Patrick Brophy
14 years 1 month ago
The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was consecrated in 1905  - 105 years. http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/viewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=2089

The latest from america

On this episode of “Preach” for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C, Amirah Orozco joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to offer a woman’s perspective on the adulterous woman that draws insight from liberation theologies.
PreachMarch 31, 2025
The altercation capped a month-long saga surrounding the Satanic group’s “black mass,” which founder Michael Stewart had sought to perform in the Capitol so that “God will fall and Kansas will be embraced by the black flame of Lucifer.”
As people of faith, we must defend migrants and refugees at a time when the state is increasingly moving to dehumanize them.
Rafael García, S.J.March 31, 2025
Francis' willingness to be seen in all his infirmity serves as an example to young and old alike that fragility is part of the human condition—and should be embraced.